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NASCAR: Throwback Week Should Become A Yearly Tradition

By Cole Mentzel

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Many drivers in the Sprint Cup Series will be rolling out in throwback schemes this Sunday at Darlington. All of this started just a few weeks back when the first few drivers came out with their schemes, after that, everyone followed along and it’s gotten to the point where the majority of the field will be racing throwback cars.

The response from fans and others in the NASCAR community has been incredible. Many die-hards remember watching some of these paint schemes back when they were being used for the first time and many new fans are enjoying getting to learn about the history of the sport and some of the legendary drivers that drove in cars with these schemes all the time.

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NASCAR has even been showing throwback races from Darlington on TV networks recently so fans can see a little bit on why Darlington is such a historical track. They have done a great job building things up by using social media and other events to promote the race, which will appear on NBC’s flagship channel during prime time Sunday night.

The race will be under the lights on Sunday night and it will provide viewers and fans at home with a unique experience. Some drivers, like Jeff Gordon and the Rainbow Warrior scheme at Bristol, have brought back older schemes before but I’m not sure there’s ever been a time when this many were together at once.

There were a few disappointments however, as drivers like Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon did not get cool schemes. Many fans of the No. 24 were upset that his sponsor for the race, 3M, opted to only put throwback logos on the cars, instead of giving Gordon an entirely new paint scheme. It does seem a little weird that all other Hendrick drivers got one except for him.

The best thing about all of this, however, has been the excitement that has surrounded the sport lately. It would be really cool to see NASCAR continue this and make it into a yearly thing that everyone could participate in. It’s something that fans could look forward to every year and something that would create an incredible racing experience at one of the most famous tracks in all of NASCAR.

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As for ways this could be done again in the future, NASCAR could have “Throwback Night” at different tracks every year, so fans from all over the country could see the event live. Another possible way they could mix things up is by allowing fans to submit their favorite paint schemes and ones that seem to be most popular could be featured with the corresponding number and the driver of that car. There’s just so many ways NASCAR could expand this to make it something big.

All of these future options will depend on how this weekend goes, but I can’t imagine it being a flop. With all of the hype around the event, fans will be all-in for another throwback event. If NASCAR chooses to do so, they could create a signature race every season and it all could begin this weekend.

Here’s the list of every driver and their throwback/special paint scheme for Darlington on Sunday:

  • Brad Keselowski – Miller High Life (Bobby Allison)
  • Austin Dillon – E15 15% Ethanol (Richard Childress)
  • Kevin Harvick – Classic Budweiser
  • Kasey Kahne – Throwback Hendrick Motorsports
  • Trevor Bayne – Advocare (Mark Martin)
  • Alex Bowman – Tom Baldwin Throwback
  • Sam Hornish Jr. – Winn Dixie (Mark Martin)
  • Danica Patrick – GoDaddy (Tribute to Darlington)
  • Denny Hamlin – Sport Clips (Cale Yarborough)
  • Tony Stewart – Vintage Bass Pro Shops
  • Clint Bowyer – Peak (Buddy Baker)
  • Greg Biffle – Ortho
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Cargill (David Pearson)
  • Ryan Blaney – History of the Wood Brothers
  • Joey Logano – Shell (Mario Andretti)
  • Jeb Burton – Ward Burton Throwback
  • Chase Elliott – NAPA (Same design as Bill Elliott in 1985)
  • Paul Menard – Moen/Menard’s
  • Ryan Newman – Caterpillar
  • Josh Wise – Tide (Ricky Craven)
  • Landon Cassill – Snap Fitness (Sterling Martin)
  • Kurt Busch – Haas (Jack Sprague)
  • Kyle Larson – Mello Yello
  • Aric Almirola – STP (Richard Petty)
  • Michael Annett – Pilot
  • Jimmie Johnson – Lowe’s
  • Justin Allgaier – Brandt (A.J. Foyt)
  • David Ragan – Aaron’s (Ken Ragan)
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Valvoline

You can see the paint schemes over here on Beyond The Flag.

Next: The Allure Of Darlington Raceway

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