History of the No. 12: Bobby Allison and Ryan Newman stand tall
When it comes to chronicling the history of the No. 12 car in NASCAR's top national touring series, the names of two drivers tower far above all the rest.
The conversation starts with Bobby Allison and ends with Ryan Newman.
Hall of Famer Allison made 170 career starts in the No. 12, amassing 25 wins and 28 poles. Newman made the most starts of anyone in it -- 252 while driving for car owner Roger Penske from 2002 to 2008 -- and during that span he racked up 13 wins and a stunning 42 poles.
Four drivers have made 100 or more starts while driving the No. 12. In addition to Allison and Newman, Jeremy Mayfield and Neil Bonnett also belong to the exclusive club. Mayfield and Bonnett won three times each while behind the wheel of the car.
All told, the No. 12 has been to Victory Lane in NASCAR's Premier Series a total of 56 times in 1,299 starts.
Ralph Moody, who went on to make a much bigger name for himself in the sport as a co-owner of the Holman Moody operation that built and ran cars, won five times while driving it in NASCAR's earliest days. Two-time series champion Joe Weatherly won three races in the No. 12, LeeRoy Yarbrough had two, and lesser-known drivers Marvin Porter and Paul Goldsmith won once each.
Goldsmith, in fact, is interesting in that he won the only start he ever made in the No. 12, sweeping to victory at Richmond in May of 1957 while driving it for DePaolo Engineering. He won $700 for his efforts and ended up running cars with a total of five different numbers on them that season.
But the most wins and the biggest wins for the car number came when Allison and Newman were piloting it.
Allison won the very last race of his storied career in the No. 12, beating his son Davey Allison to the checkered flag for a 1-2 father-son finish in the 1988 Daytona 500. And Newman registered the last win for the No. 12 when he took it to Victory Lane in the 2008 Daytona 500.
Here's a look at the No. 12's impressive all-time numbers:
Starts: 1,299
Wins: 56
Wins by drivers: Bobby Allison, 25; Ryan Newman, 13; Ralph Moody, 5; Jeremy Mayfield, 3; Neil Bonnett, 3; Joe Weatherly, 3; LeeRoy Yarbrough, 2; Marvin Porter, 1; Paul Goldsmith, 1.
Top fives: 277
Top 10s: 468
Average start: 14.9
Average finish: 17.7
Drivers: 114
Note: All statistics courtesy of driveraverages.com
