Car Number Histories: No. 31

ATLANTA -- Jesse James Taylor, Donald Thomas, Ward Burton and Mike Skinner all came close -- Skinner even won two exhibition races -- but Robby Gordon was the first driver to get the No. 31 into Victory Lane.

	Credit: Autostock

Gordon bumped Jeff Gordon out of his way to win the season-finale at Loudon in 2001, ending a streak of 52 seasons without a win for the numeral.

It was not from lack of trying. The No. 31 has been used in a majority of the seasons since 1949 and steered by some of NASCAR's most famous drivers, albeit mainly in limited roles.

Sterling Long and Ben Cannaziaro used the numeral in 1949, with Long posting a seventh at Charlotte. Long ran one more race the next season, finishing 26th at Hillsboro.

The first near-miss for the No. 31 came in the 1951 Southern 500, when Taylor finished a lap behind winner Herb Thomas' Hudson. Taylor ran 10 races that year.

Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner and Bob Bolheimer all made one-race efforts in the numeral, starting in 1956. That same year, Bill Champion drove in 13 races, with a sixth at Norfolk.

Brownie King was fifth at Hickory in 10 attempts in 1959.

Weatherly returned in 1960 for three races, running 10th at North Wilkesboro.

The No. 31 then had a close call in the 1961 Daytona 500, when Paul Goldsmith wound up third in a Pontiac. The next year, Jim McGuirk ended up 24th.

Ralph Earnhardt drove 10 races in a No. 31 Ford in 1964, with a best of fourth at Hillsboro.

Harvey Jones, Bob Grossman and Darel Dieringer shared the ride the next season, with Jones posting a fifth-place effort at Valdosta.

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Innes Ireland was 27th in the 1966 Daytona 500, while Don White put together a string of three top-10s in four starts that season. White then finished fourth at Riverside the next year in his only race and made one more start in 1969.

The first driver to run the No. 31 regularly was Jim Vandiver, who mainly concentrated on superspeedways. In 1971, he was fifth at Darlington. The next season, he started off with a bang, finishing third in the Daytona 500 on his way to 16 starts.

In 1973 and 1974, Vandiver's best efforts were top-10 finishes at Charlotte. In 12 races in 1975, Vandiver was fourth at Darlington. He also ran single races in 1976 and 1977.

From that point until Ward Burton took over the No. 31 in 1994, a host of drivers tried their luck in limited opportunities: Chuck Little, Jim Boyd, Billy McGinnis, Bobby Wawak, John Rezek, Billie Harvey, John Anderson, Jerry Jolly, Steve Gray, Slick Johnson, Chet Fillip, Ron Shephard, Brad Teague, Joe Ruttman, Donnie Allison, Butch Miller, Lee Faulk, Johnny Rutherford, Jim Sauter, Bobby Hillin Jr. and Neil Bonnett.

Bonnett's ride in the No. 31 was especially eventful, as he was able to walk away from a wild crash at Talladega that left his car on its roof. He would die the next season while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500.

In 1994, Burton once again came within one position of winning as a rookie, finishing second to Geoffrey Bodine at Pocono. He ended up 35th in the final standings, then improved to 22nd the next season, switching to the No. 22 in mid-season.

Greg Sacks, Jimmy Hensley and Gary Bradberry finished out the year, as Mike Skinner took over in 1996, running a five-race schedule. In 1997, he stunned everyone by putting the No. 31 on the pole for the Daytona 500, finishing with three top-10s in 31 races, good enough for 30th in the standings. He also won an exhibition race in Japan.

The next season, Skinner finished third at Watkins Glen and the July Daytona race, two of four top-five finishes en route to 21st in the points, even though he missed three races. Morgan Shepherd and Mike Dillon filled in while Skinner recuperated from a crash at Texas. Skinner made it two straight wins at Japan following the regular season.

Texas was tough on Skinner again in 1999, as he broke a shoulder blade in a hard crash. But he still drove every race, winning two poles, finishing third at Charlotte and winding up tenth in the final standings. He was nearly as successful in 2000, with a second-place finish at Talladega, another pole and 11 top-10s, good enough for 12th in the points.

But 2001 was not a good year for Skinner, who had just one top-10 in 23 starts before being replaced by Jeff Green and Robby Gordon. The World Trade Center attacks caused NASCAR to postpone the race at Loudon until the end of the season, where Gordon edged Gordon for his first NASCAR victory.

After finishing 20th in the points in 2002, Gordon added two more wins to his resume in 2003, both on road courses, to grab 16th place in the final standings.

Gordon's decision to make a mid-race pass while coming to the caution allowed him to edge Jeff Gordon at Sonoma, setting off a firestorm over the "gentlemen's agreement." He then pulled away late to beat Scott Pruett at Watkins Glen.