#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 15 Days!
Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 -- 15 Days Until Daytona!
15 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #15 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-02 — Daytona Beach — Jack Etheridge
NXS: 1982-01 — Daytona — Dale Earnhardt
NCTS: 1995-09 — Bristol — Tim Nooner
BEST FINISH:
NCS: 42 NASCAR Cup Series Victories (Most: Bobby Allison, 14)
NXS: 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series Victories (Most: Dale Earnhardt/Geoff Bodine, 4)
NCTS: 5 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victories (Most: Kyle Busch, 3)
BEST START:
NCS: 23 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: Buddy Baker, 7)
NXS: 22 NASCAR Xfinity Series Poles (Most: Geoffrey Bodine, 9)
NCTS: 4 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Poles (Most: Gray/Busch/Icker/Earnhardt)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
Yes. Last season, the #15 competed full-time in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. However, in addition to returning to both series in 2024, the #15 will also run full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Rick Ware Racing currently fields the #15 on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Cup Series and has since 2020, when it purchased the remaining assets from Jay Robinson and Premium Motorsports.
Over the past several years, the entry has been known for running near the back of the pack with several drivers. In 2024, Rick Ware Racing has increased its alliance with RFK Racing and will field the entry for Kaz Grala, Riley Herbst, and potentially others.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #15 hasn’t hit the track since 2021, when JD Motorsports fielded the entry on a full-time basis — primarily for Colby Howard, who ran the entry in 21 races. The team had fielded the entry for several seasons, split between many drivers.
However, in 2024, the #15 will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with AM Racing, serving as the primary entry for the organization with Hailie Deegan behind the wheel of the Ford Mustang.
Tanner Gray has spent much of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career (92 of 94 starts) piloting the #15 doing so for TRICON Garage — formerly David Gilliland Racing and DGR-Crosley.
In 2024, Gray will once again return to the organization — which his grandfather Johnny Gray is the co-owner of — to drive the #15, marking his fifth season of full-time competition in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #15?
NASCAR Cup Series: Michael Waltrip — 184 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Michael Annett — 70 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Tanner Gray — 92 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #15 IN NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt, driving the #15 for Robert Gee, scored the victory in the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt also scored victories in the NASCAR Cup Series with the number.
In 426 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, only five drivers have managed to score multiple top-five results in the #15 — Tanner Gray, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Shane Hmiel, and Johnny Benson.
Hendrick Motorsports, a championship-winning team in the NASCAR Cup Series, used to field the #15 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and scored six of the number’s 10 wins in the second-tier division.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Michael Waltrip, on the tenth anniversary of the death of his then-owner Dale Earnhardt, won the season-opener at Daytona, driving the #15 for Billy Ballew Motorsports.
Michael Waltrip, Geoffrey Bodine, and Dale Earnhardt were each able to score victories across multiple NASCAR National Series in the #15.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the top-five drivers to make the most starts in the #15 - Annett, Howard, Schrader, McLeod, and Hill - combined to lead 92 laps, whereas three drivers with fewer than 35 starts in the number managed to lead more than double that.