As NASCAR ushers in the Next Gen car next year, the car numbers on the doors will move forward as well, NASCAR confirmed Aug. 27.
The news was initially revealed by 23XI Racing Aug. 27 via its announcement that it had hired Kurt Busch.
In 23XI’s video, Busch’s car number, No. 45, is shown farther forward on the door, rather than centered beneath the window, as has been the case for many years in the NASCAR Cup Series.
We got our guy.
Welcome to the family, @KurtBusch ✊ pic.twitter.com/COXghtHb1d
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) August 27, 2021
NASCAR later confirmed that the number placement was official, according to Bob Pockrass.
NASCAR confirms number will be move forward next season as shown in the Kurt Busch video.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 27, 2021
The change ended longtime speculation about the door number placement. NASCAR first experimented with changing the location of the numbers last year in its All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, with the number moved backward rather than forward.
Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.