Car number 82 has started 348 races and has 0 wins, 5 poles, 41 top 5s, 94 top 10s, and 126 DNFs in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
Joe Eubanks started car #82 in 138 of his 159 career races from 1951-1961. Eubanks was a military man who served in WWII. Following the War, he followed fellow veterans Bud Moore and Cotten Owens into stock car racing. Eubanks thrived at short and dirt tracks, but he struggled at super speedways. His only career win came at Orange Speedway in 1958 when he was driving #6.
After finishing 2008 in the #84 Red Bull Toyota, Scott Speed and the team renumbered the car to #82 for the 2009 season. Speed faired well in the Budweiser shootout and Daytona 500, earning “Rookie of the Race” honors. The rest of the year would not go as smoothly. After failing to qualify for 2 races, Speed finished the year 36th in points.
The 2010 season faired slightly better. Speed qualified for every race attempted and kept the car inside the top 35 in owners points, guaranteeing a starting spot. Speed nearly won the 2010 Auto Club 400 by not pitting during a caution for rain. However, the extended caution flag would eventually cause Speed to run out of gas. Speed’s best finish would be a 5th place in the 2010 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. Toward the end of the 2010 season Speed was released in favor of Kasey Khane. He started 69 races in #82.
West coast driver Mark Stahl competed in 30 events from 1981-1991, starting 27 of them in #82. Stahl was an accomplished off road and Winston West (K&N Pro West) driver, and would compete at Riverside every year in addition to starts at tracks like Darlington, Rockingham, and Atlanta.
Stahl was sponsored by Hooters, and when Stahl failed to qualify for the 1991 race at Atlanta, Hooters moved to the #7 of Alan Kulwicki where they would remain, causing to Stahl to cease his Cup series ventures.
Other notable names in #82
Cotten Owens, 8 starts
Fireball Roberts, 3 starts
Elmo Langley, 1 start