Every 2025 NASCAR Cup Darlington Throwback Scheme Unveiled (So Far)
- #2 Austin Cindric - Dale Earnhardt 1980 Throwback
- #4 Noah Gragson - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1996 Throwback
- #5 Kyle Larson – Terry Labonte 2003 Throwback
- #9 Chase Elliott – Ken Schrader 1994 Throwback
- #10 Ty Dillon – Patty Moise 1989 Throwback
- #11 Denny Hamlin – Carl Edwards 2000s Throwback
- #12 Ryan Blaney – Dave Blaney 2006 Throwback
- #20 Christopher Bell – Rick Ferkel Throwback
- #21 Josh Berry – Jim Clark 1965 Throwback
- #22 Joey Logano – Cale Yarborough 1976 Throwback
- #24 William Byron – Jeff Gordon 2015 Throwback
- #34 Todd Gilliland - Ray Fox Throwback
- #41 Cole Custer – Jimmy Spencer 20002 Throwback
- #42 John Hunter Nemechek – Joe Nemechek 1998 Throwback
- #43 Erik Jones – John Andretti 1998 Throwback
- #48 Alex Bowman – Jimmie Johnson 2012 Throwback
- #51 Cody Ware – Ward Burton 1999 Throwback
#2 Austin Cindric - Dale Earnhardt 1980 Throwback
Austin Cindric and Team Penske will pay homage to seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, with a blue and yellow paint scheme reminiscent of the No. 2 that Earnhardt ran for Rod Osterlund during the 1979 and 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series campaigns.
#4 Noah Gragson - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1996 Throwback
Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports will be paying tribute to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Darlington Raceway this weekend, running a paint scheme resembling Earnhardt’s first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 1996, driving the No. 31 Mon ‘N’ Pop’s Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Earnhardt started seventh and finished 14th in his first career start in the second-tier series at Myrtle Beach.
#5 Kyle Larson – Terry Labonte 2003 Throwback
Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports will honor the legacy of the No. 5 in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Darlington, throwing it back to Terry Labonte and the Kellogg’s / Frosted Flakes Chevrolet that the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion drove in 2003.
The paint scheme will specifically honor the 2003 Southern 500, the last NASCAR Cup Series victory for Terry Labonte. The 2003 campaign marked the 17th time that the Corpus Christi, Texas-native finished top-10 in final point standings.
#9 Chase Elliott – Ken Schrader 1994 Throwback
Chase Elliott will pilot a paint scheme, which is inspired by Ken Schrader's 1994 No. 25 Kodiak Chevrolet in this weekend's Goodyear 400. While it's not an exact replica, if you squint really hard, you can see where they were going with it.
Schrader captured his career-best ranking in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings in 1994 as he finished the season fourth in the championship standings. Schrader, a four-time race winner, didn't win any races that season, but he was ultra-consistent as he racked up nine top-five finishes and 18 top-10s.
#10 Ty Dillon – Patty Moise 1989 Throwback
Ty Dillon will throw it back to the 1989 season as he pays tribute to Patty Moise with the Beaver Street Fisheries paint scheme that the female trailblazer sat on the pole in the ARCA Series event at Daytona International Speedway.
Moise led 33 laps from the pole, but suffered a flat tire two laps short of the finish, and came home 19th. Moise would go on to compete in 133 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and five NASCAR Cup Series races.
#11 Denny Hamlin – Carl Edwards 2000s Throwback
Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team, who are coming off of a win in last weekend's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, will throw it back to NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards this weekend in Darlington.
Hamlin will pilot the red, black, and white paint scheme that Edwards piloted when he was sponsored by Office Depot during his tenure at RFK Racing.
#12 Ryan Blaney – Dave Blaney 2006 Throwback
Ryan Blaney will utilize a similar paint scheme that his father Dave Blaney scored a NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2006. The car has the same number font that was used by the Braun Racing team in those days, the only difference is that the younger Blaney's car features Dutch Boy blue instead of the Hass Avocados from Mexico green that was used by Dave Blaney.
#20 Christopher Bell – Rick Ferkel Throwback
Christopher Bell, who rose to the NASCAR Cup Series ranks after showcasing his skills on dirt tracks across the country, will throw it back to his roots. Rick Ferkel, who was Bell's mentor on the dirt, will be honored this weekend as Bell utilizes the paint scheme that was on Merkel's No. 0 Sprint Car in the World of Outlaws.
#21 Josh Berry – Jim Clark 1965 Throwback
Josh Berry and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team will run a throwback scheme that honors Jim Clark's 1965 Indianapolis 500 victory. Clark drove the No. 82 Lotus Powered by Ford entry in the Indianapolis 500 that season, and the driver led 189 of the 200 laps on his path to victory in the Indy 500.
Clark amassed 25 grand prix wins in Formula One competition in 72 career starts, and he captured the 1963 and 1965 F1 World Championships.
#22 Joey Logano – Cale Yarborough 1976 Throwback
The legendary Cale Yarborough's three-consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championship streak began with a nine-win season in 1976. This weekend, Joey Logano and the No. 22 Team Penske group will throw it back to Yarborough's 1976 No. 11 Holly Farms paint scheme that he piloted for Junior Johnson and Associates.
#24 William Byron – Jeff Gordon 2015 Throwback
William Byron will pilot the paint scheme that was intended to be the final paint scheme that Jeff Gordon ever drove in the NASCAR Cup Series. Gordon piloted this special silver Axalta "Jeff's Last Ride" No. 24 machine in the final race of the 2015 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a race in which Gordon finished sixth.
Gordon would return in 2016 as he drove the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in eight races in relief of the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr.
#34 Todd Gilliland - Ray Fox Throwback
Ray Fox was a legendary car owner and engine builder in the NASCAR Cup Series. This weekend, Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team will pay tribute to Fox by running a special No. 34 car designed to look like the No. 3 entry that Fox fielded as a team owner.
Justin Fox, the No. 34 team's rear tire changer, is the great grandson of Ray Fox.
#41 Cole Custer – Jimmy Spencer 20002 Throwback
Cole Custer will pay tribute to Mr. Excitement Jimmy Spencer in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. The driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse will run the same paint scheme that Spencer utilized with Target sponsorship at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2002. Spencer had a best finish of second that season, which he achieved at Bristol Motor Speedway.
#42 John Hunter Nemechek – Joe Nemechek 1998 Throwback
John Hunter Nemechek will drive one of his father Joe Nemechek's classic paint schemes this weekend at Darlington. The scheme will throw it back to his father's black BellSouth paint scheme, which he piloted in the 1998 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500.
While the younger Nemechek's car has a bunch of green hues for his sponsor Dollar Tree, his dad's car had a rainbow of colors in that area.
#43 Erik Jones – John Andretti 1998 Throwback
Erik Jones will pilot a No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry this weekend which looks like a duplicate of John Andretti's 1998 No. 43 STP Pontiac. Andretti scored a season-best third-place finish in the car, which he achieved twice, on his way to an 11th-place ranking in the championship standings.
#48 Alex Bowman – Jimmie Johnson 2012 Throwback
Alex Bowman will throw it back to seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the former driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports this weekend. Bowman is taking us back to the 2012 season, and will run the scheme that Johnson picked up the 200th NASCAR Cup Series win for Hendrick Motorsports at Darlington Raceway.
Johnson led the field for a total of 134 of the 368 laps that day in the black and white No. 48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet.
#51 Cody Ware – Ward Burton 1999 Throwback
In 1999, Ward Burton's look at Bill Davis Racing changed from MBNA Bank's black, silver, and green palette to Caterpillar's black and yellow colors. Burton would carry the Caterpillar colors until he departed Bill Davis Racing at the end of the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series season. Cody Ware will bring the iconic look back on his No. 51 Jacob Companies Rick Ware Racing Ford in the Goodyear 400.
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Joseph Srigley covers NASCAR for TobyChristie.com, Racing America, and OnSI, and is the owner of the #SrigleyStats brand. With a higher education in the subjects of business, mathematics, and data analytics, Joseph is able to fully understand the inner workings of the sport through multiple points of perspective.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
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