Who drove the 5 car before Kyle Larson?
Kyle Larson is second on the list of most successful drivers who have driven the number 5 car in NASCAR Cup Series.
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Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson has been making his trade in the NASCAR Cup Series for several years and drives the number 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. The American team has a rich history when comes it to racing, and the outfit began its operations way back in 1984 when they were known as All-Stars Racing.
However, with time, the name was eventually changed to Hendrick Motorsports. The number 5 car has a special place in the history books of the team, and while it is currently driven by Kyle Larson, quite a few prolific drivers have also driven the iconic number 5 car at some point in the history of the team.
Geoff Bodine drove the number 5 car in the team’s debut season in 1984 and continued as its driver until 1989. For the 1990 season, the team hired Ricky Rudd to take its car for a spin during events, and he was the main man behind the wheel of the number 5 car until 1993. After Rudd, came the turn of Terry Labonte, and he was in charge of pushing the number 5 car to its limit until 2004. Labonte spent a total of 10 years with Hendricks Motorsports.
From 2005 onward, the car was driven by Kyle Busch for two years. Moreover, during the 2005 season, he managed 2 race wins, 9 top-five finishes, and 13 top-ten finishes. He ended his season 20th in the overall driver’s standings. For the 2008 season, Hendrick Motorsports hired Casey Mears, who raced for the team for only one year.
From 2009 onwards, the number 5 car was driven by Mark Martin. He drove the car until the end of the 2011 season. For 2012, Henrick Motorsports brought on board Kasey Kahne who was racing for the Red Bull racing team before 2012. After the end of his tenure in 2017, the number 5 was sidelined before getting back to the field with Kyle Larson.
Who is the most successful driver in the No.5 car in the Cup Series?
The number 5 car, in its rich history in the Cup Series, has been driven by a total of eight drivers who gave their all, to bring as much glory as possible to themselves and the Hendrick Motorsports racing team. The American outfit started its operations with the number 5 car with the assistance of Geoff Bodine and has got Kyle Busch in their books as the car’s latest driver. Following is the list of the 5 most successful drivers who have driven the number 5 car.
5. Ricky Rudd
As mentioned above, Ricky Rudd drove the number 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports between 1990-1993. Moreover, during his four-year tenure with the team, he was able to score 4 race victories and 30 top-five finishes for the team. He was very adept at handling his number 5 car and, because of his prolific skills, was able to do a decent job for his team.
4. Kasey Kahne
The fourth man on the Top 5 list is none other than Kasey Kahne, who drove for the Hendrick Motorsports team from 2012-2017. He was a natural behind the wheel of his number 5 car, and during his tenure, was able to score 8 race victories along with an impressive 28 top-five finishes to his name. He was extremely popular among the fans during his Hendrick days.
3. Geoff Bodine
Next up is the man who first drove the number 5 car in its NASCAR Cup Series history. Geoff Bodine was entrusted with the car during the team’s inaugural season in 1984, and from then onwards, he drove the car until the end of the 1989 season of the sport. During his six years of service, he was able to score 7 race wins along with 38 top 5 finishes.
2. Terry Labonte
The man who sits at the top of the list is none other than Terry Labonte. He drove the number 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports for a period of 10 years between 1994-2004. Moreover, during that time, Labonte scored 12 race victories and an incredible 49 top finishes for his team. He is the overall goat as far as the Hendricks Motorsports number 5 car is concerned.
1. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is the most recent person to have the honor of driving the number 5 car for the Hendrick Motorsports team. Larson took the reigns of the car in 2021 and has so far managed to score 14 race victories with 22 top-five finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series Competition. He is still racing for the team and will probably add a few more accolades by the time he decides to retire. He won the Cup championship in his debut season.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)