Car Number Histories: No. 40

ATLANTA -- Success for the No. 40 car can be divided three ways: the Tommy Thompson era, the Pete Hamilton era and the Sterling Marlin era.

	Credit: Autostock

Thompson was the first NASCAR driver to use the No. 40 exclusively, winning at Detroit in 1951, finishing seventh on the beach at Daytona in 1952 and third there again the next season. During that time, Thompson drove five different makes of cars.

But by 1954, Thompson ran the number only once -- finishing 56th at Daytona in a Chrysler.

Gene Simpson then took over the No. 40 Buick for the next two years, finishing fifth at Altamont, N.Y. in eight starts in 1955 and posting a 15th-place finish on the beach in his only start in 1956.

Rex White next piloted a No. 40 Chevrolet, running third at Martinsville in three 1958 races and 10th at Fayetteville in his only appearance in the No. 40 that season.

Ken Rush finished fourth at Hickory in 1959 in a Chevy as well.

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Then Bobby Allison wound up in a No. 40 Chevrolet in his first season in NASCAR's premier series, finishing 31st in the Daytona 500 and running three other events. He would not return as a full-time driver until 1965.

Indy-car driver Jerry Grant drove four races in the No. 40 in 1968, including a fifth at the Daytona 500.

But the car would not visit Victory Lane again until 1970, when Petty Enterprises put Hamilton in a high-winged Plymouth and he promptly set the sport on its ear by winning the Daytona 500 and sweeping both events at Talladega.

The next year, Hamilton moved on and Marv Acton took over the No. 40, with a best of 12th at Ontario in four starts.

Randy Bethea had one start in the No. 40 in 1975 before D.K. Ulrich took over the ride. Ulrich had 10 top-10s in 126 races over a five-year stretch. Al Elmore drove one race in 1979.

But by 1980, the No. 40 had become "driver du jour." No fewer than 14 different men took the wheel of the car that year, with Ulrich making nine starts. Others included Bill Whittington, Joe Booher, Ricky Rudd, Dick Skillen, Mike Alexander, Dick May, J.D. McDuffie, Tommy Gale, Lennie Pond, Harry Dinwiddie, Tim Richmond, Stan Barrett -- and a young Sterling Marlin.

Between them, they were able to score just six top-10 finishes.

Nine different drivers climbed into the No. 40 in 1981 and none cracked the top 10. In addition to Ulrich, Booher and May, Rick Baldwin, Slick Johnson, Cecil Gordon, Ronnie Thomas and Don Hume took their turns at the wheel.

Driving by committee continued in 1982, with Tommy Houston, Ferrel Harris, Joe Stowe and Jimmy Hensely adding their names to the roster. But eight drivers combined for just one top-10 finish.

Jonathan Edwards (1985) and Ben Hess (1988) brought the No. 40 out for single starts. Then Hess returned in 1989 to drive the car nine times, road course expert Darin Brassfield three and Joe Ruttman once.

Tommy Kendall had three starts in 1990, with one top-10 finish.

The No. 40 returned full-time to the circuit in 1993, with Kenny Wallace behind the wheel. He had three top-10s and finished 23rd in the points. The next season, it was Bobby Hamilton's turn in the cockpit, and he also posted a 23rd-place finish in the standings with one top-10.

Greg Sacks took over in 1995, running 10 races in the No. 40 before the seat was handed over to a succession of drivers: Andy Hillenburg, Randy LaJoie, Butch Leitzinger, Rich Bickle and Shane Hall.

In 1996, Robby Gordon and Greg Sacks shared the number for four races. Then Gordon drove a 20-race schedule in 1997, with one top-five finish. Steve Park also had one start.

Marlin returned to the No. 40 in 1998 and promptly gave the car its first top-15 finish in the standings since Ulrich, running six times in the top 10 in 32 races.

He continued to stay solidly in the top 20 for the next two seasons, then broke out with two wins -- at Michigan and Charlotte -- and 20 top-10s in 2001, earning him a third-place finish in the final standings.

In 2002, Marlin once again got the season off to a great start, winning at Las Vegas and Darlington, and was a contender for the championship. But two late-season accidents at Richmond and Kansas resulted in a neck injury that sidelined Marlin for the rest of the year, leaving him 18th in the points.

However, Jamie McMurray slid into the seat for six races, winning at Charlotte in his second race. Mike Bliss also filled in once for Marlin.

Marlin returned to the No. 40 in 2003, but was unable to return to the winner's circle, settling for 10 top-10 finishes and 19th in the final standings.