When out on the race track, cars and bikes usually have a number on them to distinguish them from each other. For a sport like F1, MotoGP or World Superbike, the numbers are associated with the riders. So even if they move to a different team, the number sticks with them until they retire or leave. However, NASCAR operates in a different manner, where the numbers belong to the teams instead of the drivers.

To that end, Joe Gibbs Racing explained the entire process.

Joe Gibbs Racing revealed who owns the NASCAR racing numbers?

A prime example is when Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari, his #44 number will be on the 2025 Ferrari car. Similarly, Marc Marquez’s #93 will move from Gresini to the Factory Ducati team. However, when Kyle Busch moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing, he could not take his #18 with him. For so long, the #18 number has been associated with Busch, so in 2023 it must have been jarring for fans to see him in a different number.

In a recent Instagram video, JGR’s Dave Alpern spoke about the matter. He broke it down very simply and admitted that the racing numbers belong to the teams. When Busch left, the team chose to retire the number temporarily. When Ty Gibbs arrived to replace him, he was assigned the #54 instead of the #18. Similarly, with Martin Truex Jr retiring after 2024, his successor Chase Briscoe will drive the #19 Toyota. That is in spite of Briscoe using the #14 number last season.

Dave Alpern said on the Joe Gibbs Racing Instagram, “So how do teams acquire numbers? The numbers are technically assigned to us by NASCAR. We request the number. Many teams have had the number assigned to them for decades and decades as you look around the garage. With the advent of charters, each charter comes with it, a numbered assignment, which again originally was requested by the individual teams. So you are assigned that number as long as you have a charter. If you park the number, for example we have the #18 which we haven’t run in the last couple of years. It is still held for JGR at which time we decide we want to bring it back.”

In essence, the numbers belong to NASCAR, and the teams have to petition for them. Once they are granted the numbers, it belongs to them until the team elects to sell their charter. A prime example is the Stewart-Haas Racing team, who sold most of their charters. As such, they lost their hold on the #4, #10 and #14 numbers, while only retaining the #41 for Cole Custer.

Currently, Kaulig Racing bought a second charter, they requested and acquired the #10 number for Ty Dillon. Front Row Motorsports requested and acquired the #4 number for Noah Gragson. However, the #14 number is currently on ice, until another team elects to pick up that number.

Denny Hamlin’s racing number could be a part of NASCAR history

Alpern also dropped an interesting tidbit about one of his team’s racing numbers. This largely pertains to the #11 that Denny Hamlin currently uses in the NASCAR Cup Series. While the number hasn’t seen any Cup Series championships in recent times, it became synonymous with Hamlin, especially with the driver racking up race wins every single season. If he continues his current streak, there is one record he will break.

Meanwhile, the #43 number accumulated seven more wins across its career in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, the #11 number blows it completely out of the water, with 226 wins. The most successful #11 driver is Cale Yarborough, on 55 wins, and Denny Hamlin is just one behind him on 54. The only blemish Hamlin will look to remove from his time with the number is the lack of championships, especially since Yarborough, the record holder for the number has won several with the number.

Speaking about how special the number is, Hamlin revealed, “Every number has a great deal of history, the #11 for example, is the winningest number in NASCAR history. Denny’s one away from being the winningest driver in the #11. All of our numbers were requested and have been assigned to us. Generally will be ours to use until we release them and tell NASCAR we don’t want to use them anymore.”