The 37-year-old's off-season move from the Blanchard Racing Team to PremiAir Racing has opened the door for him to choose his own number for the upcoming campaign.
He has decided to revive the #23 that he used during a breakthrough Super2 season back in 2008.
That season Slade drove for his own SladeSpeed outfit, scoring a win and finishing seventh in the final standings.
That earned him a full-time, main game debut with Paul Morris Motorsport the following year.
“My first racing number in karts was the #24, which I used for the first half of my karting career,” explained Slade.
“When I moved into the top junior class that number was already taken, so I dropped the four and from then on, I used #2.
“The next time in my career I had the opportunity to pick my own number was in 2008 with SladeSpeed, but again the #24 was already taken and so was #2, so I chose the #23 as it is obviously close to #24.
“I also generally just liked the number, having been a bit of an NBA fan as a kid with Michael Jordan and also the cricket with Shane Warne, who both carried the #23 in their careers.
“Racing in 2008 using the #23 with SladeSpeed was a special year, due to the way we went about it, and that made my first race and round win in Supercars that year feel even better.
“It was a massive effort from my whole family along with my long-time supporter James Rosenberg, and I guess you could say that campaign really helped to create the opportunity for my start in the main Supercars category.
“With the history behind it, I really want to say thank you to [PremiAir Racing owner] Peter [Xiberras] for allowing me to choose my own number upon joining his team – it is really nice to have a bit more of a personal feel to it all.
“I am greatly looking forward to this new era in my Supercars main game career with PremiAir Racing and to be carrying #23 as I make my 400th Supercars race start in Newcastle – I can’t wait to get into it.”
Slade will be partnered with James Golding at PremiAir Racing for the 2023 season, which kicks off with the Newcastle 500 on March 10-12.
