Numbers carry a lot of sentimental weight in sports, but it’s rare for that attachment to turn into an actual legal fight. That’s essentially what happened with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. The 2023 Heisman winner sent LSU a cease-and-desist letter over his old No. 5 which had been reassigned to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett. Daniels said he felt ‘profoundly disrespected’ by the decision. The story spread quickly, with fans and analysts split on whether Daniels had a legitimate grievance or was overreacting. Now NASCAR’s very own Tricon Garage dropped a rather interesting take on the situation.

Regardless of whether college programs owe former players loyalty, a NASCAR team saw an easy opening for a joke. TRICON Garage, known for having one of the sharper social media accounts in the garage, jumped on Daniels’ story ahead of their race under the lights at Richmond Raceway.

The team posted a mock statement on X (formerly Twitter) that got fans talking right away: “Out of respect for Jayden Daniels, Corey Heim will no longer be running the No. 5 tonight at Richmond Raceway.”

Tricon backed it up with a photo of their truck wearing a #4 decal instead of Heim’s usual #5. The joke: #4 truck in the series doesn’t actually belong to TRICON. It’s owned and run by Niece Motorsports, a completely separate team. Nobody at TRICON has any real claim to that number, but Tricon saw an opportunity to make the most of the situation.

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Jayden Daniels won the Heisman trophy in 2023 wearing No. 5 and became one of the biggest names to come through LSU’s program. LSU’s policy requires a five-year waiting period before a jersey number can be officially retired. So on paper, the school was within its rights to hand the number to someone else. Still, Daniels’ camp apparently expected the number would stay out of circulation, even without a formal agreement in writing.

Tricon Garage wasn’t in the act, as NASCAR fans also started to chip in with their witty replies and comments

As Tricon’s joke spread on social media, NASCAR fans wasted no time in taking shots at the NFL star. Taking to Reddit, one fan wrote, “You forgot to add a more important context that Jayden Daniel’s doesn’t want his teammates to high 5 him, it needs to be a high 4 because he feels it is infringement on his name and likeness to high 5.”

Another user was quick to point out Kyle Larson using the #5 in the Cup Series, stating how it was only a matter of time before HMS dropped the number from its roster, “Just waiting on the Hendrick announcement that effective immediately, the 5 will be retired in honor of Jayden and Larson will now be running #69 /s”.

One fan even went so far as to question Daniels’ right over the #5, citing it already belonged to NASCAR Icon Terry Labonte, “Well, why did Daniels think he could wear it in the first place? Terry Labonte and Kyle Larson won NASCAR titles with the 5, so if anything Daniels should show some respect and not wear the number at all”. Some users just joined in for the fun. “So they’re just trolling the dude? Beautiful.”

In NASCAR, car numbers work nothing like retired jerseys. They get leased, traded, and reused across different teams and drivers constantly. So the idea of a driver holding permanent legal rights to a single digit doesn’t really translate to how the sport works. And that gap is what made TRICON’s joke land so well with fans.