The 1998 running of The Winston had Earnhardt in a gold colored Bass Pro Shops car, Mark Martin in a special Synpower Roush Racing ride, Geoff Bodine in a special Philips Ford, and Jeff Gordon in the ChromaLusion DuPont Chevy. Then it seemed like everyone was running special paint schemes in various races going forward.
Bill Elliott ran his Mac Tonight Ford in several races during the 1997 season. More special schemes were introduced throughout other races on the schedule.
Ernie Irvan ran a throwback Texaco scheme in the event as well. Jeff Gordon introduced the world to the Jurassic Park scheme in the same event and smoked the field en route to the win with the now infamous T-Rex car. Earnhardt ran a colorful orange Wheaties scheme in the 1997 running of The Winston. By 1997, there were special schemes popping up all over the place.
He ran a scheme paying tribute to the Olympic games that were coming to Atlanta in the summer. In 1996, Earnhardt once again ran a special paint scheme in the Winston Select. Of course, special t-shirts, diecasts, and collector cards were made utilizing this paint scheme and a whole new revenue source had been tapped. But, by and large, the introduction of “special” paint schemes started with the 1995 Winston Select and Dale Earnhardt’s “Silverwrench” paint scheme. Harry Gant also ran a special scheme in the 1994 Hooters 500 at Atlanta in his final race which was based on his 1981 Skoal Bandit paint scheme.
Those drivers were Alan Kulwicki (Army), Greg Sacks (Navy), Mickey Gibbs (Air Force), Dave Marcis (Coast Guard), and Buddy Baker (Marines). Reynolds promotion, five unsponsored drivers had paint schemes that paid tribute to the branches of the United States Armed Forces serving in Operation Desert Storm. During the 1991 Daytona 500, as a part of an R.J.
Now, before I get ahead of myself, I do realize there were a smattering of what one might consider special paint jobs in NASCAR before 1995. This started a trend of special paint schemes at the All-Star Race which led to special schemes year-round throughout the NASCAR garage. Reynolds Tobacco’s 25th year, or silver anniversary, in NASCAR racing. RCR announced they would run a special silver scheme to honor R.J. Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt announced a special one-race paint scheme for the Winston Select, the name of the All-Star Race at the time. 99 is based off Earnhardt Sr.'s car.Let’s get in the wayback machine and head to 1995. 1 is based off the car driven by Earnhardt Jr., while Daniel Suarez's No. when the two raced against each other for the first time in a 1998 exhibition race in Japan. Trackhouse Racing's throwbacks are based on the Coca-Cola paint schemes driven by Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Here is a complete look at all of the throwback paint schemes that will be run in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Darlington:
Whatever way drivers and teams choose to honor the past - a notable scheme in team history, a nod to racers who have come before them, or a near and dear car from their own lives as racers - Throwback Weekend has quickly become one of the most anticipated of the entire NASCAR season and a favorite among fans and competitors alike. And every year since 2015, Darlington has been the site of an annual full-speed celebration of the sport's history: Throwback Weekend.įor Sunday at Darlington, race teams all across the garage area have opened the vault and gone back in time to choose a special throwback paint scheme for the Goodyear 400. As NASCAR's original speedway and the site of the annual Southern 500, Darlington Raceway is central to the history and tradition of stock car racing.