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84 days remain until the green flag drops on the Daytona 500 and that’s the number that’s the focus of today’s article. The number has seen relatively little use in NASCAR’s 62 year history; totaling only 220 starts.
The first driver in car 84 was Robert Caswell in 1951. Caswell finished runner-up to Marvin Burke who made his only career start in a race at Oakland Stadium in Oakland, California. Caswell would make a total of seven starts; six of them in California, all using the number 84. Caswell also participated in the only Sprint Cup race in South Dakota in 1953, but car numbers were not available outside the top five finishers.
Between 1955 and 1982, the car only made 90 starts. Notable drivers making starts in this time period included Bob “Bluebird” Senneker, making his first career start; the late Elmo Langley, known for driving the pace car in the 1980s and 1990s, David Pearson, Johnny Benson Sr., and current Nationwide competitor Morgan Shepherd.
Jody Ridley began using the number 84 in 1983 after leaving Junie Donlavey. In a part-time effort backed by Cumberland Mills and car owner Robert McEntyre, Ridley netted three top-ten finishes in just 10 races. Ridley raced 14 times the next season, again, earning three-top tens. While Ridley and McEntyre ran only races at the larger tracks, it is worth nothing that Ridley participated in the final Sprint Cup race at Nashville International raceway, finishing 28th after engine failure sidelined him.
In 1985, a new team owned by the Sims Brothers began using the number. Mike Alexander was the 1978 track champion at Nashville and had won the NASCAR All-American Challenge Series title the previous two years. The team only lasted midway through the 1985 season.
Following Bobby Allison’s tragic crash at Pocono in 1988, Alexander was tabbed to replace him for the remainder of the 1988 season. Alexander was set to drive the car in 1989 (now numbered 84), but only ran the Daytona 500. Alexander had sustained a severe concussion the previous year in the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Florida. Alexander gave way to Dick Trickle.
Trickle was the 1984 and 1985 ASA champion and later earned the title of “America’s Winningest Driver”, due to the fact Trickle is thought to have won over 1200 races throughout the United States and Canada.
Trickle had dabbled in NASCAR since 1970, but never ran a full season until 1989. Trickle earned six top-five finishes along with three others in the top-ten to become the oldest Rookie of the Year in NASCAR at age 48.
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[/media-credit]When Miller Brewing left the Stavola Bros. after the 1989 season in favor of Rusty Wallace, Trickle moved to Cale Yarborough’s team and the number fell out of use for the next 12 years.
Shawna Robinson used the number in her debut at Michigan in 2001, driving a car sponsored by Aaron’s and owned by Michael Kranefuss. Robinson finished 34th after a late spin.
In preparation for his 2005 rookie campaign, Hendrick Motorsports entered Kyle Busch in a car sponsored by Carquest and numbered 84 in six select races in 2004. Busch would finish no better than 24th in this car. Busch moved to the no. 5 car vacated by Terry Labonte. Labonte, in turn, ran a part-time schedule, but used the number 44.
In 2007, Red Bull used the number for their second car driven by rookie A.J. Allmendinger.
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[/media-credit]2007 was a struggle for the entire Red Bull team and Allmendinger failed to qualify a staggering 19 times, mainly due to NASCAR’s Top 35 rule. Mike Skinner replaced Allmendinger early in the 2008 season before Allmendinger returned. Following the 2008 season, Allmendinger was released in favor of Scott Speed. The team changed to car no. 82.
The no. 84 saw a brief reprieve in 2011, when Red Bull Developmental Driver Cole Whitt ran the fall race at Phoenix and the season-ending race at Homestead.
Car no. 84 has yet to win a race or pole and only has 35 top-ten finishes.
