Car number 95 has started 526 races and has 0 wins, 2 poles, 20 top 5s, 60 top 10s, and 195 DNFs in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
In 1972 a young Kentucky kid named Darrell Waltrip purchased a car and some spare engine parts for $12,500 from Holman Moody. The car was originally the 1967 Ford Fairlane that Mario Andretti drove to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500, but had been converted to a 1969 Mercury Cyclone. Waltrip painted a #95 on the side of it and began his NASCAR career.
DW drove his #95 in 5 races in 1972, and he still owns his original #95 car as part of his personal collection. He would start the number again with 14 starts in 1973 and 16 start in 1974. Waltrip raced #95 a total of 35 times before switching to #17 in 1975 to honor his hero David Pearson. Waltrip would soon be hired to pilot the DiGard #88, but would return to the #17 later in his career.
The Leavine Family Racing Team was founded in 2011 with Truck Series standout David Starr behind the wheel. Starr qualified the car in 4 races during the 2011 season.
For the 2012 season, Scott Speed would take over driving duties. The team attempted a 15 race schedule and qualified for every race attempted, mostly starting and parking. Speed was rehired for the 2013 season, and the team announced it would run 28 races. Speed scored the first ever top 10 finish for the team with a 9th place run at Talladega, but left the team late in the season citing frustrations with the team’s start and park policiy. Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson, and Blake Koch drove the #95 in the remaining few races.
In 2014 Michael McDowell would pilot the #95 car with KLOVE & Thrivent Financial sponsoring the car for all 20 races they would attempt. The team also formed an alliance with Penske Racing, allowing them to abandon their start and park strategy. McDowell qualified the car for 19 races and scored a 7th place finish in the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.
McDowell returned to the #95 for the 2015 season racing in 16 events. One of the most memorable moments of the 2015 season involved the #95 car striking a safety truck during the September race at Richmond.
For the 2016 season, The Levine team announced that Joe Falk, former co-owner of Circle Sport Racing, would become a part owner of the team- rebranded as Circle Sport-Leving Family Racing. The merger included a charter (guaranteeing the team a starting spot in every race), an alliance with Richard Childress Racing, a switch of manufacturers to Cheverolet, and a full-time schedule. While McDowell returned the driver, the RCR alliance contributed to the charter carrying #95 car being piloted by Ty Dillon for a total of 7 races. For many of these 7 races, CSLFR fielded a second car, #59, for the displaced McDowell.
The merger with Faulk would prove to be temporary, as the Levine Family announced that they would return to their original name and ownership arrangements for the 2017 season. The #95 was able to acquire a charter from the closing Tommy Baldwin Racing team, ensuring their participation in future events.
In 2017, McDowell returned to the seat of the 95 machine full time. At the July Daytona race, McDowell would cause an accident early by turning Chase Elliott, but would recover to contend for the win and score the team’s first ever Top-5 finish with a 4th place result.
In late 2017 it was announced that McDowell would not return to the #95 in 2017, and that Kasey Kahne would take over the Leavine Family machine with support from Hendrick Motorsports McDowell made 100 starts in car #95.
Kasey Kahne made 25 starts in the LFR #95 in 2018 before dehydration issues sidelined Kahne in the late summer. Though he vowed to return, this would ultimately end Kahne’s NASCAR career prematurely. Kahne has expressed interested in dirt and open wheel racing from here on out. Kahne’s best finish in #95 was a 4th place finish at the July Daytona race.
Regan Smith, the super sub, finished out the 11 remaining races of the season in the #95 car for LFR.
In 2019 Matt DiBenedetto took over the #95 LFR. Additionally, the team switched manufacturers to Toyota as part of a new alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. The effects of these changes were felt immediately at the season opening Daytona 500. DiBenedetto led 49 laps and seemed to be a contender for the victory before a bad push from Paul Menard caused DiBenedetto to spin in front of the field, collecting 21 cars.
After starting with a band, the first half of the 2019 season proved to be a struggle for the LFR team as they only managed 4 top 20 finishes in the first 17 races. While these results may have been on par with prior years for LFR, the new alliance with Toyota and JGR had many people expecting the #95 to contend for victories and top-5 finishes on a regular basis.
Sonoma proved to be a turning point for the team, which had prepared a special livery to honor Darrell Waltrip’s final race as a broadcaster by throwing back to his time in car #95. Matt, a formidable road racer, drove to a 4th place finish.
The Sonoma race would be the first of several good runs for the 95 team in the late summer, securing an 8th place finish at Daytona, a 5th place finish at New Hampshire, and a 6th place finish at Watkins Glen. With Matt DiBenedetto’s previous impressive runs at Bristol, the August “Night Race” seemed like an opportunity for another great result for the #95 team. Matt put on a show at Bristol and wound up leading late in the race. He nearly scored his first career victory before contact with Ryan Newman caused damage to fender of the 95 car, and allowing Denny Hamlin to pass Matt for the win just a few laps before the checkered flag.
Prior to the Bristol race, DiBenedetto learned that he would not return to the #95 car in 2020, despite the uptick in recent results. With the young talent of Christopher Bell in the Xfinity Series, Toyota and JGR needed to secure a seat for him at the Cup level or risk losing Bell to another team. The 95 ended up as the landing spot for Bell, at DiBenedetto’s expense. Matt’s impressive runs were turning heads. Matt secured some sponsorship opportunities with Barstool Sports and eventually announced that he would drive the #21 car for the Wood Brothers in 2020, following the retirement of Paul Menard. DiBennedetto earned 3 top-5s and 7 top-10s in the number.
In 2020 Christopher Bell took over the helm of the #95 car, earning 2 top 5 and 7 top 10 finishes throughout the season. However, the rising costs of the Toyota partnership, combined with the economic decline associated with the COVID19 pandemic, proved to be costly to owner Bob Leavine and his business ventures. After 10 years of fielding #95, Leavine Family Racing shut down at the end of the 2020 season. Bell’s best finish of 3rd place came at Leavine’s home track, Texas Motor Speedway. Bell will drive the #20 for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021.
From 1983-1984 Sterling Marlin drove the #95 Sadler Brothers Racing car in 18 starts.
Other notable names in #95
Stanton Barrett Jr., 10 starts
Jeremy Mayfield, 5 starts
Davey Allison, 4 starts
Derrike Cope, 3 starts
