#SrigleyStats Countdown to Daytona: 13 Days!
Monday, February 5th, 2024 -- 13 Days Until Daytona!
13 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!
Let’s look back at the history of the #13 in NASCAR’s National Series.
FIRST USAGE:
NCS: 1949-04 — Langhorne — Pat Kirkwood
NXS: 1984-11 — Dover — Frank Dickerson
NCTS: 1996-08 — Bristol — Jimmy Davis
BEST FINISH:
NCS: 1 NASCAR Cup Series Victories (Johnny Rutherford, Daytona 1963)
NXS: P2 — 2022-23 [Daytona] — Timmy Hill
NCTS: 7 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victories (Most: Johnny Sauter, 7)
BEST START:
NCS: 2 NASCAR Cup Series Poles (Most: Curtis Turner, 2)
NXS: P9 — 2022-13 [Charlotte] — Timmy Hill
NCTS: 7 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Poles (Most: Johnny Sauter, 7)
IS THE NUMBER ACTIVE?
Yes. The #13 is active on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but only competes on a part-time basis in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, Kaulig Racing was the last organization to field the #13, doing so for Chandler Smith and Jonathan Davenport in 2023. Smith would score three top-20 results, while Davenport would crash and finish 37th at Bristol (Dirt).
As of now, there are no plans for Kaulig Racing to put the #13 back on track in 2024.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, MBM Motorsports has laid claim to the #13 for several years, utilizing the number since the organization was formed in 2014. While the entry attempted a pair of events in 2023, the last race the number competed in was the 2022 season finale at Phoenix.
As of now, MBM Motorsports has no plans to enter the #13 in 2024.
ThorSport Racing, throughout its long-standing tenure in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, has made the #13 its most well-known number, utilizing it on a full-time basis since 2014 with multiple drivers, most notably Johnny Sauter.
Hailie Deegan, a development driver for Ford, piloted the #13 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023. Now, with her moving on to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Jake Garcia takes over the seat of the entry.
WHO HAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED THE #13?
NASCAR Cup Series: Casey Mears — 227 Starts
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Timmy Hill — 57 Starts
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Johnny Sauter — 169 Starts
MISCELLANEOUS STATS ABOUT THE #13 IN NASCAR
Despite making 657 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, Johnny Rutherford picked up the only victory for the #13 at NASCAR’s top level at Daytona, in one of two starts utilizing the number.
Finishing in the runner-up spot at Daytona International Speedway in 2022, Timmy Hill became the first driver to score a top-five result while piloting the #13 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Despite a long-running history with race-winning-caliber team ThorSport Racing, Johnny Sauter is the only driver to win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the #13.
There isn’t a single driver that has led more than 77 laps while piloting the #13 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Rutherford, the number’s only winner, led a total of six.
Throughout the #13’s 262-race tenure in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, MBM Motorsports has been responsible for all of its laps led, with drivers Jason White, Mark Thompson, and Timmy Hill.
Kerry Earnhardt is the only driver to run a full season or more in the #13 without scoring a single top-10 result in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Germain Racing spent a long tenure in the NASCAR Cup Series using the #13 with drivers Casey Mears, Ty Dillon, and Max Papis — combining for 404 of 657 starts.
In the #13s tenure in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, no driver has ever utilized the number to make a full-time championship campaign.
Canadian-born driver Cameron Hayley was arguably the second-most successful driver of the #13, putting together a 46-race campaign for ThorSport Racing that included 10 top-fives and 24 top-10s.