#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 37 Days!
Friday, January 12th, 2024 -- 37 Days Until Daytona!
37 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #37 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-01 - Charlotte - Frank Smith
NCS: 1949-01 - Charlotte - Archie Smith
NXS: 1982-01 - Daytona - Delma Cowart
NCTS: 1995-01 - Phoenix - Bob Strait
BEST FINISH:
NCS: P1 - 1 NASCAR Cup Series Victory (Bobby Isaac, 1968, Columbia)
NXS: P1 - 4 NASCAR Xfinity Series Victories (Most: David Green, 3)
NCTS: P7 - Scot Walters, Louisville, 1997
BEST START:
NCS: P1 - 2 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Bobby Isaac 1968, John Andretti 1995)
NXS: P1 - 5 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: David Green, 3)
NCTS: P4 - David Green, Martinsville, 1997
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
No. The #37 has not been utilized in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since Memorial Day Weekend 2022, when AM Racing last fielded its second part-time truck.
The #37 is not currently in use in the NASCAR Cup Series, last appearing on-track in the 2021 season-finale at Phoenix Raceway, the final event for JTG Daugherty Racing’s second entry, which at the time was driven by Ryan Preece.
In 2021, Preece would bring home four finishes inside the top-10, including his second-ever top-five finish at NASCAR’s top level, finishing fourth in the Summer event at Daytona International Speedway.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #37 is not currently in use. However, a team that currently fields multiple entries in the second-tier series, is the organization that last fielded the number.
On two occasions, RSS Racing fielded a fourth entry, the #37, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which served as a start-and-park, most recently for Jeff Green at Homestead in 2018, finishing 39th, retiring after 14 laps.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Max Gutierrez was the last driver to pilot the #37, in what was a second entry for AM Racing. Gutierrez made his series debut in the entry, finishing 26th place, three laps down.
Between 2021 and 2022, AM Racing brought the entry on track three times with three different drivers — Brett Moffitt, Logan Bearden, and Max Gutierrez. Since then, the entry or number hasn’t re-appeared.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #37?
NASCAR Cup Series: Chris Buescher - 108 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Kevin Grubb - 91 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Scot Walters - 30 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #37 IN NASCAR
In the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the #37 had double the representation, being used on a pair of different entries — driven by Frank Smith and Archie Smith.
The #37, despite not being one of the most common numbers in the history of NASCAR, was present in the inaugural event for each of NASCAR’s National Series.
Bobby Isaac earned the two best finishes for the #37 in the NASCAR Cup Series in back-to-back events, finishing first in the 1968 event at Columbia and second place at Greenville one event prior.
When scoring a top-five finish in the 2018 Daytona 500, Chris Buescher became the first driver to score a top-five finish in the NASCAR Cup Series while driving the #37 since Jeremy Mayfield in 1997.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #37 hasn’t been running at the end of an event since Brad Baker at Daytona International Speedway in 2008.
The #37 hasn’t competed in back-to-back NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events since 1998, when Scot Walters ran the full schedule. Walters is also responsible for the numbers last top-10 in the Truck Series.