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Darlington Raceway in South Carolina is one of the most historic tracks in the sport and its egg-shaped design makes for a unique look. Since 2015, NASCAR has held an annual “throwback weekend” at Darlington, where drivers and teams use old-school paint jobs to honor some of the most legendary drivers in history and their cars.
The results never disappoint and this year’s schemes are no exception. Here are some highlights:
Bubba Wallace
NASCAR’s only active black driver is paying tribute to the first black driver to win in what is now the Cup Series.
This Sunday, we honor Wendell Scott because progress started here. @bubbawallace @root_insurance @WendellScott_34 pic.twitter.com/v4JYdW9FxE
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) May 4, 2021
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Earnhardt will honor Dale Sr., his grandfather, with an awesome patriotic look.
'@JEarnhardt1 will honor his grandfather, Dale Earnhardt, at @TooToughToTame.
His paint scheme resembles the car Dale drove in the 1996 All-Star Race, promoting the Olympics in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/0lz39J1KW1
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) April 21, 2021
Joe Graf Jr.
This is the most out-there and probably the most awesome. Graf is taking a different approach and threw it “Back to the Future.”
https://twitter.com/SSGLR0717/status/1389958784294998021?s=20
Chase Briscoe
The No. 14 car will rep AJ Foyt, the best driver to every run that number.
This number carries the weight of legends. @ChaseBriscoe_14's AJ Foyt throwback dips deep into the history of our iconic number, paying homage to the heroes that drove it before him. #NASCARThrowback pic.twitter.com/qGUDnzrpCn
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) May 4, 2021
Tyler Reddick
One of the more unique designs, Reddick is going to support some country music greats.
Excited to be on the @tylerreddick No. 8 hood for @tootoughtotame #nascarthrowback race honoring country music legend & @nascar driver Marty Robbins. The paint scheme was inspired by Marty’s 1972/1973 iconic pink and yellow machine. Tune-in Sunday! #Goodyear400 @RCRracing pic.twitter.com/GsSydv3Ipc
— Joe Nichols (@JoeNichols) May 6, 2021
Cole Custer
On Mother’s Day weekend, Custer’s car will pay tribute to the mother of car owner Gene Haas.
This one's for you, Margaret Haas. pic.twitter.com/We6IMgvC74
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) May 3, 2021
Erik Jones
Jones will sport the colors that John Andretti, who passed away from cancer in January 2020, drove to a win at Martinsville in 199.
A special throwback to commemorate a special win, this one's for John 💙
Here's @Erik_Jones' No. 43 @OriginalSTP Chevy for @TooToughToTame, a tribute to John Andretti's race-winning ride at Martinsville in 1999! #CheckIt4Andretti | #NASCARThrowback | #RPMotorsports pic.twitter.com/KjApHCE3yX
— LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (@LEGACYMotorClub) May 3, 2021
Ryan Blaney
Blaney is throwing it back to… himself? His scheme is inspired by a care he drove when he was 16.
This scheme brings back some memories for me and dad. Not the flashiest thing out there but that’s how I like it. @AdvanceAuto @TooToughToTame pic.twitter.com/ST6ye7yG9w
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) April 29, 2021
William Byron
Byron’s repping “Alabama Gang” member Neil Bonnett.
What a throwback.@WilliamByron is honoring Neil Bonnett – who would have turned 75 this year – with this @Valvoline paint scheme at @TooToughToTame. #NASCARThrowback pic.twitter.com/bigMDPexIo
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) April 27, 2021
Michael Annett
This is one of the best. Annett is sporting Darrell Waltrip’s iconic Gatorade scheme in the Xfinity Series.
Thirsty for a fresh @TooToughToTame throwback paint scheme? @gatorade and @pilotflyingj have you covered with @michaelannett’s tribute to @allwaltrip’s 1979 original. pic.twitter.com/c4bYvU06vK
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) April 27, 2021
Michael McDowell
After winning this year’s Daytona 500, McDowell is donning Bill Elliott’s 1984 scheme from when he won the Daytona 500.
This weekend at @TooToughToTame, @Mc_Driver, @fr8auctions and @brave_wyatt will give a nod to Bill Elliot’s 1985 #Daytona500 winning livery on the No. 34 Ford Mustang! pic.twitter.com/SeABcxepIv
— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) May 3, 2021
Josh Berry
Berry is throwing it back to the other Dale Earnhardt— junior. This one is pretty special. Earnhardt Jr. sported this pain job during the 2001 Pepsi 400, where he won in his first return to Daytona since losing his father on the same track.
NEWS: @joshberry and @tirepros to carry special @DaleJr throwback colors on the No. 8 Chevrolet @TooToughToTame. pic.twitter.com/E9DEHECRPk
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) March 23, 2021
Brandon Brown
What can Brown do for you? Get it?
https://twitter.com/BMSRaceTeam/status/1389565706560282624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Riley Herbst
Tony Stewart owns this car, and it will don the scheme he drove to win the 1999 Rookie of the Year Award in the Cup Series.
https://twitter.com/StewartHaasRcng/status/1387824824949657605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Here are some other highlights of the weekend:
In commemoration of John Andretti, we've designed and sponsored a replica of his Ford Thunderbird RCA paint scheme in the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR at Darlington Raceway May 7-9. 🏎️💨 It's a replica of the paint scheme of the RCA car he raced in the 1990s. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/BYHwmjDrdU
— StarCom Racing (@StarcomRacing) May 3, 2021
𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗.
𝚆𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝙽𝙲!
𝚁𝙲𝚁 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 #𝙽𝙰𝚂𝙲𝙰𝚁𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜… pic.twitter.com/FYUUoyDbGT
— RCR (@RCRracing) May 4, 2021
As a fellow Australian, I am proud to bring back Dick Johnson’s NASCAR scheme from 1989-‘90 at Darlington.
I grew up watching Dick racing his iconic #17 car during his illustrious career in V8 Supercars. Today my cousin, @will_davison, races the #17 car for Dick Johnson Racing. pic.twitter.com/azwvSaVTE6
— J. Davison (@_J_Davison) April 30, 2021
A lot of guys on our team and I have some great memories with matte black cars, so we’re taking that and putting an @AutoOwnersIns spin on it for @TooToughToTame this year. #NASCARThrowback pic.twitter.com/wtdAxZbn3v
— Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruex_Jr) April 27, 2021
Talk about a complete surprise tonight on #NASCAR #RaceHub! Pumped to run this @MarioAndretti inspired @shellracingus Mustang at @TooToughToTame on May 9th!#NASCARThrowback | @FordPerformance pic.twitter.com/ijtlBKxXCW
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) April 8, 2021
.@anthonyalfredo’s No. 38 Ford Mustang will pay tribute to Alan Kulwicki’s 1985 Hardee’s paint scheme this weekend at @TooToughToTame!@fr8auctions @brave_wyatt#FRMWeCare pic.twitter.com/GDcOFxAqDE
— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) May 3, 2021
.@StenhouseJr will mix old and new school @TooToughToTame next week with the @kroger @tide ride that gives a nod to @RickyCraven32! #NASCARThrowback pic.twitter.com/uSEjMi2D3p
— JTG Daugherty Racing (@JTGRacing) April 29, 2021
Throwback paint schemes in today's Xfinity Series race paying homage to Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty and Mark Martin. pic.twitter.com/cCHQM8Kxvf
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) May 8, 2021