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[/media-credit]Only 83 days remain until the green flag waves at Daytona. The number 83 has seen spans of usage surrounded by long gaps of time where the number was used rarely, if ever. That statement holds true especially in NASCAR’s modern era. In total, the number 83 has been used in 436 races.
Tommy Thompson led things off in 1951 at the season opening race on the Beach & Road course in Daytona. Thompson finished 12th in his ’47 Chrysler and earned a whopping $50.
Several NASCAR legends used the number a handful (or fewer) times. Red Byron, NASCAR’s first champion used the number 83 in his final three starts. Cotton Owens made one appearance in the number in 1954. 1952 champion Tim Flock used the number once in 1961. “The Clown Prince”, Joe Weatherly also made one start using number 83.
Curtis ‘Crawfish’ Crider ran the number in the 1960 season. Crider reportedly earned the nickname Crawfish after his car landed in a lake. Crider never won, but did rack up 70 top-ten finishes, although only two came in car number 83. The only other driver to run a full season in the number 83 between 1960 and 1974 was Worth McMillion.
Ramo Stott ,one of several big names in racing to come out of Keokuk, Iowa used the number from 1974-1976 while driving for Norris Reed. Stott finished third in the ’74 running of the Daytona 500, but perhaps his biggest moment came when Stott won the pole for the 1976 Daytona 500. Darrell Waltrip, A.J. Foyt, and Dave Marcis were all disqualified, leaving Stott to sit on the pole. Stott would go on to finish 26th after engine failure sidelined him. Stott’s son Corrie campaigns part-time in the Nationwide Series.
Kenny Brightbill made one start for Reed at Dover in 1974, finish eighth. Brightbill still races today; he finished sixth in points driving a Big Block Modified at Delaware International Raceway in 2011 at the age of 63.
Three time Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford drove three races for Reed in 1975, but could finish no better than 32nd. 1970 Sprint Cup Champion Bobby Isaac made one of his final career starts driving for Reed and using the number 83.
Ron Hutcherson, also from Keokuk made the final start for Reed in the 1977 Daytona 500. Hutcherson finished 32nd after transmission failure sidelined him. Ron was the younger brother of Dick Hutcherson, a 14-time winner in the Sprint Cup Series. Reed’s team shuttered after the ’77 500 and the number 83 would fall out of use for six years.
Summer McKnight, a driver on NASCAR’s west circuit entered five races at Riverside between 1983-1985. His best finish was a 14th in the 1985 Budweiser 400. Following this race, the number would again go unused until 1987.
Lake Speed, a veteran by this point had driven his own cars in the 1980 and 1981 seasons. After stints with Roger Hamby, Hoss Ellington, and Rahmoc, Speed became his own boss again at the start of the 1987 season. Speed’s Oldsmobiles were instantly recognizable with their purple paint scheme thanks to primary sponsor Wynn’s. Speed’s best finish in a limited 1987 schedule was a third in the Coca Cola 600. Speed, however, would achieve greatness the following season, when he won his first (and only) career race. Speed was also the first to win in car number 83, scoring a very popular victory in the 1988 Transouth 500 at Darlington, earning the win in dominating fashion.
Speed led 178 laps en route to his only career win. At the time, Speed said “”It’s a big, big relief for me to finally do it after being so close,” said Speed. “A lot of people made this happen. And for me personally, a lot of faith in the Lord brought me through.” Later that season, Speed, along with Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Hillin Jr. began what became Motor Racing Outreach, the non-denominational Christian organization that serves the NASCAR community.
Speed used the number from 1987-1993, fielding cars primarily for himself. After a hard crash at Pocono in 1989, Joe Ruttman, Eddie Bierschwale, and Joe Ruttman filled in for Speed. Speed also fielded a car in one race for Tommy Ellis and Phil Parsons the following year. Following the 1993 Diehard 500, Speed drove a few races for Robert Yates; then moved to Bud Moore’s team the following season. Speed never used the number 83 again.
The number would again sit dormant for nine years, when Ron Hornaday used the number in a one-off effort at Phoenix in 2002. Hornaday finished 36th in that race, driving for Terry Bradshaw and Armando Fitz in their only Cup race. Bradshaw and Fitz would continue their association in the Nationwide Series until 2005, when Bradshaw left the sport.
Following Phoenix, the number would be idle until 2007, when Red Bull Racing began to use the number with Brian Vickers. Red Bull’s first season was also Toyota’s first season and they struggled mightily, leading many to question Vickers’ decision to join an upstart team. There were flashes of promise, including a fifth place effort at the Coca Cola 600.
Vickers scored six top-ten finished in 2008, leading to a 19th place finish in the final standings. Vickers’ best season came the following year in 2009, when he won six poles, the August race at Michigan, and a berth in the Chase. Vickers would finish the year 12th in points, his career best.
Vickers hoped to capitalize on that performance in 2010, but his season was cut short when he was diagnosed with blood clots. Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Mattias Ekstrom, and Boris Said all filled in for Vickers, but under the difficult circumstances, they could do no better than eighth; that finish coming at Daytona with Sorenson. At Martinsville, the team’s fortunes began to change when Kasey Kahne became the driver.
Although Kahne signed to drive for Rick Hendrick beginning in 2012, he didn’t have a ride for 2011, due to NASCAR’s team limit. Red Bull happily snagged Kahne up for 2011; but Kahne would enter the car sooner than that. After his brakes failed and he crashed in the fall Dover race, Kahne refused to get back into the car after repairs were made, leading to his termination later that week. Kahne won the pole at the season-ending race at Homestead and finished sixth. Kahne moved to Red Bull’s other car at the end of the season when it was determined Vickers was healthy enough to return. Vickers earned seven top-ten finishes in his return in 2011. The future of the 83 car and Red Bull Racing is in doubt, as Red Bull is leaving the team and has yet to find a buyer.
In 436 races, the no. 83 has earned two wins, 22 top-five finishes, 91 top-tens and nine poles.
