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