In NASCAR Cup Series competition the #10 car has started 1,388 races with 115 drivers and has 11 wins, 10 poles, 74 top 5s, 248 top 10s, and 417 DNFs.

Bill Champion started car #10 a total of 243 times from 1967-1975. Champion never made it to victory lane, posting career best finish of 7th. His #10 would later be used by his nephew, Ricky Rudd.

Famous for #64, Elmo Langley started the #10 sportatically throughout his career for a total of 23 starts from 1958-1978. He started the number most in 1959 with 13 races.

In 1985, DiGard Motorsports had Bobby Allison battling for the championship in the No. 22 Miller High Life car. For the Firecracker 400 at Daytona, DiGard fielded an additional car, what is called a “Research & Development” car, with Greg Sacks at the helm of car #10. Instead of simply doing its intended purpose — running a small number of laps and collecting data about the track that DiGard could use for Allison’s car — Sacks drove the car to an unexpected victory. It was later alleged that the car snuck through inspection with an oversized engine, and thus the team cheated. NASCAR did not find anything wrong with the #10 in post-race inspection, however, and Sacks’ win stood.

The impact of the R&D car’s victory was significant. Reportedly angered that the team was focusing its attention elsewhere, Allison quit. Sacks was hired to race for the rest of the year, but did not capture another Top-5 finish in 1985. Allison went on to drive for Stavola Brothers Racing and took the Miller sponsorship with him following the season.

The allegations of cheating — combined with reported money troubles — shook the team, and it imploded. Following Allison’s midseason departure from the team in 1985, engine builder Robert Yates left during the 1986 season. The team ran a limited schedule and a myriad of drivers during their final seasons, including sacks in 8 mores starts in car #10 in 1986.

The team’s last NASCAR Winston Cup entry was in 1987 with Rodney Combs. The team’s final three starts were with Combs early in the 1987 season, including entries without sponsorship. Sacks started a total of 9 races in car #10. Other than the win, his best finish in the number was a 10th at Talladega.

Ken Bouchard from Fitchburg, MA started Bob Whitcomb’s #10 in 28 of his 33 career starts from 1988-1989. Despite beating out Ernie Irvan for Rookie of the year in 1988, Bouchard was replaced after only 4 races in 1989.

Derrike Cope signed with Bob Whitcomb to replace Bouchard the #10 Purolator Pontiac and later Chevrolet, posting four top-10 finishes in 1989. During the last lap of the 1990 Daytona 500 , Dale Earnhardt ran over a piece of debris and cut a tire in turn three, causing him to nearly lose control. After narrowly avoiding most of the resulting debris, Cope assumed the lead and earned his first win in NASCAR competition. He became an overnight sensation as a result of the win, appearing on Late Night with David Letterman that week. At Dover later in the 1990 season, Cope rallied for another unlikely win after running out of fuel and falling off the lead lap. At year’s end, he wound up 18th in points. Following the 1992 season, the Whitcomb team closed down. Cope started 106 races during his 4 years with Whitcomb, and earned his only 2 career victories.

Ricky Rudd left Hendrick Motorsports and took the Tide sponsorship with him to form his own race team in 1994, Rudd Performance Motorsports, and drove the #10 Ford Thunderbird that season. His first win as an owner/driver came at New Hampshire International Speedway, which led to a fifth-place points finish. 1995 saw his consecutive winning streak almost end before he won the Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix, the second-to-last race of the season. He had another near miss in 1996, but won at North Carolina Speedway.

In 1997, Rudd had two wins, one of them coming at the Brickyard 400 and the other at Dover International Speedway, his highest win total since 1987, but he dropped to seventeenth in the standings, the first time he finished outside of the top-ten in nine years.

His lone of win in 1998 came at Martinsville Speedway, dealing with high air temperatures and a faulty cooling system. As a result, Rudd suffered burns and blisters over most of his body, and gave his victory lane interview lying on the ground breathing from an oxygen mask. This would be the last win of his consecutive victory streak, as he struggled with mechanical failures and wrecks throughout the season. The following year, Rudd failed to win a race, snapping a 19-season streak with at least one win. When Tide left his team, Rudd chose to liquidate his equipment and close his team. Rudd earned a total of 6 wins in his 243 races behind the wheel of #10 from 1994-1999.

At the start of the 2000 Winston Cup Series Season Johnny Benson Jr. found himself without a sponsor when he signed on to join Tyler Jet Motorsports to run the #10 car. The team showed up at Daytona Speedweeks with a white unsponsored Pontiac Grand Prix. Lycos.com signed on to be the team’s sponsor for the year on the morning of the Daytona 500 . During the race Johnny and crew chief James Ince gambled on a late pitstop when they took only 2 right side tires and fuel, to come out with the lead with 43 laps to go. He held off the field until Jimmy Spencer brought out the caution in the final 10 laps. On the restart with 4 laps to go Benson was leading with Dale Jarrett and Jeff Burton right behind. Jarrett bumped Benson, sending him up the track going into turn one, then passed him for the win while Benson slid back in 12th. The car that Benson used is currently a coffee table in Benson’s home. Benson finished sixth in the third race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and was eleventh in points.

Benson, 2000 Benson, 2000

At the July Pepsi 400, the Tyler Jet Motorsports car showed up at Daytona again with a white car. During the weekend before the race the team removed the Lycos.com decals because they never paid. Tyler Jet went sponsorless for the next 4 races before Aaron’s came aboard right before the team shut down. During the sponsorless run the team was sold to MB2 Motorsports. In August, Valvoline announced they would not only sponsor the team but become part owner. Benson finished in thirteenth place in the final points.

Benson began his 2001 season with an engine failure that relegated him to 28th place. He had top-ten finishes in each of the next four races, including a 4th place run in the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400, which allowed him to be a career high second in the points following the spring Darlington Race. He finished third at Texas and Indianapolis. He did not win a points race, although he did win the non-points Winston Open at Charlotte from the pole. Benson finished eleventh in the final points standings in 2001.

Benson started 2002 with a 10th place finish in the Daytona 500 despite a crash early in the race. In May, Benson agreed to race in the Richmond Busch Series race in the #31 Chevrolet. Benson was involved in a wreck in the early stages of the races and ended up with broken ribs and he missed three Cup races. At the Pepsi 400 in Daytona he started sixth, and on the eighth lap he got together with Michael Waltrip. Benson ended up rebreaking his ribs which put him out of action for two more races. Benson tied a career-best second place finish at the Martinsville Speedway, which he got twice in 2000. On November 3, he started 26th in the 43 car field at the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham. With 50 laps to go he was running in fifth, and with 28 laps left he passed Mark Martin for the lead. In the last 10 laps other drivers were running out of gas, but Benson held off Martin to win the race.

Benson was sixth in points after the first 4 races of 2003. Benson had Top 5 finishes at Dover and Homestead, and finished 24th in the points. Valvoline decided to release Benson in favor of rookie driver Scott Riggs after the season was over. Benson made 136 starts in #10 from 2000-2003 earning his only career win.

In 2004, Scott Riggs signed to drive the #10 Valvoline Chevrolet Monte Carlo for MB2 Motorsports. Qualifying for all but one race that season, he had a fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway and finished 29th in points, fifth in the Rookie of the Year standings. In 2005, he won his first pole at Martinsville, and went on to have a second-place finish at Michigan International Speedway. At the end of the year, Riggs and Valvoline left for Evernham Motorsports taking the #10 with him. The #10 team finished the 2006 season high enough in owners’ points to guarantee themselves a starting spot in the first 5 races in 2007. Riggs won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 and the NEXTEL Open exhibition race at Charlotte, leading all but one lap, and advanced to the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge where he finished tenth. In the Coca-Cola 600, Riggs led 90 laps, but a pit road violation took him out of contention and he finished 13th. Riggs struggled in 2007, falling out of the top-35 in owner’s points, and began failing to qualify for several races. Riggs did not renew his contract with Evernham. Riggs made 133 starts in #10 with no wins.

Patrick Carpentier became the full-time driver for 2008, part of a unique rookie class stacked with open wheel veterans all trying to emulate the success found by Juan Pablo Montoya the previous year. This included IndyCar Series Champions Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish, Jr., and CART and Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve, as well as DEI development drivers Regan Smith and Aric Almirola. Carpentier won the pole at Loudon, but struggled, as did his fellow open-wheel counterparts. He had no top 10s, missed 5 races including the Daytona 500, and was out of the top 35 in points when he was released after Kansas. Carpentier made 27 starts in #10 from 2007-2008.

David Reutimann drove most of the 2012 season in the Tommy Baldwin Racing #10 car. The car received technical support from Stewart-Hass Racing on the condition that Danica Patrick drive the car in 10 races. Reutimann made 21 starts in the one year deal with TBR.

In August 2011 it was announced that Danica Patrick would jump to NASCAR competition running a limited Sprint Cup with Stewart-Haas in addition to a full-time Nationwide Series ride. In 2012 Patrick drove 10 races, with a best finish of 17th at Phoenix in November. Patrick was hired to drive the 10 for the full 2013 schedule, making Stewart-Haas Racing the first team in NASCAR history to sign a female driver to a full Sprint Cup Series season. Danica would be competing with 2-time Nationwide Series Champion, and boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for the Rookie of the Year award, priming to be the most competitive rookie competition in recent memory. Patrick started the 2013 season winning the pole for the Daytona 500, the first woman to do so, and the first rookie to win the pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002. Patrick also ran the fastest pole speed for the 500 in 23 years, timing in at 45.817 seconds. Patrick ran in the top 10 for most of the day, became the first woman to lead a lap in the 500, and finished 8th. In addition to her Superspeedway prowess, Patrick posted strong finishes at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 12th in the spring race and 17th in the fall race. At the end of the year, Patrick ranked 27th in points, with only one top 10 and a dismal 30.1 average finish, ultimately losing out to Stenhouse for ROTY.

Patrick returned for the 2014 season. In addition to GoDaddy.com, Aspen Dental signed on to be the primary sponsor for 2 races. At Atlanta, Patrick attained a career-best finish of sixth, one place better than at Kansas. Patrick became the second woman to earn a top ten at Atlanta Motor Speedway beating Janet Guthrie who had a tenth place finish at Atlanta in 1978, and tied Janet Guthrie’s best finish for a woman in modern era for a woman on NASCAR’s top circuit. At the end of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season she finished at 28th in the points standing, one position down from the previous year although she finished with 89 more points than her rookie season.

In 2015 Danica reached several milestones. Her top 10 finishes at Martinsville and Bristol tied and ultimately surpassed Janet Guthrie’s record for most top 10’s by a woman, and she became the first woman to surpass 100 starts in the Sprint Cup Series. Also, she finished 24th in the final point standings, her highest finish yet. The season was also filled with hurdles- Go Daddy announced that they would not be returning to sponsor car #10 and the Nature’s Bakery would become the primary sponsor of the car with races funded by Aspen Dental and TaxAct. Also, she was fined $50,000 by NASCAR and placed on probation after an incident with David Gilliland at Martinsville.

With GoDaddy no longer a sponsor, Patrick and the No. 10 team acquired a 20-race sponsorship deal with Nature’s Bakery in 2016. She also signed a contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing.

In the Auto Club 400 at Fontana, Patrick was spun into the wall on lap 120 by Kasey Kahne. Unhappy with the move, Patrick exited her car, went near the track’s apron and gestured at Kahne as he passed. She was fined $20,000 for the action. At Talladega, Patrick was involved in a crash with Matt Kenseth; while Kenseth was sent airborne, Patrick collided with the inside wall at high speed, causing her car to catch fire. Patrick was taken to the infield care center for a chest x-ray and described the wreck as “the worst of her career”.

Patrick ended the 2016 season 24th in points and no top-tens; she also had a best finish of 11th at Charlotte’s fall race and led a career-high 30 laps in 2016.

2017 proved to be another difficult season for Patrick. Her frustration was displayed publicly several times including confronting a fan at Pocono that was taunting her, and yelling at Joey Logano after he unintentionally wrecked her at Kansas, her best run of the year. Patrick announced that she would step away from Stewart-Haas after the season finale at Homestead-Miami, and ultimately retired from racing after the “Danica Double” Daytona 500/Indy 500 starts in 2018.

Patrick started 190 races in car #10.

Aric Almirola replaced Danica in the #10 for SHR in 2019, bringing his longtime sponsor Smithfield along from his previous ride at Richard Petty Motorsports. In his first start for SHR Almirola nearly won the Daytona 500, before getting turned by Austin Dillon entering the final set of corners.

His consistency throughout the regular season brought him to the Playoffs. At the inaugural Charlotte Roval race, Almirola was barely able to advance to the Round of 12 with a 19th place finish after slamming the outside wall while avoiding William Byron, who cut a tire in front of him. He had a strong running at the fall Dover race until he inadvertently triggered a multi-car pileup on a late restart that took out Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Alex Bowman. One week later, Almirola and Stewart-Haas Racing dominated the fall Talladega race until the event went into overtime. On the final lap, Almirola took advantage of his teammate Kurt Busch running out of gas and scored his second career win, locking him in the Round of 8 of the Playoffs. Despite finishing fourth at Phoenix, Almirola was eliminated in the Round of 8. He finished the season fifth in the points standings, the highest in his career.

In the 2019 season, Almirola once again made the playoffs, but was eliminated in the Round of 16 after finishing 14th at the Charlotte Roval. 5 weeks later, Almirola contended with teammate and pole-setter Kevin Harvick for the win at Texas before finishing in 2nd-place, his best finish of the season. He fell to 14th in the final points standings. On December 4, 2019, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Mike Bugarewicz will replace Johnny Klausmeier as the crew chief of the No. 10 team in 2020. Aric has started 72 races in #10, and he will return in 2020.

Other notable names in #10

Cale Yarborough, 6 starts

Buddy Baker, 6 starts

Tiny Lund, 5 starts

AJ Allmendinger, 5 starts

Bill Elliott, 4 starts

Jerry Nadeau, 3 starts

Mike Wallace, 2 starts

Bobby Labonte, 2 starts

JJ Yeley, 2 starts

Dick Trickle, 1 start

Joe Nemechek, 1 start

Sterling Marlin, 1 start

Dave Blaney, 1 start

Ken Ragan, 1 start

Terry Labonte, 1 start