Car No. Histories: No. 15

ATLANTA -- From Tim Flock's 1956 victory at Elkhart Lake to Michael Waltrip's 2003 win at Talladega, the No. 15 has had its share of trips to Victory Lane.

	Credit: Sherryl Creekmore/NASCAR

The numeral was used in limited action for most of the first two decades of the sport. However, only 14 drivers have sat behind the wheel of the No. 15 over the past 30 seasons -- and eight of those won.

Ken Wagner won a pole at North Wilkesboro in one of his three 1949 starts, while Jack Etheridge finished 10th at Daytona that same season.

In 1951, Erick Erickson drove the No. 15 twice, finishing 54 in the Southern 500. Merritt Brown was 63rd in the 1952 Southern 500.

Dick Allwine normally drove the No. 77, but he ended up in a No. 15 Jaguar at Langhorne in 1953, finishing sixth.

Joe Sheppard's only NASCAR start was in a Ford in the 1954 Southern 500, where he finished 37th.

In 1955, three drivers shared the numeral: Jimmie Lewallen, Jimmy Roland and Johnny Mantz. Roland had the best finish of the three, a tenth at Columbia.

Mantz returned in 1956 to run third at Lancaster, while Tim Flock switched from his usual No. 300 to win at Elkhart Lake. Brother Fonty Flock also used the No. 15, finishing 58th in the Southern 500.

Tim Flock ran three races in the numeral in 1958, with a best of 18 at Atlanta. Jim Paschal (Southern 500) and Bob Keefe (Riverside) also shared the No. 15 that season.

In 1959, Tim Flock was ninth in the inaugural Daytona 500 and returned the next season to finish ninth in the Southern 500. His last NASCAR start came in 1961, when he finished 37th at Charlotte in a No. 15 Ford.

L.D. Austin, Speedy Thompson, Johnny Sudderth, Roscoe Thompson, Jesse James Taylor and Red Hollingsworth also ran the numeral during that span, none of whom broke into the top-10 in limited appearances.

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In 1963, Parnelli Jones would drive a No. 15 Mercury for four races, finishing 15th in the Daytona 500. He returned the next season for four more, including a 28th at the 1964 Daytona 500, and wound up 32nd at Riverside in 1965.

Darel Dieringer, who mainly drove the No. 16 in 1965, ran the No. 15 twice, including a second at Richmond. Earl Balmer was fourth in the Daytona 500 in a Mercury.

Dieringer returned in 1966 for two more starts, including a second at Charlotte. In addition, Tiny Lund switched from the No. 55 for one race, winding up 25th at Fonda.

Sam McQuagg, James Hylton and Charlie Glotzbach all used the No. 15 in place of their regular rides during 1967 and 1968, mainly at Daytona and Darlington.

In 1969, Ed Hessert began a four-year association with the numeral, finishing sixth at Dover in one of his 14 starts that season. He failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 in his only appearance in 1970 and was 38th at Trenton in 1972.

Wayne Andrews ran just five races in 1971 but had three top-10s, including a fifth at Hickory.

Dick Brooks, Donnie Allison and David Pearson all drove the No. 15 for a combined total of nine races in 1972. Pearson was fourth at Atlanta while Allison finished eighth in the Firecracker 400.

Bobby Isaac made 19 starts in 1973, with six top-10 finishes, including second in the Daytona 500.

The next year, George Follmer and Buddy Baker split the ride, with Follmer winning a pole at Riverside while Baker started first at Pocono and Dover.

Baker then took over the ride full-time in 1975 and won four races, sweeping both Talladega events and taking the checkered flag first at Atlanta and Ontario.

Baker won again at Talladega in 1976, moving from 15th to seventh in the final standings. He failed to win in 1977, but with 20 top-10s, was fifth in the points.

Bobby Allison took over for the next years, starting in 1978, and won 14 races over that span. He was victorious in the 1978 Daytona 500, at Atlanta, Dover, Charlotte and Ontario, finishing second in the standings.

In 1979, he won at Rockingham, North Wilkesboro, Talladega, Riverside and Richmond, good enough for third in the points.

The next season, Allison won at Dover, Daytona, Richmond and North Wilkesboro and dropped to sixth overall.

Benny Parsons moved into the driver's seat in 1981 and won three races: Nashville, College Station and Richmond.

Then in 1982, Dale Earnhardt, who had been driving Nos. 2 and 3 the year before, ran 30 races in the No. 15, winning at Darlington and finishing 12th in the points. The next year, he moved up to eighth, thanks to victories at Nashville and Talladega.

Ricky Rudd and Earnhardt switched numbers for the 1984 season, with Earnhardt taking back the No. 3. Rudd won at Richmond and added four poles and 16 top-10s to finish seventh overall.

Rudd improved to sixth the next year with a victory at Riverside, then moved up to fifth in 1986 with wins at Martinsville and Dover. Rudd won two more in 1987 -- at Atlanta and Dover -- but slid back to sixth in the final standings.

Rudd then moved to the No. 26 for 1988 and Brett Bodine took over for two seasons. Bodine didn't win a race, but he was third at Charlotte in 1988 and fifth at Michigan in 1989.

Bodine then went to the No. 26 and Morgan Shepherd inherited the ride for two seasons. Shepherd was fifth in the points in 1990, thanks to a win at Atlanta and 16 top-10s. He was third twice in 1991, then took the No. 21 ride.

Geoffrey Bodine moved over from the No. 11 in 1992 and finished first at Martinsville and North Wilkesboro, two of his 11 top-10s that season. Bodine then won at Sonoma in 1993 before being replaced by Lake Speed for the final seven races of the season.

Speed stayed full-time in 1994, posting nine top-10s, including a third at Bristol. Dick Trickle then drove in 1995, with a best of tenth at Pocono.

Wally Dallenbach Jr. ran 30 races in the No. 15 in 1996, including a third at Sonoma. Two years later, Ted Musgrave made two starts in the numeral, at Darlington and Michigan.

Derrike Cope used No. 15 for four races over two seasons, starting in 1999. Then Waltrip switched from the No. 7 starting in 2001.

Waltrip's first start in the No. 15 turned out to be his first victory -- but the excitement of winning the 2001 Daytona 500 was tempered significantly by the death of Dale Earnhardt.

Waltrip went from 24th to 14th in the standings the following year, thanks to a win in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona.

He then became a two-time Daytona 500 winner in 2003, following that up with a win at Talladega.