The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season was the first season without a No. 88 car since 1993. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired after the 2017 season, Hendrick Motorsports still used the No. 88 for his replacement, Alex Bowman.
But when Jimmie Johnson retired after the 2020 season, Rick Hendrick's team moved Bowman to Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet, and Johnson's actual replacement, Kyle Larson, was given the No. 5, which the team hadn't used since Kasey Kahne ran it in 2017. William Byron replaced Kahne in 2018, but he was given Chase Elliott's No. 24, as Elliott took the No. 9.
From 2021 to 2024, the No. 88 did not make an appearance at the Cup level, but Trackhouse Racing changed that when they purchased a third charter and added a car for three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, who had become the first driver to win on Cup debut in six decades when he won the inaugural race on the Chicago Street Course in 2023.
As a full-time Cup rookie, Van Gisbergen won five races behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet in 2025, all on road or street courses.
But SVG will not be back behind the wheel of the No. 88 car in 2026.
As expected, Connor Zilisch is set to replace Daniel Suarez at the Justin Marks-owned team, but he will not use the No. 99 that Suarez used from 2021 to 2025. Instead, he is set to use the No. 88, which he used during his 10-win Xfinity Series season with JR Motorsports this past year.
The team will not use the No. 99, which they had used since entering the sport as a one-car team in 2021, and van Gisbergen is instead set to use the No. 97, which he used in both Supercars and during his rookie Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing in 2024.
It marks the first time since 2007 that a driver used the No. 88 for just one season. In 2007, which was Ricky Rudd's final season, he drove the No. 88 Ford for Yates Racing, though he did miss five races late in the year. From 2008 to 2020, the number was used exclusively by Hendrick Motorsports.
The No. 88 car has 81 victories in Cup Series competition, good for 11th on the all-time list. Dale Jarrett and Darrell Waltrip lead the way with 28 and 26 wins, respectively. Van Gisbergen's five wins in a single season were enough to elevate him to fifth in the history of the car number.
With Zilisch set to use the No. 88 and van Gisbergen set to use the No. 97, the only thing not set to change in Trackhouse Racing's driver lineup for 2026 is the fact that Ross Chastain is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 1 Chevrolet for a fifth year.
Fox is set to provide live coverage of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 15.