New-age NASCAR fans associate the number 11 with Denny Hamlin, who has raced his entire Cup career with Joe Gibbs Racing. But Hamlin’s business partner and fellow 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan would claim otherwise. 

A while back, Jordan bantered about Hamlin’s number and said that the original 11 was Cale Yarborough. But Hamlin believes that's not the right answer. He mentioned his original No. 11 in the post-race interview on Sunday.

Hamlin said, “If you listen to MJ, he’ll say that Cale’s the original 11. But if you know the sport and you know the history, you know that Ned was the one that came on the scene and was like the guy who showed up, he would want, he won. Didn’t he win a race for like four or five laps or something?”

14 laps was the answer prompted to him that Ned Jarrett took at Darlington in 1965 during a hot race where most cars struggled with engine overheating issues.

“14 laps! I mean, over the years, built a relationship with Dale Jarrett, and when I found out his father passed, I sent him a message, and we’re thinking of him and Glenn and all his family,” he added.

Hamlin had paid tribute to Ned Jarrett after his race win, calling Gentleman Ned the “original bad*** in the 11.” Jarrett passed away at the age of 93, peacefully in his sleep, last week. 

Hamlin also recalled that he became familiar with Jarrett as a broadcaster when he first got into watching NASCAR, recalling the kind of input Jarrett would have on the comms. 

Among the notable moments in his career, Jarrett is remembered for famously calling his son Dale’s victory over Dale Earnhardt at the 1993 Daytona 500, a call that was filled with emotion as he watched his son take the checkered flag for JGR as his wife celebrated on the sidelines. 

Which No. 11 is actually the greatest?

The number 11 has been used by several drivers in NASCAR, with 13 different drivers having wins in that car. Mario Andretti famously won the Daytona 500 in 1967 using that number. 

Buddy Baker’s two wins, Bobby Allison’s 3. Terry Labonte’s 4 and Bill Elliott’s 6 wins with the 11 car are the only drivers with single-digit wins in the car. Junior Johnson got 11 victories in his number 11, but four drivers have been dominant in victory lane with the 11. 

Darrell Waltrip famously won three championships in the 11 car, driving for Junior Johnson. Along with his Cup series wins in 1981, 1982, and 1985, Walltrip racked up 43 wins in the iconic 11. 

Hamlin's 63 wins are the most by any driver in the history of the No. 11 car, which has accumulated more than 240 Cup Series victories overall.

Meanwhile, Cale Yarborough, whom Michael Jordan refers to as the original, had 55 of his 83 wins in the 11 car for Junior Johnson. Yarborough also won three back-to-back Cup series in 1976, 1977, and 1978, all with the 11. 

But Hamlin may be correct about Gentleman Ned being the original 11 because Jarrett won 49 races in a shorter career in the 11 and even picked up two Cup series crowns in 1961 and 1965. Jarrett took all his career wins in the 11 and even retired at just 34 after Ford temporarily left the sport in 1966. 

Jarrett’s 50 wins came in just over 350 races, meaning he averaged a win in around 7 races, a stat that would indicate why Hamlin holds him in such high regard.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason