NASCAR: Iconic car number set to return after five years, with a new team

As a gamer who has lived through the highs and lows of NASCAR’s iconic number 88, I can’t help but feel a mix of nostalgia and excitement upon hearing that the No. 88 will be back on the track in 2025 with Shane van Gisbergen at the wheel. It’s been a long time since Dale Earnhardt Jr. hung up his helmet, and I’ve missed seeing that number tearing up the track.

At the conclusion of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement left an open seat. In response, Hendrick Motorsports decided to maintain the #88 race car for his successor, Alex Bowman.

In that offseason, I saw some shifts within our team’s lineup of numbers, with changes aplenty. Instead of Kasey Kahne behind the wheel of the No. 5 Chevrolet, we welcomed William Byron to take over that role. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott, who had been driving the No. 24 Chevrolet since stepping into Jeff Gordon’s shoes in 2016, switched to the new No. 9 car, leaving the No. 24 vacant for William Byron to claim. Essentially, Kahne gave way to Byron, but in the No. 24 car.

After Jimmie Johnson retired at the end of the 2020 season, the team underwent a shift in their driver lineup. Instead of Kyle Larson taking over Johnson’s position within the No. 48 Chevrolet, the team reinstated the No. 5 for Larson. Consequently, Alex Bowman was relocated to the No. 48 car, maintaining the partnership with primary sponsor Ally Financial in this new arrangement.

1993 marked the last time a Cup Series season didn’t include car No. 88, but unfortunately, that changed in the 2021 season as it was discontinued.

Legendary racer currently holds the 12th spot on the all-time Cup Series win list with an impressive 76 victories. Since the 2020 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, this notable figure has yet to return to the series.

That is set to change in 2025.

It’s been speculated for some time that the Trackhouse Racing Team might be planning to grow from having two full-time cars to three, possibly by obtaining a charter from the Stewart-Haas Racing team.

It has been verified that the team co-owned by Justin Marks and Pitbull will grow, and it’s official that Shane van Gisbergen will be joining Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez as drivers for the upcoming season.

A day following the announcement that the team would no longer be working with Zane Smith (who temporarily represents them under a loan agreement with Spire Motorsports, having signed a development contract prior to the 2024 season), their decision was officially confirmed.

In July 2023, Van Gisbergen made history by being the first driver to win their Cup Series debut since 1963 at the Chicago Street Course. Before the 2024 season, he secured a development contract with Trackhouse Racing Team. At present, he races full-time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing and part-time in the Cup Series for the same team.

In his debut season, he’s taking charge with three wins under his belt, all of them being back-to-back triumphs on road courses. This impressive performance secures him a spot in the playoffs, as one of the 12 drivers eligible to compete further.

Instead, van Gisbergen won’t employ the No. 91 that led him to victory lane during the Windy City race last summer under Trackhouse Racing Team’s PROJECT91 initiative, nor will he continue using the No. 97 he currently races with in the Xfinity Series.

Van Gisbergen is set to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet in 2025.

Dale Jarrett boasts the most wins among drivers of the No. 88 car, having triumphed 28 times out of a total 380 races. Darrell Waltrip comes second with 26 victories from 161 starts, followed closely by Earnhardt with 9 from 340 and Bobby Allison with 8 from 31. Buck Baker earned 3 victories in 53 attempts, while Bowman secured 2 wins from 118 races.

The timing of the revelation holds a certain unexpected quality, though the irony tied to it doesn’t directly correlate with the confirmation itself.

More recently, the No. 88 car clinched its Cup Series triumph when it was driven by Bowman at Auto Club Speedway, around the beginning of 2020. Over the same weekend, Harrison Burton achieved his initial Xfinity Series win at the very same track.

As a seasoned gamer and racing enthusiast with years of virtual NASCAR experience under my belt, I was thrilled to witness Daniel Burton’s historic victory at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend. Just hours after the Trackhouse Racing Team announced the return of the No. 88, Burton snatched his first career Cup Series win, a testament to his skill and determination. This moment reminded me of countless hours spent honing my own racing skills in the virtual world, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with Burton as he etched his name into NASCAR history. The adrenaline that surged through me during the race mirrored the excitement I’ve felt while competing in virtual competitions, and it was a true joy to witness such an incredible moment unfold on the real-life track.

2024-08-25 16:02

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