Alex Bowman gets camo themed Mountain Dew scheme for Talladega

Alex Bowman‘s paint scheme for the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway may blend into its surroundings.

bowman-talladega-2Bowman, who will drive the No. 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the seventh time in 2016, will have a camouflage Mountain Dew paint scheme for the Oct. 23 race.

The scheme is called “Take it Outside.”

Bowman will be making his fifth Sprint Cup start at the 2.66-mile track. In his four starts, Bowman only finished once (16th) while crashing out of the other three.

The No. 88 team last won at Talladega in the 2015 spring race. It was Earnhardt’s first win at Talladega since 2004.

In his five starts in the No. 88 this season, Bowman has an average finish of 23.8 after recording his first DNF at Charlotte last weekend.

Matt DiBenedetto sponsored by NASCAR Heat Evolution at New Hampshire

BK Racing has announced Matt DiBenedetto will be sponsored by the new video game, “NASCAR Heat Evolution,” this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the New England 300.

DiBenedetto’s No. 83 Camry will be mostly black with the logos of the game that was released Sept. 13 for the Play Station 4, Xbox One and PC platforms.

The game is made by Dusenberry Martin Racing.

In the Challenge Mode of the game, you can try and recreate DiBenedetto’s sixth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last April.

The New England 300 is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Dakoda Armstrong to drive Davey Allison rookie paint scheme at Darlington

The No. 28 of Dakoda Armstrong will look like the first No. 28 that Davey Allison drove for the Sept. 3 Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway.

JGL Racing announced Wednesday its No. 28 WinField Toyota would have a paint scheme based on the one Allison drove in his rookie Sprint Cup season of 1987, which ended with the son of Bobby Allison winning Rookie of the Year honors.

Davey allison

Source: Talladega Superspeedway
That year Allison five won poles – including for the Southern 500 – and won two races, the first coming at his home track of Talladega Superspeedway.

“It is with great pleasure that we pay tribute to one of the legends of our sport,” said James Whitener, owner of JGL Racing in a press release. “We had so much success with our throwback scheme last year and we are looking for this year’s to be even better. I am a fan of this sport as well as a team owner and being able to run the 1987 Rookie of the Year paint scheme of Davey Allison is super special for all of us at JGL Racing. We look forward to representing Davey and his legacy in a first class and professional manner.”

Allison would win 19 Sprint Cup races in his career before dying from injuries sustained in a helicopter accident at Talladega on July 13, 1993. He finished third in the Sprint Cup standings in 1991 and 1992.

“Robbie, Krista and I are honored that Davey’s 1987 Rookie Paint Scheme will be a part of such a special weekend of throwbacks at Darlington,” stated Liz Allison, Davey Allison’s widow in a press release. “Having the No. 28 on the track in the Xfinity Series with JGL Racing and Dakoda behind the wheel means so much to our family. This paint scheme is what fans remember most of all of Davey’s cars. We are truly grateful to have Davey remembered in this way.”

The VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 will air on Sept. 3 on NBC.

Kasey Kahne takes after Terry Labonte for Southern 500 paint scheme

Kasey Kahne‘s Southern 500 paint scheme will be based on a car driven by former Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte early in his Hall of Fame career.

Kahne’s No. 5 LiftMaster Chevrolet will be patterned after the No. 44 car Labonte drove in 1982 when he drove for Billy Hagan and was one of five cars sponsored by J.D. Stacy. Labonte helped Kahne unveil the paint scheme at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kahne’s sponsor, LiftMaster, was founded in 1982.

Labonte won twice at Darlington in his Sprint Cup career, claiming both is first (1980) and last career wins (2003) at the “Track Too Tough To Tame.” Kahne has started from the pole four times and earned three top fives in his 13 Darlington starts.

“Darlington’s throwback weekend is one of the coolest programs any track does all year,” said Kahne in a press release. “I’m glad that LiftMaster is participating in the program to celebrate their start of the garage door opener business. I appreciate the opportunity to honor Terry Labonte with our throwback paint scheme at one of my favorite tracks.”

Kahne is the last Hendrick Motorsports driver to have their Southern 500 paint scheme announced following Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s, Chase Elliott’s and Jimmie Johnson’s.

The rest of the Southern 500 paint schemes will be on track on Sept. 4 on NBC.

Front Row Motorsports takes Chris Buescher back to 1981 for Southern 500

When Chris Buescher hits the track at Darlington Raceway – his favorite track – for the Sept. 4 Southern 500, his No. 34 Ford will pay tribute to his sponsor’s origins.

Buescher’s Love’s Travel Stops car will have a paint scheme inspired by the very first Love’s location, which opened in Amarillo, Texas, in 1981.

The No. 34 color scheme will be patterned after the fuel canopies and building facade of the location.

“The Darlington throwback weekend has become a pretty big deal, and it’s cool to have Love’s Travel Stops bring some of their history into the race weekend with their old colors,” said Buescher in a press release. “Darlington is my favorite track, and I can’t wait to get there and turn some laps in this special Love’s Ford Fusion.”

Buescher’s car announcement comes the day after the one for his teammate, Landon Cassill.

The rest of the throwback paint schemes for the Southern 500 can be seen on Sept. 4 on NBC.

Blake Koch gets his ‘dew’ on with Darrell Waltrip throwback scheme for Darington

On Tuesday, Blake Koch and Kaulig Racing became the latest Xfinity Series team show off their retro paint scheme for the Sept. 3 VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway, which will air on NBC.

Kock’s No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet will be a time capsule from the early 1980s as a tribute to the career of three-time Sprint Cup champion Darrell Waltrip.

Kaulig Racing revealed Koch’s paint scheme, based on Waltrip’s No. 11 Mountain Dew car that he ran in the 1981 and 1982 seasons when Waltrip won his first two titles.

MORE: Check out all of the Darlington throwback paint schemes

Twenty-four of Waltrip’s 84 career wins came with the white-and-green paint scheme, including the 1981 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 at Darlington.

Waltrip won at Darlington five times in his career.

“Running this paint scheme at Darlington is a huge honor for us at Kaulig Racing as well as those of us at LeafFilter,” said Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing in a press release. “Darrell Waltrip is a true icon in the sport of NASCAR, and his success in the Mountain Dew paint scheme makes it extremely recognizable to both those in the racing industry and fans new and old. In 2015, Darlington Raceway delivered on its first ‘throwback’ themed Labor Day weekend, and we’re excited to be apart of this year’s celebration that’s guaranteed to be even bigger.”

Koch is in his sixth season of Xfinity Series competition and is 12th in the point standings. In five starts at Darlington, Koch’s best finish is 18th in 2011.

“It is an awesome feeling to be apart of something as cool as the throwback weekend at Darlington,” Koch said in a press release. “It’s even cooler to be able to run a Darrell Waltrip paint scheme, a driver who is a legend in our sport. He had a ton of success during his career in the No. 11, hopefully we can continue that trend.”

Koch is not the only driver who will compete in an old Waltrip paint scheme at Darlington. For the Sept. 4 Southern 500, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will use the paint scheme Waltrip had for his first Sprint Cup win.

Tony Stewart teams with Coca-Cola for Bobby Allison tribute in final Southern 500

Tony Stewart‘s last shot at conquering the Southern 500 will be a tribute to a driver and paint scheme combination that did it twice.

Stewart, who retires from Sprint Cup competition after this season, will make his final start at Darlington Raceway in a Coca-Cola sponsored homage to Bobby Allison’s Southern 500 winning cars from 1971 and 1972.

The car was unveiled Wednesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, which Allison was inducted into in 2011. Stewart has been sponsored by Coca-Cola his entire

Sprint Cup career, which began in 1999.

“Tony Stewart is a real racer who would’ve fit right in during the time I raced in NASCAR,” Allison said in a press release. “He’s a perfect fit for this Coca-Cola Chevy. I know what car I’ll be watching in the Southern 500.”

The paint scheme on the No. 14 will include Coke’s slogan from the 70s – “The Real Thing” – and gold wheels and cubic-inch displacement boast on the hood, just like Allison’s car did.

Darlington is one of two tracks Stewart has not won at in Sprint Cup competition. The other is Kentucky Speedway.

In 23 Sprint Cup starts, Stewart has never led more than 10 laps at Darlington. Allson led 558 of the 734 laps available (76 percent) in the 1971 and 72′ Southern 500s. The 1983 Sprint Cup champion won at Darlington five times. Stewart has finished third in the Southern 500 twice.

“Races at Darlington have been pretty tough for me,” Stewart said in a press release. “We’ve had some decent runs there, but it just seems like you really have to put everything together the whole day. If you can say you won a race at Darlington – that’s a feather in your cap because you conquered something that’s very hard to obtain. That’s something to be proud of, knowing that you’re in a group of drivers with names like Allison and Pearson and Petty –the pioneers of our sport.”

Stewart’s final Southern 500 can be seen on Sept. 4 on NBC.

Retro Rundown 2016: Throwback paint schemes for the Southern 500

It’s almost here. By almost, we mean less than two months.
That’s how long we have to wait for this year’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, which can be seen Sept. 4 on NBC. It’s also how long we have to wait to see the second batch of retro paint schemes dedicated to honoring the sport’s history after last season’s successful venture into nostalgia.
What makes it even better this time around is that the entire field will likely be in on the fun. Last season, Joe Gibbs Racing stood out as one of the few teams not to participate. The team has already announced paint schemes for Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.
Here’s a rundown of the retro paint schemes announced to date. Which is your favorite?
Brad Keselowski – The No. 2 Ford will feature the design of the original Miller Lite can that was produced before 1974.

Austin Dillon – Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet will bare the paint scheme driven by Ricky Rudd in 1983 when he earned Richard Childress Racing’s first Sprint Cup win at Riverside International Raceway.

Kevin Harvick – The No. 4 Chevrolet will look just like the Busch-sponsored car driven by Cale Yarborough during the 1979-1980 Sprint Cup seasons. Yarborough earned 10 of his 83 careers win during that span.


Trevor Bayne – No matter what anyone tells you, the 1990s were awesome and so were Mark Martin‘s paint schemes. For the second year in a row, Bayne’s No. 6 Ford will have a ’90s flavor to it. After bringing back memories of Martin’s career-best season in 1998 last year, Bayne’s car will have the paint scheme Martin used in the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

Regan Smith – The “Underbird” will fly again. Sort of. Smith’s No.7 Chevrolet, instead of a Ford Thunderbird, will have the paint scheme, sans Hooters sponsorship, that was driven by the late Alan Kulwicki. The paint scheme was on track for 59 Sprint Cup races, including his 1992 championship campaign.


Danica Patrick – Patrick’s sponsor, Nature’s Bakery, hasn’t been around very long. So there’s not a 20-year-old paint scheme for Stewart-Haas Racing to blow the dust off of. But Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet still has a late 70s/early 80s vibe to it.

Casey Mears – The No. 13 Geico Chevrolet will pay tribute to the career and legacy of Smokey Yunick. The paint scheme and number were used by drivers Mario Andretti and Curtis Turner in 1966 and 1967 when they raced for Yunick. Turner sat on the pole for the 1967 Daytona 500 with this paint scheme.


Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Darrell Waltrip won a lot of races in his Sprint Cup career, including five at Darlington. But the first of his 84 wins came in the No. 17 in 1975 at Nashville Speedway. The paint scheme Waltrip carried in that race will be resurrected by Stenhouse, 41 years later.

Kyle Busch – Just days after Matt Kenseth won at Dover International Speedway to give Joe Gibbs Racing its 135th Sprint Cup win (tying it for third all time with Roush Fenway Racing) the team showed off Busch’s paint scheme. The No. 18 will look like it did when it was driven by Dale Jarrett in 1993, the year he won JGR’s first Cup race in the Daytona 500.

Carl Edwards – The No. 19 Arris Toyota will have the paint scheme that was used by Tony Stewart when he drove the No. 20 Home Depot car for Joe Gibbs Racing from 1999-2008.

Joey Logano – The No. 22 Ford will pay tribute to the first paint scheme used on a car sponsored by Shell. The look was used by Bobby Labonte on his No. 44 Pontiac in the Xfinity Series in 1998. Labonte drove the car to a win at Darlington that season.

David Ragan – The No. 23 Toyota for BK Racing will be sponsored by Dr. Pepper and feature the soft drinks classic “I’m a Pepper” slogan.

Chase Elliott – The No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet will have a paint scheme inspired by the look of NAPA’s old delivery trucks from the 1960s. NAPA’s original colors were yellow and black before transitioning to yellow and blue.

Ryan Newman – Just like teammate Austin Dillon, Newman’s paint scheme will evoke RCR’s first win in 1983 with Ricky Rudd.

Jeffrey Earnhardt – The grandson of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. will drive a paint scheme based on the seven-time champion’s time being sponsored by Wrangler in the 1980s.


Kurt Busch – Last year, Busch’s No. 41 car used the paint scheme that was first used in the Sprint Cup Series by Gene Haas in 2002. This season, Busch’s car will honor the VF-1, the first CNC machine built by Haas Automation in 1988.

Aric Almirola – The No. 43 Ford will carry the colors used by Richard Petty when he won his sixth Daytona 500 in 1979.

AJ Allmendinger –  It’s a bit of a deep cut, but Allmendinger’s car is still a love letter to NASCAR history. The No. 47 will look just like it did in during the 1977 Sprint Cup Season when it was driven by 1975 Rookie of the Year Bruce Hill. The Kansas native never won a Sprint Cup race, but he earned one of his three career top-five finishes at Darlington Raceway in 1975.

Matt DiBenedetto – The No. 83 Toyota for BK Racing will be sponsored by Orange Crush and will have the soft drink’s 1970s design.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Earnhardt will drive his favorite paint scheme in the history of the sport. His No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet will look like the “Gray Ghost,” the car driven by Buddy Baker in 1979 and 1980.


Michael McDowell – The No. 95 team of Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing, which is part of a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, will honor Childress with a paint scheme based off a car he raced in the 1970s.

Michael McDowell’s Darlington paint scheme honors Richard Childress’ racing career

Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing, which is part of a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, will honor the owner of its partner team with a paint scheme in the Sept. 4 Southern 500 on NBC.
The No. 95
 
Thrivent Financial Chevrolet of Michael McDowell will bear a paint scheme similar to one used By Richard Childress during his time racing in the Sprint Cup Series. The car borrows from Childress’ No. 3 Captain Jack Chevrolet he drove throughout the 1970s.
“Darlington was one of the races that I attended years ago that spurred my passion for NASCAR,” said Bob Leavine, co-owner of Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing in a press release. “For our team to participate in the Throwback weekend for the first time is going to be really special. We’re proud to pay tribute to Richard Childress, a true NASCAR Hall of Famer, and honor his driving career with this special scheme.”
In his career Childress never recorded a win, but in 17 starts at Darlington Raceway he earned one top five in his 1973 rookie season.
MORE: 2016 Southern 500 throwback paint schemes 
 
“I loved Darlington, it was one of my favorite tracks,” Childress said in a press release. “It was really narrow back then had guard rails around it. I’ll never forget being there as a rookie and taking it all in.”
McDowell will be making his fifth Darlington start. In his first four attempts, McDowell only finished once, in 2008 when he finished 28th for Michael Waltrip Racing.
“The Darlington Throwback weekend is really cool,” said McDowell in a press release. “I love how we can all look back at our sport and remember the great stories and people who made it what it is today.”

FedEx reveals fan chosen paint scheme for Denny Hamlin at Sonoma

The people have spoken.

Last month, FedEx announced an online vote to determine Denny Hamlin‘s paint scheme for Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway. Fans were given three choices and the winning look was shown off today in San Francisco.

The vote was part of the sponsor’s “FedEx Cares” initiative. For each vote, FedEx would donate $1 – up to $55,000 — to the five charitable organizations that will be on Hamlin’s car: the USO, Safe Kids Worldwide, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, JA Worldwide and Urban League.

The winning car was “#FedExCares3” and was revealed in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

FedExVerified account‏@FedEx

Revealed! Fans voted & we're excited to unveil the #FedExCares @RaceSonoma paint scheme today in San Francisco!

 

Verified accountView image on Twitter

University of Michigan will ride with Dale Jr. at MIS in August

We’re only three days removed from a Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, but the next one is only two months away. We already know what car Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive in it.

On Tuesday, Earnhardt’s sponsor, Axalta, revealed his paint scheme for the Aug. 28 Pure Michigan 400. Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet will be covered in maize and blue as it will be co-sponsored by the University of Michigan.

If you squint it looks eerily similar to the classic Wrangler paint scheme Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove in the 1980s and that Earnhardt Jr. used twice in his Xfinity Series career.

Aric Almirola’s Darlington car honors Richard Petty’s 6th Daytona 500 win

The 1979 Daytona 500 is considered one of the most important events in the history of NASCAR.That race marked the first time the Daytona 500 was broadcast flag-to-flag on national TV. Sixteen million people tuned in to see Richard Petty win his sixth Daytona 500 after race leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed on the final lap.The win was also Petty’s first after going winless in 1978.Now the paint scheme that covered Petty’s 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass on that February afternoon will return on Aric Almirola‘s No. 43 Ford for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.“I’m excited to run the 1979 STP paint scheme this year at Darlington,” said Almirola in a press release. “We had a lot of fun with the throwback theme last year, and it should be fun to throwback again this year. It makes the race so special. There are so many great STP paint schemes over the years, which makes it special for our team to run throwbacks; 1979 was definitely a breakout season when it comes to catapulting the sport into the mainstream, so it’s cool to recognize that this year with our throwback scheme.”The paint scheme will have also be used to promote the Victory Junction camp.A dollar amount showing the amount of money raised by STP customers for Victory Junction will be featured on the rear quarter panel of the car. STP launched the “Giving Kids an Ultra Summer” program on June 1 and will donate $o.43 for every bottle of STP Ultra 5-in-1 Fuel System Cleaner sold through August 31.The Southern 500 is scheduled for Sept. 4 on NBC.

Chase Elliott’s Darlington paint scheme is a blast from NAPA’s past

Chase Elliott‘s paint scheme for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is now here for us all to enjoy.Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet will be sponsored by NAPA for the Sept. 4 race. Instead of the familiar blue and yellow, the car will be black and yellow, based on how NAPA’s delivery trucks looked in the 1960s.Last year, Elliott’s Southern 500 paint scheme was a subtle tribute to the one used by his father, Bill Elliott, in 1985.

Winning paint scheme design for Kasey Kahne’s Coke Zero 400 car

Last week Kasey Kahne and Great Clips held a vote for fans to choose what paint scheme the Hendrick Motorsports’ driver would have for the Coke Zero 400 in July at Daytona International Speedway.

The vote was among four designs created by patients at the Seattle Children’s Hospital as part of its “Strong Against Cancer” program.

Kahne later revealed the winner of the contest, which was designed by an 8-year-old named Noelia from White Center, a suburb of Seattle. The paint scheme can be seen on July 2 on NBC.

Below is how the car will look in the race and the original design.

Brendan Gaughan honors father’s racing career with Darlington paint scheme

The new use of throwback paint schemes at Darlington Raceway isn’t exclusive to the Sprint Cup Series. Last year, a handful of Xfinity Series teams also paid tribute to the history of NASCAR or their sponsor.Among them was Brendan Gaughan, who will once again have a retro paint scheme for this year’s VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200.MORE: Brendan Gaughan and the “Vegas Rules” that made him who he isGaughan revealed on social media how his No. 62 Chevrolet will look for the Sept. 3 race. The car will pay tribute to the off-road racing career of his father, Michael Gaughan.

NASCAR America: Trevor Bayne reveals throwback car for Darlington Raceway

Trevor Bayne will be using a paint scheme that Mark Martin made famous with Roush Fenway Racing in 1996 and 1997, recording four wins during in that time. Furthermore, that’s also when Trevor Bayne started his racing career.

Mark Martin was honored with two different paint schemes in the Southern 500 last year. Bayne drove the paint scheme Martins used in 1998 and Sam Hornish Jr.‘s was inspired by Martin’s iconic Winn-Dixie paint scheme in the Xfinity Series.