A history of the No. 5 in NASCAR

By RJ Kraft | Published: November 10, 2021 27

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The No. 5 car has a long and storied history in NASCAR from the sport's beginnings in 1949 to today with 55 wins. Hendrick Motorsports brought back the No. 5 in 2021 with Kyle Larson as the driver. Find out some notable drivers of the number, including some surprising pilots.

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Frank Mundy was one of three drivers (Ray Erickson and Felix Wilkes the others) to pilot the No. 5 car in the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series (now the NASCAR Cup Series). He finished third in a race in Daytona Beach in the series' inaugural season.

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Cotton Owens made his first top series start in the No. 5 car in 1950. Owens also earned the first win in the car number in 1960 and had three wins in his career driving the No. 5.

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The first of Bobby Johns' two career wins in NASCAR's top series came in 1960 when he drove the No. 5 at Atlanta.

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NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson was known for piloting several different rides. He made five starts as the driver of the No. 5.

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Ray Hendrick, not to be confused with team owner Rick Hendrick, was among the drivers to make one-off starts in the No. 5 car. Hendrick was best known as 'Mr. Modified' as a Late Model driver in the 'Flying 11.'

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Current team owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Childress took the wheel for one start in 1971 in the No. 5.

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NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott made one start in the No. 5, the last of his career at Charlotte. The race marked a departure from his usual No. 34.

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Neil Bonnett made 44 starts from 1977 to 1979 in the No. 5 car, earning two wins during that time. Here, Bonnett stops for tires and fuel during the 1977 Delaware 500 race at Dover International Speedway.

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Morgan Shepherd made 18 starts in the No. 5 car for owner Cliff Stewart. He earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville that year and scored a pole in his first race behind the wheel of the car at Richmond.

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Rick Hendrick, seen here in 1995, launched All-Star Racing in 1984 with Geoff Bodine as the driver of the No. 5.

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Geoff Bodine was the first to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for team owner Rick Hendrick and did so for a tenure of six seasons from 1984 to 1989.

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Geoff Bodine won seven races in the No. 5 car, including the 1986 Daytona 500, which was Rick Hendrick's first victory in The Great American Race.

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Following Geoff Bodine, Ricky Rudd piloted the No. 5 for four seasons, notching four wins from 1990 to 1993, one win in every season he drove for Hendrick.

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Here is a look at the 'Tide Ride' in action with Ricky Rudd behind the wheel at Daytona, racing with Dale Earnhardt.

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Terry Labonte would be the next driver to pilot the No. 5 car. The veteran would wheel the machine for 11 seasons with Hendrick, winning the 1996 championship.

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During his 11-year run in the No. 5, Terry Labonte earned 12 wins, including the final victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career at Darlington Raceway in 2003.

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Kyle Busch took a turn behind the wheel of the No. 5 for Hendrick for three seasons. The eventual 2015 and 2019 champion earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win in the car at Fontana in 2005.

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Kyle Busch's first four Cup Series wins came in the No. 5 from 2005 to 2007. He took home Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2005.

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Casey Mears spent a season in the cockpit of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.

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Mark Martin was next in the No. 5 seat from 2009 to 2011. The NASCAR Hall of Famer is seen here talking to then-teammate Jeff Gordon.

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Mark Martin's first season in the No. 5 was a resurgence for the veteran driver, who won five times and finished as the runner-up in the standings in 2009.

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Kasey Kahne's first win in the No. 5 came in one of NASCAR's crown jewel events, the Coca-Cola 600 in 2012. It is the first of six wins to date for Kahne in the car.

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In July of 2017, Kasey Kahne used a late surge and strong final restart to nab a win at Indianapolis -- snapping a nearly three-year winless drought for the veteran driver.

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Hendrick Motorsports brought back the No. 5 Chevrolet in 2021 with Kyle Larson, who is signed to a multi-year deal. The No. 5 trails only Hendrick's Nos. 24 and 48 teams in the company's win totals.

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Kyle Larson returned the No. 5 car to Victory Lane in just his fourth race with Hendrick Motorsports, winning the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 7, 2021. Since then, Larson has won three more points-paying races since as well as the 2021 All-Star Race.

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Kyle Larson capped off a record-setting 2021 season -- his first in the No. 5, ending with the NASCAR Cup Series championship. All told, he won 10 races (including five in the playoffs) and led 2,581 laps.