NASCAR’s ‘Throwback Weekend’ at Darlington has been an annual tradition since 2015, with drivers and teams taking time to honor the history of the sport at one of its most historic tracks. While not as closely followed by every team, it’s still celebrated throughout the field with several commemorative paint schemes.
We compiled all of the special Cup schemes here for you in numerical order to learn more about what inspired them (and to help you spot your favorite drivers on track!)
Austin Cindric – No. 2 Team Penske Ford
The Throwback: Cindric’s car pays tribute to the blue and yellow No. 2 Dale Earnhardt drove at the start of his NASCAR career, winning his first Cup Series championship with it in 1980.
Noah Gragson – No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
The Throwback: Gragson pays tribute to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who drove a black No. 31 with red numbers just like this for his NASCAR Xfinity series debut in 1996.
Kyle Larson – No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
The Throwback: Larson pays tribute to another champion who drove the No. 5 HMS Chevy, inspired by the Terry Labonte Kellogg’s car from the early 2000s. Terry’s 22nd and final Cup win came with this scheme, at Darlington, in the 2003 Southern 500.
Chase Elliott – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
The Throwback: Elliott pays tribute to Kenny Schrader, who drove a similar scheme during the 1994 season while driving for Rick Hendrick. Schrader ended the year fourth in the standings, which was the best of his career.
Ty DIllon – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
The Throwback: Dillon pays tribute to Patty Moise, one of the few female drivers to compete at the national level of the sport. She ran a scheme similar to this in 1989 at Daytona.
Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
The Throwback: Hamlin pays tribute to the Office Depot scheme Carl Edwards ran early in his Cup career, starting in 2005. Edwards won more than ten Cup races with these colors on his No. 99 machine.
Ryan Blaney – No. 12 Team Penske Ford
The Throwback: Blaney honors his father, Dave Blaney, who drove this colorful car to his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, which came at Charlotte in 2006.
Christopher Bell – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
The Throwback: Bell has a unique personal connection to this throwback. It’s to honor his racing mentor, Rick Ferkel. The sprint car racer, who passed way in January 2024, guided Bell throughout the early years of his career.
Josh Berry – No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford
The Throwback: Berry’s running the same paint scheme made famous by Lotus, specifically inspired by the winning car from the 1965 Indy 500. Jim Clark was the driver, but the connection here lies in the pit crew. The Wood Brothers, using their NASCAR expertise, pitted the car and used their knowledge to get Clark out of the pits faster than any other driver in the field.
Joey Logano – No. 22 Team Penske Ford
The Throwback: Logano pays tribute to Cale Yarborough. Like Logano, Yarborough was a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. The Hall of Famer raced this paint scheme throughout his first championship-winning season in 1976.
William Byron – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
The Throwback: Byron pays tribute to the NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon, who is currently the vice chairman at HMS. This silver paint scheme with the iconic flames was utilized in Gordon’s last race behind the wheel of the No. 24 in 2015.
Todd Gilliland – No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
The Throwback: Gilliland pays tribute to Ray Fox, a pioneer of the sport and winning engine builder. His great-grandson Justin Fox is actually a tire changer on Gilliland’s No. 34 team.
Zane Smith – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
The Throwback: Smith pays tribute to a popular sponsor on the No. 38 car, running an old school look for the Long John Silver’s machine.
Cole Custer – No. 41 Haas Factory Team
The Throwback: Custer honors Jimmy Spencer’s Target scheme, back when he drove the No. 41 car in the 2000 season.
John Hunter Nemechek – No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
The Throwback: Nemechek is paying tribute to his father, Joe Nemechek, who ran this scheme throughout the 1998 season.
Erik Jones – No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
The Throwback: Jones pays tribute to John Andretti’s 1998 paint scheme when Andretti drove the famous No. 43 for Petty Enterprises.
J.J. Yeley – No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
The Throwback: Yeley is paying tribute to the 1988 scheme Bill Elliott utilized on his way to winning his one and only NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Alex Bowman – No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
The Throwback: Bowman pays tribute to Hendrick’s 200th Cup win, which Jimmie Johnson delivered while driving this No. 48 at Darlington in 2012.
Cody Ware – No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
The Throwback: Ware pays tribute to Ward Burton’s late 1990s paint scheme. But the direct connection is Tommy Baldwin Jr., the current competition director at RWR who worked as the crew chief for Burton during that era.
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