It was announced today that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolets in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, giving him a storied car number for his transition to Hendrick Motorsports.
Some history behind the No. 88 in NASCAR’s top series:
FAMILY TIES: Ralph Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s grandfather, drove a No. 88 Petty Enterprises “Oldsmobile 88” in the 1957 Virginia 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The elder Earnhardt started ninth and finished 13th in the May 19 Grand National division race won by Buck Baker. Ralph Earnhardt also piloted the No. 188 entries for Petty in seven events that season, posting three top-10 results and six top-15s.
‘88’ DEBUTS: On Sept. 11, 1949 at Langhorne (Pa.) Speedway, driver Pepper Cunningham started 15th and drove his No. 88 car, a 1949 Lincoln, to a 33rd-place finish in the Strictly Stock event. Won by Curtis Turner, the race marked the first time a No. 88 was entered in NASCAR competition.
ALL-STAR ROSTER: The list of drivers who have piloted a No. 88 car in NASCAR Cup-level competition reads like an all-star race roster. Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Buck Baker, Buddy Baker, Geoffrey Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Benny Parsons, Jim Paschal, Fireball Roberts, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip and Joe Weatherly have all taken turns wheeling it.
65 WINS… AND COUNTING: The No. 88 has been to Victory Lane 65 times since its first race in 1949, ranking it ninth among car numbers on the all-time win list. It is also 10th in all-time starts (1,264) and 12th in all-time pole positions (52).
WHAT’S IN A NUMBER: Along with its 65 Cup-level wins, the No. 88 has recorded 52 poles, 315 top-five finishes and 526 top-10s. It has led 18,398 laps and logged nearly 350,000 miles.
PAIR OF 88s: Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s JR Motorsports operation also uses the No. 88 on its Chevrolets in NASCAR Busch Series competition. In fact, the current driver of the No. 88 Busch Series entries, Brad Keselowski, also has family ties to the number. His uncle, Ron Keselowski, ran a No. 88 car on 43 occasions in 1971, 1972 and 1973 combined, recording a best finish of fifth at Michigan International Speedway on June 11, 1972.
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