No. 8: Drivers through the years

By Staff Report | Wednesday, October 2, 2019

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Many influential and celebrated drivers have driven the No. 8 in years past, dating back to the early years of NASCAR. Take a look back at some of the drivers of the No. 8 through the years, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- our pick to represent the No. 8 in our summer Driver by Number project.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (shown after his first Monster Energy Series win in 2000 at Texas)

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (shown after winning the July Daytona race in 2001 following his father's death on the last lap of the Daytona 500 earlier that season)

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Talladega, 2002)

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Richmond Raceway, 2006)

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Billy Carden (first driver to pilot the No. 8 beginning in 1949)

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Bud Harless

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Joe Weatherly (20-time winner in the No. 8, NASCAR Hall of Famer)

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Here's a cool bit of NASCAR trivia: David Pearson made exactly one start in the No. 8 in his distinguished career. It came in 1967.

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Wendell Scott (one start in the No. 8 in 1969)

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Ed Negre

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Dale Earnhardt (made his first Monster Energy Series start in the No. 8 at Charlotte)

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Bobby Hillin Jr.

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Rick Wilson

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Hut Stricklin

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Sterling Marlin

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Jeff Burton

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Dick Trickle

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Mark Martin

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Buckshot Jones

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David Taylor | Allsport

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Morgan Shepherd

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Aric Almirola

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Daniel Hemric brought back the No. 8 after a nine-year absence for a two-race stint with Richard Childress Racing in 2018. The events (Richmond and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course) were Hemric's first two premier series events.

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Courtesy of Richard Childress Racing

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Hemric drove No. 8 in the Monster Energy Series full time for the 2019 season, with a gold scheme for the Daytona 500 to celebrate 50 years for Richard Childress Racing. RCR announced Sept. 17, 2019 that Hemric would be released at the end of the season, thus ending his tenure in the No. 8.

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Tyler Reddick will pilot the the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet beginning in the 2020 Cup Series season.

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