That number means a lot to Junior.
While Dale Earnhardt Jr. got his start in the NASCAR Cup Series driving the #8 Budweiser car for his dad’s race team, DEI, he actually spent most of his career in the #88 car for Hendrick Motorsports.
He won 9 races in the 88, including the 2014 Daytona 500 and what turned out to be his final Cup Series win at Phoenix in 2015. (Dang, has it really been 10 years since his last win?)
And of course the #88 has a long history in NASCAR. When I first started watching the sport my favorite driver was Dale Jarrett, who drove the #88 with the iconic UPS scheme for Robert Yates Racing. Jarrett won the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup championship driving the number, and before that the 88 car was run by legends like Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Benny Parsons, Fireball Roberts, and even Dale Jr.’s grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, who made one career start in the #88.
After Junior retired, the number remained with Hendrick Motorsports, though it hadn’t been run since Alex Bowman spent four seasons in #88 before switching to the #48 in 2021.
This past year, Trackhouse Racing brought back the #88, with the blessing of Dale Jr., for rookie Shane Van Gisbergen, the superstar from New Zealand who won his first-ever Cup Series start at the Chicago Road Course after making the move from Australian Supercars to NASCAR.
SVG managed to win five races, all on road courses, during his first full season in the #88 car – which as it turns out, will be his only full season running the iconic number.
Trackhouse Racing announced today that Van Gisbergen will drive the #97 car next year, which is the number that he raced during his career in Supercars. He also drove the #97 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and Shane’s father, Robert Van Gisbergen, drove the same number during his racing career.
With the number change for Van Gisbergen, Trackhouse also announced that rookie Connor Zilisch would be driving the #88 car next year, replacing Daniel Suarez as the team’s third driver in a renumbered #99 car.
And to reveal his car number to their driver, the team asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. to do the honors in a heartfelt letter.
Zilisch drove the #88 car for Dale Jr.’s Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports, this past year, racking up 10 wins and nearly winning the championship (which led to plenty of anger over the format after Zilisch was denied a championship after such a dominant season).
And as he read the letter from his former boss, Zilisch couldn’t help but get emotional:
“Dear Connor,
The #88 has always carried a little extra meaning for me. It’s not just a number: It’s a legacy, defined by guys like Darrell Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, and most recently, SVG.
I had a lot of great years myself driving that number.
You ignited a new chapter with the 88, one written in your own style. From breaking records to delivering JRM’s 100th win as an organization, I always knew you had the talent and the heart. And now, I couldn’t be more proud to say you will carry the #88 forward into the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing.
The story of the #88 is far from finished. And now, it’s your turn to write the next chapter, and we’re all here for it.
Your friend,
Dale Earnhardt Jr.”
Pretty awesome stuff. As a Trackhouse Racing fan myself and a longtime fan of the #88 car, I can’t wait to see what Zilisch can do in his new ride. Tear it up, rookie. (Just not literally, please. And maybe don’t climb on the car when you inevitably get your first win sooner rather than later).
