The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington is NASCAR’s oldest crown jewel, dating back to 1950 when Johnny Mantz won with a whopping average speed of 75.25 miles per hour.
This weekend, as the speeds will approach 200, the competitors will honor the past for the third straight year during NASCAR’s throwback weekend.
Darlington Raceway began the throwback theme for their race weekends in 2015, and the event instantly became a favorite in the sport, getting bigger and better every year.
In addition to some throwback apparel and haircuts making their way through the garage area each year, the majority of the cars are sporting throwback paint schemes to the drivers of yesteryear.
Here are the best among the paint schemes for this year’s throwback weekend:
Honorable Mention: XFinity Series Drivers Honor Legends
The cars in Saturday’s XFinity Series race, the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200, will not race in the Southern 500, but are still honoring some of the sports’ greatest legends.
Dylan Lupton to Display Darlington Throwback Scheme of Childhood Hero – Jeff Gordon https://t.co/K0GNfQRw75 pic.twitter.com/JESP84KRtq
— JGL Racing (@JGLRacing) August 23, 2017
Dylan Lupton is throwing back to six-time Southern 500 winner and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, and his classic rainbow paint scheme from the 1990s. In the rainbow DuPont car, Gordon won four straight Southern 500s from 1995-98, including the 1997 win to clinch the Winston Million bonus.
ICYMI: @Erik_Jones unveiled his @Resers Main St. Bistro Throwback #Camry for Darlington today. A Davey Allison tribute scheme. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/CftRFQQUvV
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) August 9, 2017
Erik Jones pays tribute to the late Davey Allison, who drove a #28 Texaco-Havoline paint scheme in the late 1980s, including his 1987 Rookie of the Year season and a runner-up finish to his father Bobby in the 1988 Daytona 500 in a car that is also being thrown back to this weekend (see below).
Proud to Ride along w/@driverRyanReed @TooToughToTame in the @LillyDiabetes Throwback Kulwicki car for @roushfenway ! pic.twitter.com/2CQAtpGNoa
— Sam Bass (@sambassartist) August 22, 2017
Ryan Reed is honoring the late Alan Kulwicki on the 25th anniversary of his remarkable 1992 Cup Series title. This paint scheme is from 1989, when Kulwicki drove his #7 Zerex Ford to his first career Cup win at Phoenix.
Let’s take a closer look at Cole Custer’s No. 00 Ford Mustang which pays tribute to XFINITY Series champ, Sam Ard. What do you think, fans? pic.twitter.com/APhTTggP8d
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) August 31, 2017
Cole Custer’s car honors two-time XFinity Series champion Sam Ard (1983-84), who died earlier this year. Ard, who is Pamplico, S.C., near Darlington, won 22 XFinity races in just three seasons before retiring after the 1984 season due to injuries.
.Check it out! @JClements51 to run @AJFoytRacing throwback scheme @TooToughToTame@NASCARonNBC@XFINITYRacinghttps://t.co/bEiz9XL3XGpic.twitter.com/3zUcRcoH0B
— JeremyClementsRacing (@JCR_Clements51) July 24, 2017
Jeremy Clements, who drove a family-owned car to win last week’s XFinity Series race at Road America in a huge upset, is honoring A.J. Foyt, who drove this paint scheme to victory in the 1964 Firecracker 400 at Daytona. This car has personal meaning for Clements; his grandfather Crawford was the crew chief on Foyt’s car.
JGL Racing To Pay Tribute to Cale Yarborough with Darlington Throwback Scheme https://t.co/CIqK30P1rB pic.twitter.com/hU1GRoQt7s
— JGL Racing (@JGLRacing) August 25, 2017
Dakoda Armstrong honors legend and local native Cale Yarborough, from Timmonsville, S.C., who won five Southern 500s and three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series titles (1976-78). Yarborough drove this paint scheme, sponsored by Hardee’s, from 1983-87, mostly in number 28, the number of Armstrong’s car this weekend.
5. Denny Hamlin
.@DennyHamlin is a shorttrack guy. When @SportClips asked him to design his Throwback, he paid tribute to Mr.Modified, Ray Hendrick. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ez5HgcvSvl
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) August 15, 2017
While all the throwbacks honor racing’s legends, Hamlin’s is unique as it honors modified racing legend Ray Hendrick. Hendrick, from Hamlin’s home state of Virginia, is nicknamed Mr. Modified, won over 700 races, and is the all-time winner at Martinsville Speedway with 20.
4. Aric Almirola
There you have it! @aric_almirola & #43 @OriginalSTP Ford will throwback to #TheKing‘s 200th win in 1984! https://t.co/tZeIvsbnDD pic.twitter.com/2JW7Yvbv8A
— RPMotorsports (@RPMotorsports) July 12, 2017
Richard Petty Motorsports’ #43 will honor The King with a car replicating the paint scheme he drove to his 200th and final victory on July 4, 1984 in the Firecracker 400. Almirola has honored Petty with his throwback the last two years, but you can’t go wrong honoring the undisputed greatest living driver in the sport’s history. This car even has the original sponsor, STP, on the throwback scheme.
3. Three Classics from 1985-1989
The official theme for this year’s throwback weekend is the 1985-89 era, and these cars are running paint schemes from that era:
Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman to honor Dale Earnhardt with Darlington throwbacks https://t.co/6d9P5ejnpT
— Jayski (@jayski) July 5, 2017
Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman are both throwing back to Dale Earnhardt’s Wrangler Chevrolet from the late 1980s, but Dillon’s is the more notable throwback as he does so in car number 3. This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the first of three Southern 500 wins by The Intimidator, who won seven NASCAR Cup titles.
Go back to 1985 with @kaseykahne‘s @GREATracing replica of Geoff Bodine’s No. 5 Levi Garrett Chevrolet.
See it @TooToughToTame Sept. 3. pic.twitter.com/vEPtqzCZoJ
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) June 14, 2017
Kasey Kahne will recreate the Levi Garrett #5 Chevrolet, driven by Geoff Bodine from 1985-89 in the early years of Hendrick Motorsports, including his 1986 Daytona 500 win. The number has since been driven by drivers including Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin, all at Hendrick, but will not return in 2018 as Hendrick re-aligns its car numbers to allow Chase Elliott to drive #9, his Hall of Fame father’s old number.
BREAKING NEWS:@mattdracing and Go Fas Racing to race the iconic Bobby Allison throwback scheme with @KeenParts at @TooToughToTame! pic.twitter.com/Ewt8RkQ7zw
— Go Fas Racing (@GoFasRacing32) July 27, 2017
Matt DiBenedetto’s #32 Ford depicts the #12 Miller High Life Buick that Bobby Allison drove to victory in the aforementioned 1988 Daytona 500. Allison’s career also ended in this paint scheme when he was seriously injured in a 1988 crash at Pocono.
2. Drivers Throwing Back to Themselves
Two drivers are throwing back to cars they drove in the 1990s. (You know you’re old when…)
For comparison: @DaleJr‘s @TooToughToTame throwback vs. the original. @nationwide88 #NW88JR pic.twitter.com/vnaSrqqwfs
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 18, 2017
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be making his final Southern 500 start in his #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, in the paint scheme he drove in the XFinity Series as a #3 AC Delco Chevrolet in 1998-99. Earnhardt Jr. won two XFinity Series titles in the car, and finished 2nd in the 1998 XFinity Series race at Darlington. He has never won the Southern 500 but finished second in 2014 and eighth in 2015 (he did not start last year due to injury).
@DCopeRacing to Drive his ‘Own’ Throwback at @TooToughToTame with @ManenTailBeauty!
Click link below!https://t.co/4IrjoNHAym pic.twitter.com/2SJEgyYH9G
— PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS (@premiummotrspts) August 8, 2017
Talk about throwbacks, how about a throwback driver! 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, who made his Cup debut in 1982, will make his 11th Cup start of the season in a paint scheme he drove in 1994 for owner Bobby Allison, as Mane ‘n’ Tail returns as sponsor. This is not the first time Cope has thrown back to himself, as he drove the paint scheme from his Daytona win in the 2015 Darlington XFinity Series race. Cope has not finished higher than 31st in a race this season.
1. Brad Keselowski
Here is the first revealed throwback for @TooToughToTame. @keselowski‘s Miller Genuine Draft paint scheme. pic.twitter.com/D6CC1nHLYM
— RPM Report (@RPMReport) April 13, 2017
Brad Keselowski will drive a Miller Genuine Draft Ford identical to the car Rusty Wallace drove from 1991-95, a period when he won 23 races. Miller has sponsored the Penske Racing #2 car ever since, so the sponsor is even the same on this throwback. Even as simple as it is, this is one of the great paint schemes in the sport’s history, and I naturally like black and gold things, so this is easily the top paint scheme of this year’s throwback weekend.