In sports, certain numbers are ceremoniously retired to show respect for legendary players or pay tribute to athletes who have passed on. This tradition preserves the legacy and significance of those numbers. But does this tradition apply to NASCAR?

In NASCAR, the situation is a bit different!

Recently, Joe Gibbs Racing’s president, Dave Alpern, addressed a fan’s inquiry regarding NASCAR’s approach to retiring numbers. And his answer wasn’t just insightful but sparked excitement and worry among fans at the same time. He hinted that a legacy number, an original JGR number, might just make a comeback soon!

Joe Gibbs Racing might bring the legend’ No. 18 car back!

In NASCAR, just like in any other sport, numbers are strongly associated with teams and drivers. Icons like Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty have made numbers 3 and 43 iconic, respectively. However, it’s crucial to note that teams, drivers, and sponsors have no say in these numbers, as they don’t hold the rights to them. The rights are all owned by NASCAR, as they are a private entity. 

While, in NASCAR, numbers are not retired; they may be ‘parked’ instead. Talking along these lines, Dave Alpern recently discussed one of Joe Gibbs Racing’s most iconic cars – the No. 18. He clarified that the team has not officially retired the No. 18, but rather ‘parked’ it. Needless to say, this car holds significant importance, having been driven by three legendary drivers: Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, and Kyle Busch. Additionally, Bobby Labonte and Kyle Busch won championships in the No. 18, making it an iconic and original number in the team’s history.

And while it is parked now, Dave Alpern said things that suggest that they might bring it back. He said, “We definitely plan that back at some point at the right time with the right driver. In order to do that we have to park one of the other numbers. Since we’re limited to four cars. We have not officially retired any other number so it will be a big decision who and when we decide to bring the no.18.” This means that the return of the No. 18 will require the retirement of another car, which is a sad prospect, since each car in the JGR lineup has a rich history.

The no. 11 car that Denny Hamlin drives was first yielded by Brain Scott in 2011 and then Elliott Sadler took over in 2013. The no. 54 has a rich history with Kyle Busch, who, during the 2013 season, won a total of 12 races with the car. And now Ty Gibbs is behind the wheel full-time. The no.20, which Christopher Bell is driving now, also had notable drivers like Tony Stewart and Joey Logano in it. Hence, given the rich history that each car has with the sport, it will truly be heartbreaking to have one car retire to pave the way for another. But having said that many iconic car numbers are still running right now!

Legendary NASCAR driver numbers still in action

NASCAR, as said, doesn’t retire numbers and there are cars with iconic numbers still in use. For example, Richard Petty’s iconic no. 43 is still in use. He had 200 victories in the NASCAR top division and 192 with the no. 43! Such an accomplishment would usually mean the team or NASCAR would retire the number as an honor but well, that is not the case. And Erik Jones is the one piloting the car for Legacy Motor Club. One more example would be the No.3 car that Dale Earnhardt drove. He passed away driving the No. 3 in the 2001 Daytona 500. Even today, the car is very much still in action. Richard Childress Racing was granted the number and Austin Dillon is the one behind the wheels of the iconic car. While the no.3 didn’t retire after Dale Earnhardt’s death, it was parked for a while and did not race from 2001 to 2014.

That being said, retiring numbers might be common in team sports like football or basketball. But it is not so common in motorsports, and not just NASCAR particularly. For example, even in F1, only one number has retired, No. 17,  and that was after Jules Bianchi’s tragic death in 2015.

Ultimately, the decision lies with NASCAR and while fans can always petition for it, it’s only the governing body who can have a real say in the matter. What do you think–should legacy numbers be retired? Let us know!