Car #52 has made 725 starts with 83 drivers. The number has earned 2 wins, 1 pole, 11 top 5s, 60 top 10s, and 279 DNFs in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Alabama Gang member Jimmy Means by far has the most starts in the #52 with 446 from 1976-1993. In that time Jimmy never earned a top 5, but scored 17 top 10s. Means spent most of his career as an owner/driver. Jimmy is now an advisor for Front Row Motorsports and an owner for the NASCAR XFINITY Series #52 car.
EJ Trivette has the second most starts in #52 with 58 from 1964-1966. Trivette’s favorite track to race at was Richmond International Raceway.
Canadian driver Earl Ross is the only other driver with more than 10 starts in #52 with 25 starts from 1973-1976. Ross earned the only win of his career driving #52 in the 1974 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Earl was named 1974 Rookie of the year.
Neil Cole drove #52 for 5 races in 1951. In that time he earned one win at the 108-mile race at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut.
Since 2018 the #52 car operated as a second entry for Rick Ware Racing. The car started 5 races with 5 drivers: Cody Ware, B.J. McLeod, Gray Gaulding, J.J. Yeley, & Harison Rhodes. For 2019 the #52 was a full-time entry, starting all 36 races. The 52 car saw several drivers behind the wheel with Bayley Currey starting 8 races. The team sparked a bit of a controversy in the first race of the Playoffs after driver Garrett Smithley was run into by Kyle Busch’s #18 car as Busch was working his way towards the front and Smithley was multiple laps down. Busch vented his frustration towards RWR and other “backmarkers” of the field, while Smithley defended his actions.
In 2021, Josh Bilicki drove the #52 entry in 35 of the 36 races with a best finish of 10th at the summer Daytona race. Joey Hand piloted the car for 1 race at the Charlotte Roval. Bilick drove the #15 entry for that lone race.
Bobby Labonte drove the #52 in the 2014 Daytona 500 for James Finch and HScott Motorsports, formerly Phoenix racing. Bobby finished 15th after starting in the back due to engine issues.
In 2013, Brad’s brother Brian Keselowski made 2 of his 3 career Cup starts to date behind the wheel of the #52.
Morgan Shepard & Paulie Harraka made 1 start each in 2013 for Brian Keselowski Motorsports. Harraka ruined his day at Sonoma before it started by crashing into Alex Kennedy leaving pit road.
In 2012 Mike Skinner made 1 start in #52 for Jimmy Means. The same year Scott Speed attempted to make a race at Martinsville with the same team, but DNQ’d.
For 2 races in 1996 Ken Schrader would field a Cup ride for Jack Sprague who was dominating the Craftsman Truck Series at the time. While Schrader uses #52 frequently in the Truck Series, XFINITY Series, and K&N (ARCA) Regional Series’, this is the only time Schrader fielded a Cup team.
In 1994 Bob Keselowski, father of Brad and Brian, would make his only career Cup start driving #52 at Pocono.
Indy Car driver Scott Sharp would drive Jimmy Means’ #52 in his only NASCAR start in the 1992 Watkins Glen race. Trans-Am road racer Tommy Kendall would also drive the #52 in one start that year at Sonoma.
Other notable names in #52:
Brad Teague, 8 races
Cale Yarborough, 6 races.
Mike Wallace, 3 races.
Bill Rexford, 2 races.
Herb Thomas, 1 race.
Hershel McGriff, 1 race.
Dale Jarrett, 1 race.
Kirk Shelmerdine, 1 race.
AJ Foyt, 1 race.
Bill Elliott 1 race.
