History of the No. 88
Dale Jarrett, driving the No. 88 UPS-sponsored Ford for Yates Racing in 2006 in this photo, is one of only five drivers who have won NASCAR Premier Series races in the No. 88, which now belongs to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports.
Together, these five men have won a total of 74 races in NASCAR's top series and helped make the number famous. A closer look at the fantastic five:
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Buck Baker, 3 wins
Both Buck Baker (left) and his son Buddy (right) drove the No. 88 during their careers. But while Buddy never won in it, Buck won three times in 54 career starts while piloting the car during parts of the 1959 and 1965-58 seasons. Buck Baker was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013.
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Bobby Allison, 8 wins
Allison, a member of the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame class, drove the No. 88 for one race in 1970 and not again for 12 years — when he drove it the entire 1982 season and won eight races in 30 starts. It was Allison's one and only season with DiGard Racing and he never drove the 88 again.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr., 9 wins
Earnhardt Jr. moved to the No. 88 from the No. 8 when he joined Hendrick Motorsports beginning in the 2008 season. He's won a total of nine races in 304 career starts in it.
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Darrell Waltrip, 26 wins
Waltrip, a member of the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame class, drove the No. 88 from 1975 through the 1980 seasons, amassing 26 wins and 18 poles.
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Dale Jarrett, 28 wins
Jarrett has made the most career Premier Series starts in the number than any other driver, piling up 28 wins over 380 races. He drove it from 1996 through 2006 and won the only championship behind the wheel of the 88 in 1999 while driving for Yates Racing. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2014.
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