36 days until the Daytona 500: The not-so-sweet history of the No. 36

By Tom Jensen
Published

With just 36 days until the 2017 Daytona 500 takes place (Feb. 26, 2 p.m. ET, FOX), we figured it would be a good time to check in on the history of the No. 36 in what this year will be called the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

And the results, frankly, were shocking: In 711 Premier Series races dating back from the very first NASCAR Strictly Stock race in Charlotte on June 19, 1949, through the end of the 2014 season, the No. 36 hasn’t won a single race.

None.

Nada.

Zip.

Zilch.

But despite that less-than-stellar track record, the No. 36 in NASCAR has a special place in the hearts of chocolate lovers: Starting in 1999, the No. 36 MB2 Motorsports Pontiac driven by Ernie Irvan carried primary sponsorship from M&M’s.

And there is a Daytona connection: Before joining MB2, Irvan won the 1991 Daytona 500 and the 1992 July Daytona race, both times driving Chevrolets for Morgan McClure Motorsports.

M&M’s, of course, went on to parlay their sponsorship to one of the biggest success stories in NASCAR history, culminating with Kyle Busch winning the 2015 Cup title.