63 days until Daytona: The near tragic history of the No. 63
We’re down to 63 days until the 2017 Daytona 500, Feb. 26 on FOX and what’s a better Christmas present than some obscure NASCAR history about the No. 63 in the sport.
You’re probably racking your brain to think of who is the most famous driver to get behind the wheel of the No. 63 car, the answer is…nobody.
There have been 46 different drivers of the No. 63 in NASCAR but none of them ever won a race and nobody ever completed a full season driving the car number.
Jocko Maggiacomo appeared in the car the most and that was still barely half of a current NASCAR season at 22 races. As a self-owner, Maggiacomo only appeared in races in the Northeast near his home, so those races were spread over 10 seasons between 1977 to 1988.
The Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-native is infamously remembered as the driver who was involved in Bobby Allison’s career-ending crash at Pocono Raceway in 1988.
On the first lap of the event, Allison spun into the wall and Maggiacomo couldn’t avoid him, t-boning Allison’s car, causing extensive injuries to the 1983 Premier Series champion.
Allison was initially declared dead at a local Pennsylvania hospital but medical procedures saved his life and revived him from a vegetative state after six weeks. The accident and injury forced him to end his racing career.
Maggiacomo appeared in one more race after the incident at Pocono, racing at Watkins Glen International a few weeks later, then decided to end his career due to PTSD and guilt from the incident with Allison.
Unfortunately for the No. 63 car, it’s most memorable moment came from near tragic circumstances that almost cost Allison his life.
Maybe that’s why the car hasn’t appeared in a Cup Series race since Dick Trickle drove it to a last place finish for Schnell Motorsports in the 1996 Daytona 500.
On a more positive note, since it's the holidays, Bobby Allison recently turned 79 and was recently spotted hanging out with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Talladega a few months ago, and Maggiacomo turned 69 a few days before Allison's birthday.
