Here’s one of the strangest NASCAR stats you’ll ever hear. Jim Hensley won the pole for the 1989 Goodies 500… but officially never raced a single mile in the Cup Series that season. How is that even possible?

• Did his car blow up on the pace lap? Nope.
• Did he crash in qualifying and somehow still keep the pole? Not even close.
• Did he actually drive the car that day? Oh yes, and it was Dale Earnhardt’s famous No. 3.
• And did The Intimidator just watch his car qualify without ever touching the wheel? You bet he did.

It all happened thanks to Hurricane Hugo. Dale Earnhardt couldn’t get to the track in time, so Richard Childress tapped Hensley, already on-site for the Busch Series, to step in for qualifying. Hensley delivered in the clutch and put the black No. 3 on the pole… while Earnhardt finally arrived just in time to watch. Come race day, they swapped back. Hensley never turned a lap in competition, but in the record books, he’s listed as the pole winner. A pole. A ghost drive. A Hall of Famer’s car. All part of one bizarre moment in NASCAR history, tap the video to learn more about it. What’s the weirdest stat or story you’ve ever seen in racing? Tell us in the comments section.

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