NASCAR Cup Series

From 'Smoke' to 'Sliced Bread' to Matt Kenseth: A history of the No. 20 in NASCAR

Published Dec. 14, 2015 10:39 a.m. ET

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Tom Jensen

(EDITOR'S NOTE: It's just 20 days until the Daytona 500 on FOX, which makes it the perfect time to revist the history of the No. 20 in NASCAR).

When Joe Gibbs Racing decided to add a second car in 1999, the team chose the No. 20, which has proven to be hugely successful with first Tony Stewart, then Joey Logano and for the past three seasons, Matt Kenseth.

All told, JGR drivers have accounted for 47 of the 58 total races won by the No. 20, with team drivers winning in Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Toyotas.

But the very first victory for the No. 20 came at Martinsville Speedway on April 6, 1952, when Dick Rathmann won in a Hudson Hornet. Rathmann would go on to win 10 races and post 35 top-five finishes in 1952 and '53.

The No. 20 wouldn't find Victory Lane in a NASCAR Premier Series event again until 1961, when Marvin Panch captured the Daytona 500 in one of Smokey Yunick's iconic black and gold Pontiacs.

Believe it or not, the No. 20 remained winless until Stewart's rookie season of 1999, when the now three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion won three races.

That was the start of something big for Stewart, who won two of his three NASCAR Premier Series titles in the JGR No. 20.

Twelve different manufacturers have been represented with the No. 20, including Plymouth, Buick, Dodge and Oldsmobile. Toyota leads the way with 312 starts, to 280 for Ford, 246 for Chevrolet and 157 for Pontiac.

Some colorful characters who've driven the No. 20 in NASCAR's Premier Series: Pedro Rodriguez, Sammy Swindell, George Mantooth, Van Van Wey, Spook Crawford, Benny Rakestraw and Emanuel Zervakis.

All told, 87 drivers have piloted the No. 20, but only six have made more than 50 starts in it. Stewart leads the way with 356, followed by Clyde Lynn (160), Logano (144), Kenseth (106), Rick Newsome (73), and Rathmann (65).

Today's bar bet question: What brand of automobile was the first to carry the No. 20 in a NASCAR Premier Series race? Actually, this one is pretty unbelievable and obscure, even for diehard race fans.

The first car to carry the No. 20 in the NASCAR Strictly Stock series was actually a Kaiser. Yes, a Kaiser.

It was driven by Dick Linder on Sept. 11, 1949 at Langhorne (Pennsylvania) Speedway, where Linder finished 26th, 38 laps behind race-winner Curtis Turner.

Later that year, H.F. Stickleather finished 14th at North Wilkesboro (North Carolina) Speedway in a Lincoln with the No. 20 on the side, and Don Rogala ran 10th in the No. 20 Ford at Heidelberg Raceway, also in Pennsylvania.

The No. 20 by the numbers:

Races: 1,053

Wins: 58

Wins by driver: Tony Stewart, 33; Matt Kenseth, 12; Dick Rathmann, 10; Joey Logano, 2; Marvin Panch, 1.

Top fives: 196

Top 10s: 401

Poles: 21

Average finish: 16.63

Average start: 18.1

Laps led: 13,892

DNFs: 254

All stats provided by driveraverages.com

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