The team was established in 1973 with Donnie Allison as its first driver. After failing to qualify for the 1973 Daytona 500, DiGard made its debut at the 1973 Richmond 500. Allison held an ownership stake in the team and led 41 laps of the 1974 Daytona 500 before a backmarker's blown engine destroyed both front tires in the closing stages. By mid-1975 the partnership had broken down and Darrell Waltrip was hired to replace Allison.
Waltrip drove the team's final races of 1975 and recorded its first victory at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in October of that year. Gatorade joined as title sponsor for 1976, decorating the No. 88 Chevrolet. After a mixed opening Gatorade season, the team relocated its operations from Daytona to Charlotte, gaining closer access to parts suppliers.
The move paid immediate dividends. Waltrip won six races in 1977, including victories at the Rebel 500 and the Winston 500 on superspeedways, and added six more wins in 1978. Engine builder Robert Yates — who would later found the championship-winning Robert Yates Racing — joined in August 1976 and became a cornerstone of the team's technical strength for nearly a decade.
Waltrip nearly won the 1979 championship, finishing second to Richard Petty by eleven points after leading the standings for much of the season. The narrow defeat deepened a simmering tension between Waltrip and the team's ownership. Despite public disputes and attempts to leave for other teams — including an abortive deal with Roger Penske — Waltrip re-signed with DiGard before 1979. The acrimony continued through 1980, with Waltrip publicly comparing his situation to that of Iranian hostages and the team alleging that he deliberately overdrove engines. Waltrip ultimately bought out his own contract to join Junior Johnson's operation.
Ricky Rudd drove the No. 88 in 1981, posting fourteen top-five finishes without a win. Bobby Allison — ironically the brother of DiGard's original driver Donnie Allison — joined for 1982. He delivered eight victories and finished runner-up to Waltrip (now at Junior Johnson) in the championship.
For 1983 the team reorganised around Miller High Life beer sponsorship, renumbering the primary car to 22. Allison drove the No. 22 Miller car to six wins and the 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup championship — the only title in DiGard's history, and Allison's first and only Cup championship. The Gatorade sponsorship and the 88 number moved to Geoff Bodine's Pontiac under Cliff Stewart.
Financial problems had shadowed the team through its championship years. Allison won twice in 1984 but the team's infrastructure was fraying. A contractual dispute over engine supply with the Richard Petty-affiliated Curb Racing strained resources further.
The decisive blow came at the 1985 Firecracker 400 at Daytona, where DiGard entered a second, unsponsored Research and Development car numbered 10 with Greg Sacks driving. Sacks won the race unexpectedly. Allegations emerged that the car had passed inspection with an oversized engine, though NASCAR found nothing in post-race scrutiny and the result stood. Allison, reportedly angered that team resources were being diverted, exercised a contract clause that entitled him to leave if a second car was entered. He departed, taking the Miller sponsorship to Stavola Brothers Racing.
Robert Yates left the team before the 1986 Daytona 500. DiGard ran a diminishing schedule through 1986 and 1987 with a succession of drivers before making its final Winston Cup start with Rodney Combs early in 1987. Bob Whitcomb of Keene, New Hampshire subsequently purchased the team's assets and points and renamed the operation Bob Whitcomb Racing.
DiGard's decade of prominence shaped NASCAR's competitive landscape during one of the sport's most intensely contested eras. The team produced seventeen seasons of results anchored by major sponsorships, produced multiple future team owners and crew chiefs among its alumni — most notably Robert Yates and Robin Pemberton — and won one of the most closely contested championships in Winston Cup history in 1983.