The 2010s: A historic decade in NASCAR Cup champion numerology
Kyle Busch’s win in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway not only led to his second NASCAR Cup title but it also led to the 2010s going down in history.
The 2010s marked the first full decade in NASCAR’s history that the league’s Cup Series didn’t have a champion primarily driving an odd-numbered car en route to the series champion.
Just as Busch had done in 2015, when he won his first Cup title, he drove a no. 18 car to the title this year.
Other numbers to be primarily driven to the Cup title in the 2010s were: 48 (2010, 2013, 2016), 14 (2011), 2 (2012), 4 (2014), 78 (2017), 22 (2018).
Previous decades have seen the following odd numbers be primarily driven to the Cup title:
2000s: 97 (Kurt Busch, ’04), 17 (Matt Kenseth, ’03).
1990s: 5 (Terry Labonte, ’96), 3 (Dale Earnhardt; ’94, ’93, ’91, ’90), 7 (Alan Kulwicki (’92)
1980s: 27 (Rusty Wallace, ’89), 9 (Bill Elliott, ’88), 3 (Earnhardt; ’87, ’86), 11 (Darrell Waltrip; ’85, ’82, ’81)
1970s: 43 (Richard Petty; ’79, ’75, ’74, ’72, ’71), 11 (Cale Yarborough; ’76-’78), 71 (Bobby Isaac, ’70)
1960s: 17 (David Pearson; ’69, ’68), 43 (Richard Petty; ’67, ’64), 11 (Ned Jarrett; ’65, ’61)
1950s: 87 (Buck Baker, ’57), 91 (Tim Flock, ’52)
SOURCE:
Racing-Reference.info
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com