#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 17 Days!
Thursday, February 1st, 2024 -- 17 Days Until Daytona!
17 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #17 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-02 — Daytona Beach — Sara Christian
NXS: 1982-23 — Bristol — Gary Neice
NCTS: 1995-15 — Richmond — Darrell Waltrip
BEST FINISH:
NCS: 75 NASCAR Cup Series Victories (Most: David Pearson, 30)
NXS: 25 NASCAR Xfinity Series Victories (Most: Matt Kenseth, 24)
NCTS: 18 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victories (Most: Timothy Peters, 9)
BEST START:
NCS: 49 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: David Pearson, 31)
NXS: 55 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: Matt Kenseth, 14)
NCTS: 20 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Poles (Most: Timothy Peters, 8)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
Yes. The #17 has been used full-time in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the last several years. Meanwhile, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the number is used on a part-time basis.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, the #17 has created a fantastic and long-running legacy with RFK Racing - formerly known as Roush Fenway Racing). This year, Chris Buescher added to said legacy with an incredible season scoring victories at Richmond, Michigan, and Daytona.
Buescher will return to the seat of the #17 in 2024, a number that has featured drivers such as Ricky Stenhouse, Jr, and Matt Kenseth in its past with the organization.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #17 has great emotional significance to Hendrick Motorsports, a major reason behind bringing the entry back on a part-time basis with its NASCAR Cup Series drivers, plus Boris Said and Rajah Caruth.
HendrickCars.com has sponsored the effort, which has been at the racetrack mainly to give its Cup Series drivers more laps around the road courses, but with a couple of additional one-offs for various reasons.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, TRICON Garage fields the #17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and has for the last couple of seasons — albeit under one of two former aliases of David Gilliland Racing or DGR-Crosley.
This past season, Taylor Gray, grandson of team co-owner Johnny Gray, was afforded the chance to pilot the #17 on a full-time basis, after being of proper age following the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Gray will be returning to the seat in 2024, but this season will be paired with veteran NASCAR crew chief Jeff Hensley, who joins TRICON Garage from GMS Racing.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #17?
NASCAR Cup Series: Matt Kenseth — 471 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Matt Kenseth — 224 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Timothy Peters — 198 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #17 IN NASCAR
The last three drivers of the #17 in the NASCAR Cup Series — Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and Matt Kenseth — account for 46.05% of the total starts at NASCAR’s top level for the number.
Darrell Waltrip, who is arguably synonymous with the #17, has utilized the number in each of NASCAR’s National Series, but only managed to collect victories (a combined 28) in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series.
Hendrick Motorsports has fielded the #17 in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series throughout its tenure in NASCAR. However, the organization never fielded the entry in two series at once.
In 140 NASCAR Cup Series starts utilizing the #17, David Pearson managed to lead a total of 8,013 laps, which ended up being more than Matt Kenseth or Darrell Waltrip would lead in the entry — despite 200+ more starts.
Since reviving its NASCAR Xfinity Series program, Hendrick Motorsports has been unable to find Victory Lane — but has recorded six top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 10 starts.
Boris Said’s opportunity in the #17 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Charlotte ROVAL with Hendrick Motorsports wasn’t his first start with the number, after competing at Watkins Glen in the #17 a whopping 22 years prior.
While piloting the #17 in the NASCAR Cup Series, David Pearson put together an incredible 100 top-five finishes in 140 starts — resulting in a mind-numbing 71% top-five rate using the number.
RFK Racing has had three full-time drivers of the #17 in the NASCAR Cup Series, and each of them are winners in the series — Matt Kenseth (24), Chris Buescher (4), Ricky Stenhouse (2).
As of the start of the season, each of Taylor Gray’s 33 NASCAR National Series starts has come behind the wheel of the #17. That will change though, when Gray competes part-time in the #19 for Joe Gibbs Racing.