#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 30 Days!
Friday, January 19th, 2024 -- 30 Days Until Daytona!
30 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #30 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-02 — Daytona Beach — Howard Elder
NXS: 1984-02 — Richmond — Bubba Adams
NCTS: 1995-01 — Phoenix — Joey Bessey
BEST FINISH:
NCS: 1 NASCAR Cup Series Victory (Speedy Thompson — Martinsville, 1955)
NXS: 9 NASCAR Xfinity Series Victories (Most: Michael Waltrip, 6)
NCTS: 24 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victories (Most: Todd Bodine, 21)
BEST START:
NCS: 8 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: Waltrip/Benson/Green, 2)
NXS: 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: Michael Waltrip, 8)
NCTS: 13 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Poles (Most: Todd Bodine, 8)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
The #30 competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023. Plans were developed for a NASCAR Cup Series organization to utilize the number on a part-time basis in 2023, but those never materialized.
It’s been seven-plus years since the #30 has appeared in a NASCAR Cup Series event, dating back to the penultimate race of the 2016 campaign, when Gray Gaulding drove the Feed The Children-sponsored entry for The Motorsports Group.
However, that wasn’t the last time the number has been brought up in conversation, as for the last couple of years 3F Racing has been attempting to get onto the grid in the NASCAR Cup Series, but has failed to accomplish that goal yet.
Similar to the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s been a while since the #30 has graced the NASCAR Xfinity Series grid, with the season-opener at Daytona marking the 10th anniversary of Danica Patrick’s Turner Scott Motorsports entry.
Turner Scott Motorsports was the primary user of the #30 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, beginning with the number’s debut for the organization after the 2010 season, when James Buescher ran at Texas, and won the pole.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, On Point Motorsports currently utilizes the #30 on a part-time basis, featuring several different drivers including Ryan Vargas, Chris Hacker, and Johnathan Shafer.
The organization has used the number in the NASCAR Truck Series since debuting at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2018 with Scott Lagasse, Jr., before continuing with a variety of different drivers like Austin Theriault, Jeb Burton, and Brennan Poole.
At this time, On Point Motorsports has not announced its plans for 2024.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #30?
NASCAR Cup Series: Michael Waltrip — 265 Races
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Michael Waltrip — 69 Races
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Todd Bodine — 159 Races
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #30 IN NASCAR
Despite making just two starts in the #30, Speedy Thompson is the only driver in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series to bring the number to Victory Lane, winning the 1955 event at Martinsville Speedway.
While he didn’t run the full season, James Buescher managed to score eight finishes inside the top-10 while driving the #30 in 2012, which marks the most top-10s in a single season in the Xfinity Series for a driver using the number.
Throughout his 159-race tenure driving the #30 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Todd Bodine managed 82 top-five results (51.57%) — which is more than double the number of starts from any other driver.
Despite having the fifth-highest number of starts in the #30, David Stremme never managed to collect a top-10 result while using the number, through 71 starts — and for reference, had an average finish of 34.4.
Michael Waltrip, who made the most NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in the #30 (69), also managed to collect a whopping 28 DNFs in his time using the number, at a rate of 40.58%.
Across NASCAR’s National Series, the #30 has been diverse in manufacturers with each series having a different leading manufacturer — Cup: Pontiac, Xfinity: Chevrolet, Trucks: Toyota