89 Days until the Daytona 500

Car number 89 has started 262 races and has 4 win, 3 poles, 60 top 5s, 135 top 10s, and 138 DNFs in the NASCAR Cup Series.

• Morgan Shepherd has the most starts in car #89 with 32 from 2002-2006. In 2002, at the age of 62, the longtime NASCAR driver decided to found his own raceteam. Morgan Shepherd Motorsports fielded the #89 car in select races during these years, attempting to qualify for 32 races in 2004. The team frequently failed to qualify for races, and lack of sponsorship money caused the team to start and park frequently. In 2004, Shepherd ran the entire races at Martinsville and Daytona, finishing 32nd and 33rd respectively. After the 2006 season Shepherd shut down his Cup team to focus on the XFINITY series, where he drives his #89. At age 79, Shepherd has still not retired from racing. In 2018 he drove in the XFINITY Series and qualified for 20 races with a best finish of 32nd at Indy. 2017 marked Shepherd’s 50th year behind the wheel of a race car, and his 40th year competing in NASCAR. Though he doesn’t hop behind the wheel much anymore, Morgan still fields his #89 in the Xfinity Series, most recently with Landon Cassill behind the wheel. The COVID19 pandemic and the subsequent adjustments to race purses have temporarily parked the #89 team, though they hope to return in 2022.

Morgan Shepherd, 2004

• Neil “Soapy” Castles started the #89 car 27 times, running the full 1965 season and 1 race in 1966.

• Buck Baker started #87 a total of 25 times between 1952, 1955, 1959 & 1962. He earned 2 wins in the number, in 1952 & 1955.

  

  Buck Baker, 1952

• Buck’s son Buddy Baker would also make 10 career start in #89- 9 starts in 1959 & 1 start in 1964.

Buddy Baker, 1959

• Jim Sauter drove the #89 car in 23 sporadic starts from 1985-1993, never starting more than 6 races per year.

Jim Sauter, 1989

• Joe Lee Johnson drove the #89 in 14 career races- 8 in 1960 and 6 in 1961. Joe Lee won the inaugural World 600 (now Coca Cola 600) at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960.

Joe Lee Johnson, 1960

• Other notable name in #89
  • Rodney Combs, 10 starts
  • Buddy Shuman, 8 starts, 1 win
  • Wendell Scott, 6 starts
  • Tiny Lund, 5 starts
  • Ned Jarrett, 3 starts
  • Tim Flock, 2 starts
  • Dennis Setzer, 1 start
  • Michael Waltrip, 1 start
  • Patty Moise, 1 start