Car Number Histories: No. 26

ATLANTA -- When Brett Bodine won in a No. 26 Buick in 1994, it completed a circle which started when Buck Baker's Buick crossed the finish line first at Charlotte in 1955.

Bodine's victory at North Wilkesboro was the last for the manufacturer in NASCAR -- and last for the numeral.

Dick Linder and Slick Smith shared driving duties in 1950. Linder drove an Oldsmobile to 13th in the Southern 500, while Smith piloted a Plymouth at Hillsboro, where he finished 16th.

The next year, Weldon Adams was 16th at Columbia, his best finish in three races.

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In 1952, Jimmy Ingram drove a No. 26 Nash in the Southern 500, finishing 57th.

Dave Terrell, who mainly drove No. 126, switched to a double-digit numeral for the 1954 Southern 500, finishing 33rd in a Dodge.

Jim Paschal drove the No. 75 for most of the 1956 season, but he was fourth at Langhorne and sixth in the Southern 500 in a No. 26 Ford. Curtis Turner also drove one race that season.

Turner returned for three races in 1957, with a best of fourth at LeHi, while Paschal was 18 at Martinsville and Bill Blair 38th in the Southern 500.

Turner put the No. 26 in Victory Lane for the first time the next season, winning at Atlanta and Charlotte in a Ford.

Turner moved on to the No. 41 in 1959, handing the steering wheel to Dick Blackwell, whose best finish was a 17th at North Wilkesboro in three races.

Turner then returned to the No. 26 in 1960, winning the pole at Greenville and finishing seventh in the Daytona 500 in six starts. Junior Johnson was 24th at Darlington in a Chevrolet.

Darel Dieringer started five races in 1961, the first of three seasons behind the wheel of the No. 26, with a best of sixth at Martinsville.

The next year, Dieringer switched from Fords to Mercurys and wound up third at Martinsville, one of ten top-10 finishes. Johnson was fifth at Riverside in his only appearance in the No. 26.

Bobby Isaac drove a No. 26 Dodge in 1964, winning a qualifying race at Daytona and sweeping both Atlanta events in 18 starts.

Johnson switched from the No. 27 after the 1965 Daytona 500 and won 12 races and seven poles in 33 races, leaving him 13th in the points. His 13 total wins matched champion Ned Jarrett, but Jarrett ran in 54 events. Red Farmer drove in one race that season.

	The No. 26 has been driven in recent years by Jimmy Spencer and Todd Bodine. Credit: Autostock

Johnson wrapped up his driver career the next season, winning three poles in six races. He also had a formidable team of co-drivers: Isaac, Turner, Fred Lorenzen and Gordon Johncock.

In 1967, Johnson put Dieringer back in the No. 26 for 16 races, and won six poles and the race at North Wilkesboro. In addition, Lloyd Ruby drove the car at Riverside and LeeRoy Yarbrough had a three-race stint.

Yarbrough returned in 1968, narrowly missing out on a Daytona 500 win and capturing three poles in eight attempts.

But Johnson moved his operation to the No. 98 the next season, as Earl Brooks took over the No. 26.

Over four years, Brooks put together 11 top-10 finishes, including a fourth at Nashville in 1971.

In 1975, five drivers -- Dick Bown, Carl Joiner, Tiny Lund, Chuck Bown and Herschel McGriff -- combined for six starts. The next season, Joiner was joined by Bobby Wawak and Jimmy Lee Capps, who finished 10th at Talladega.

Drivers who saw limited action in the No. 26 during the 1980s included Butch Lindley, Brad Teague and Ronnie Hopkins.

Then in 1986, Joe Ruttman returned the numeral to full-time status with 14 top-10s in 29 races, finishing 15th in the final standings. The next season, Morgan Shepherd wound up 17th in the points with 11 top-10s.

Fresh from the No. 15, Ricky Rudd completed two full seasons in the No. 26 starting in 1988. He won at Watkins Glen and collected two poles the first year, then finished eighth in the final standings the next season, thanks to a victory at Sonoma.

Rudd moved to the No. 5 and Brett Bodine replaced him. Bodine's win at North Wilkesboro capped a successful season which saw him post nine top-10s and finish 12th in the points.

Bodine scored 43 more top-10s over the next three years, finishing solidly in the top 20 each time. He was runner-up at Martinsville in 1991, at Darlington in 1993 and in the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994.

Bodine then moved to the No. 11 while legendary sprint-car driver Steve Kinser took over the ride in 1995. He lasted five races, with a best of 27th at Rockingham. Hut Stricklin finished out the season, with a pair of top-fives in 24 races.

The numeral was used once by Hermie Sadler and Rich Bickle over the next two seasons before Johnny Benson came over from the No. 30.

Benson was fourth at Las Vegas in his first season in the No. 26, finishing 20th in the final standings. The next season, he dropped to 28th with just two top-10s in 34 races.

Jimmy Spencer replaced Benson for the next two seasons, improving from 22nd to 16th. In 2001, Spencer had eight top-10s, including fourths at Darlington and Loudon, earning him a shot at the No. 41.

Four drivers -- Joe Nemechek, Frank Kimmel, Todd Bodine and Geoffrey Bodine -- ended up running the numeral in 2002, with Todd getting behind the wheel 21 times, including a fifth-place finish at Richmond.

The numeral was unused in 2003.