NASCAR Cup Series’ best by car number: 60-69

No. 61 (1949-2006)

Throughout the past couple of decades, the No. 61 has been used even more sparingly than the No. 60, and has not been seen on the NASCAR Cup Series track since Kevin Lepage, Chad Chaffin and Stanton Barrett all made appearances in the car in 2006. Prior to that, the number was used in one race in 2004, and just 18 total races throughout the 1980s and ‘90s.

Still, the No. 61 has seen a total of five top-five finishes and 29 top-10 performances throughout its existence, which came predominantly through its early history. Bill Bennett was the first to use the number in 1949, while George Hartley earned the first top-10 finish for the No. 61 a year later. One of the best years for the car came courtesy of Elmo Langley in 1961, who drove the number to four top-10 finishes. The following two years, Sherman Utsman racked up seven top-10 finishes as well as a top-five performance in 1962.