#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 1 Day!
Saturday, February 17th, 2024 -- 1 Day Until Daytona!
ONE DAY UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #1 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-01 — Charlotte — B.E. Renfro
NXS: 1982-02 — Richmond — Wayne Patterson
NCTS: 1995-01 — Phoenix — P.J. Jones
BEST FINISH:
NCS: 26 NASCAR Cup Series Wins (Most: Wade-Allison-Chastain-McMurray, 4)
NXS: 28 NASCAR Xfinity Series Wins (Most: Sam Mayer & Jimmy Spencer, 4)
NCTS: 21 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Wins (Most: Ted Musgrave, 16)
BEST START:
NCS: 36 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: Jamie McMurray, 8)
NXS: 31 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: Jeff Gordon, 12)
NCTS: 14 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Poles (Most: Ted Musgrave, 13)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
Yes. In 2023, the No. 1 was fielded full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the number didn’t run full-time but competed for the majority of the season.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, Trackhouse Racing has fielded the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro since purchasing the assets of Chip Ganassi Racing, ahead of the 2022 season. Ross Chastain has been the team’s driver since that point.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, JR Motorsports fields the No. 1 Chevrolet on a full-time basis and has since Elliott Sadler joined the organization in 2017. Sam Mayer, an up-and-coming talent, has spent the last couple of seasons as the team’s full-time driver.
Mayer is set to return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a full-time basis in 2024, driving the No. 1 Chevrolet.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, TRICON Garage utilized the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro as a rotisserie entry last season, giving several drivers opportunities including Jesse Love, Toni Breidinger, Kaz Grala, Bubba Wallace, Layne Riggs, and others.
This season, the entry will do much of the same, having announced three drivers thus far in Toni Breidinger (Daytona), William Sawalich (nine races), and Colby Howard (Atlanta).
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #1?
NASCAR Cup Series: Jamie McMurray — 324 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Elliott Sadler — 132 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Ted Musgrave — 121 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #1 IN NASCAR
Of the nine drivers that have made more than 50 NASCAR Cup Series starts using the #1, only Rick Mast (181) and George Green (51) have failed to visit Victory Lane with the number.
Despite the glaring irony, the #1 has never captured a championship in either the NASCAR Cup Series or NASCAR Xfinity Series. Ted Musgrave did manage to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title with the number, though.
As far as the #1 is concerned, JR Motorsports has been ramping up the win total over the last decade in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Elliott Sadler, Michael Annett, Sam Mayer, and Josh Berry.
Ultra Motorsports and K-Love Motorsports dominated the victory tally in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the #1 — with the only exception being a win by Timothy Peters and Red Horse Racing in 2009.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, Billy Wade, Donnie Allison, Ross Chastain, and Jamie McMurray are all tied for the most wins for the car number at four — but the kicker, is they’ve all done so with different organizations.
Jeff Gordon, who eventually ended up winning four NASCAR Cup Series championships, was a qualifying machine for Bill Davis Racing before racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, scoring a whopping 12 poles in 59 starts in the #1.
Gordon, despite only making 59 stars in the #1, has also led double the number of laps (1,254) as any other driver did using the number in the Xfinity Series, with Jimmy Spencer (41) being the closes at 687.