Should NASCAR move the numbers back for good?

 

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

    In the 2020 All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR made the decision to slide the numbers on the side the cars, moving them back towards the rear wheels. While some fans didn't question this move, others were (and still are) angry with NASCAR. Last summer, I originally thought this would be a one and done deal, but over the past several months I’ve come to learn, that might not be the case. The NEXT GEN car makes its debut in 2022, and earlier this year, NASCAR showed even more intent to move the numbers back when they wrapped a prototype of the NEXT GEN car with the No. 22 on it to mark the release date.

“It belongs in a museum” - Henry Jones Jr pic.twitter.com/sq8TV9BJbt

— Josh Hamilton (@joshahamilton) January 22, 2021

As you can see in the social media post above, they pushed that number right off the door panel, and towards the rear wheel well. The number also appears to be smaller, likely to better fit the space. 

There are multiple pros and cons with the movement of the numbers. Let’s look into the most significant aspects of this topic:

Pros of moving the numbers backwards:

• Sponsorship: Sponsorship is scarce right now, but moving the numbers backwards make more room for sponsorship on the cars. More sponsorship means more money for the team. NASCAR will eventually receive some of that money, due to penalty and fines they often serve the race teams. This sounds very beneficial to the sport, and many underfunded race teams, but it’s important to question: Will sponsors take advantage of this extra advertising space?

Cons of moving the numbers back:

• Possible smaller numbers: Some of the numbers, such as double digit numbers, would have to shrink to fit the cars better. In the 2020 All-Star race, the No. 48 had its side numbers shrunk to fit the sponsor logo on the side with it. While this definitely isn’t the end of the world, it’s a significant change, and would likely take some getting used to.
• Side panel looks messy: There were a few cars in the 2020 All-Star Race, who's side panel looked really messy. Kevin Harvick's No. 4, for example: 

  

  Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

  
  
• If you really look at the number itself, it sits too far up the side of the car, but that is not the only thing I am looking at. The background of an apple orchard blends in with the car color, so that doesn't have that much of an effect on the car. Busch should have went with the basket of apples or the can, not both. On certain cars, this placement on the number interfered with its visibility. Often times this was due to the body lines on the cars warping the image or number that was placed on top of it, for instance see Michael McDowell’s Loves Travel Stops paint scheme: 

  

  Front Row Motorsports 

I am not sure what your thoughts are on this topic, so please, let us know in the comments below!

If you have something for or against the movement of the numbers, again, let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear what you think! 

Your feedback helps Stock Car Media articles get better, not worse! We greatly appreciate your support!