Racing Design Blog

Paint Scheme Profile: Darlington Preview

Today's Paint Scheme Profile takes a look at the cars that will be running special colors this Saturday night at Darlington. Each week there are many cars on the track in unfamiliar colors and we will take a look at them so you can identify them under the Darlington lights.

Denny Hamlin will be running the race without his familiar FedEx colors on the car. The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will be featuring a Farm Bureau Insurance paint scheme. This will be the first time since the 2005 Daytona 500 that a car will not be featuring FedEx as the primary sponsor.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will bring the colors of Mountain Dew to the track this weekend. We've discussed this scheme in the past and it is a really nice look for the #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet. The hood features the new Mtn Dew logo that the company debuted earlier this year on a black background. The primary color of black is complimented by silver and Mtn Dew green. This paint scheme should be one of the best under the lights on Saturday night and it is always great to see an Earnhardt driving a black car.

Clint Bowyer's #33 RCR Chevrolet will be featuring BB&T as it's primary sponsor. The familiar colors of Cheerios move to the rear quarterpanels and BB&t takes over the primary look. The car has a very simple design and the company logo on the hood is very easy to read.

The #19 of Elliott Sadler will be running the Stanley Tools paint scheme. Stanley Tools shares the car with Best Buy. The car is all black with some Stanley Tools yellow flames on the nose and sides. This is another clean look that features the sponsor very well. Flamed covered hot rods are all the rage, and this car is a nice example.

There will be several other cars at Darlington in special paint this weekend. The #24 of Jeff Gordon will return to the silver and black National Guard colors. The #43 of Reed Sorensen will feature a special Valvoline paint scheme that will be a tribute to crew chiefs and will honor legendary crew chief Dale Inman. Carl Edwards hits the track in a special scheme promoting the Disney/Pixar movie "Up".

David Stremme returns to the track in his Star Trek colors from last weekend at Richmond. The car promotes the new Star Trek movie that opens this weekend. Hopefully Scotty will install some better shields on it this weekend! Marcos Ambrose and the #47 team will run the Bush's Baked Beans sponsorship again at Darlington. Mark Martin runs the Cheez-it colors again this week as well. Bobby Labonte's #96 will feature Academy Sports and Outdoors as it's primary sponsor.

Special Paint Scheme Profile: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

In today's Paint Scheme Profile we wanted to take a look at a couple of special paint schemes that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving in some races that are coming up soon. Yesterday we talked about the Drive the Guard scheme he will be using this weekend at Richmond. In addition to that scheme, Dale Jr. will be driving a few more over the next month or so.

At the All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Dale Jr. will be driving a scheme that features the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Foundation as the primary sponsor. The car features a very simple paint scheme, free of any striping or accents and stripes. The hood features the logo of the Dale Jr. Foundation. The Mountain Dew logo remains in its proper spot and the National Guard logo appears just below on the rear quarterpanels. This scheme should look very good under the lights at Lowe's.

At Darlington in May, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take to the track in a special Mountain Dew paint scheme. This is a great looking car. The base color is black with complimentary Mountain Dew colors and a silver accent down the sides. The Mountain Dew brand always lends itself to great looking race cars. This one is particularly nice as it is always fun to see an Earnhardt on the track in a black racecar.

At the July Daytona race, Dale Jr. will have special colors on his car for the National Guard. This car will feature another black hood with a special camo pattern down the sides. This special paint scheme will be a great tribute to the National Guard as the Daytona race will be run on the 4th of July.

Paint Scheme Profile: Richmond Preview

Today's Paint Scheme Profile takes a look at some of the paint schemes that drivers will be racing this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The Richmond races are always action-packed and competitive and being under the lights there provides sponsors a great opportunity to pull out some special paint schemes.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #88 Chevrolet will be featuring a special Drive the Guard scheme. The Drive the Guard car features a red, white and blue color scheme and is promoting a National Guard initiative to assist applicants with earning an income through truck driving training.

Another team that will be running special paint is the #6 Roush-Fenway Ford of David Ragan. Ragan will be under the lights in a silver based scheme featuring UPS Freight. The UPS Freight scheme has a nice looking color combination. The silver base of the car should look great under the lights and should make the #6 one of the most visible cars in the field Saturday night.

The #47 of Marcos Ambrose will be running a special Bush's Baked Beans scheme on Saturday. Marcus cars' have a really great sponsorship package and this Bush's Baked Beans car will be another solid scheme for this team. The #55 of Michael Waltrip will be running a special scheme promoting the NAPA Adaptive One Brake Pads brand. Reed Sorensen and the #43 RIchard Petty Motorsports team will be running a special McDonald's McCafe scheme, promoting McDonald's new in-restaurant coffee shops.

A few other teams running special paint on Saturday night include the #31 of Jeff Burton (Prilosec), #41 Jeremy Mayfield (Small Sponsor.com), #11 Denny Hamlin (Fedex Ground), #5 Mark Martin (Cheez-it), #33 Clint Bowyer (BB&T), #19 Elliott Sadler (Stanley Tools) and #18 Kyle Busch (Combos). The #12 of David Stremme will also be running a special Star Trek paint scheme to promote the new movie that hits theaters next weekend.

Paint Scheme Evolution: Kevin Harvick

Today's Paint Scheme Evolution takes a look at the evolution of the basic paint schemes of the #29 of Kevin Harvick. Kevin Harvick has been a very popular driver on the NASCAR circuit since he took over driving the famous #3 team's car after the loss of Dale Earnhardt in 2001. Reacting quickly to what happened at Daytona, the RCR team decided to use the #29 and put Harvick, who was going to drive for RCR in his own car, behind the wheel of what was the #3 team.

The first #29 used a simple white paint scheme with red for a secondary color. There was some black trim on the car and the GM Goodwrench logo was now reversed out in black. The car originally had black numbers but used red shortly after that for the remainder of the time this scheme was used. The famous #3 was placed under the b-pillar in honor of Dale Earnhardt. This paint scheme provided NASCAR fans with one of the most emotional and memorable wins ever when Harvick edged out Jeff Gordon at Atlanta to give the former 3 team it's first victory since Dale's passing.

In 2002 the GM Goodwrench #29 took on a little more familiar color scheme. Though the primary color of the car was silver, there was enough black to make this GM Goodwrench car a little bit more recognizable. The silver and black gave this #29 a more traditional GM Goodwrench feel. The #29 number style was now white with a red outline. It was a welcome sight to most fans to see these colors back on this legendary RCR car.

For 2003, the #29's paint scheme evolved even more. This version of the #29 showcased a return to black as the primary color for the GM Goodwrench car. The base black color was accented on the sides by an aggressive ripped silver design. This was a great looking paint scheme that really made the 29 car look a bit more like the GM Goodwrench cars of the previous legendary driver. Harvick ran this black and silver paint scheme until 2006.

In 2007, the #29 car made a drastic paint scheme switch. The GM Goodwrench primary sponsorship was gone, as was the familiar black and silver look. 2007 signaled the acquisition of new primary sponsorship from Pennzoil and Shell. The car's new primary paint scheme colors were red and yellow, a drastic departure from what fans had been used to seeing. This paint scheme recieved mixed reviews from fans when it debuted. It has now become a bit more familiar as Harvick has now driven this color scheme for three years.

Classic Paint Schemes: DC Comics Superhero Edition

In today's Classic Paint Schemes I wanted to take a look at a few times when our favorite drivers combined forces with our favorite childhood superheroes from DC Comics. In a way, the drivers in NASCAR are like superheroes. They have a special power, the ability to drive a racecar at fantastic speeds, they dress up in superhero style costumes to race and we follow their exploits from week to week waiting to see what new adventure lies ahead for them. So, it makes sense when you combine the heroes from the pages of our favorite DC Comic books with our favorite NASCAR heroes.

The top image features the Justice League promotion that ran at Michigan in 2004. Six Cup cars featured DC Comics' Justice League characters. The #12 featured the entire Justice League. The other cars featured the individual members of the team, the Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman. I don't know about you, but don't you think that Greg Biffle had an unfair advantage that weekend with the Fastest Man Alive on his hood?

Another DC Comics promotion took place in 1998 at Charlotte when the #88 of Dale Jarrett and the #28 of Kenny Irwin Jr. featured Batman and the Joker. This special paint scheme event was a very popular promotion teaming this hero and villain combination with the famous Robert Yates Racing Fords. The fall race weekend even featured one of Charlotte's famous pre-race extravaganza shows with a fierce and explosive battle between the Joker and Batman. A little known fact about these cars is that the black numbers you see on all of the diecast did not run during the race. The #88 team of Dale Jarrett actually switched to yellow numbers at the last minute to make them more visible.

In 1999, the Man of Steel got into the action on the track. The #24 of Jeff Gordon carried the image of Superman on its sides and the famous S logo on the hood. Jeff Gordon was not the only driver to get in on the Superman action. The #3 Busch Series car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. also sported the Man of Steel on its sheetmetal. The hood of the #3 car featured the memorable image of Clark Kent ripping off his civilian clothes as he made the change into the Man of Steel.

 In 2005, the race at the Michigan International Speedway was called the Batman Begins 400. It was not a surprise that a car would take to the track with a Batman themed paint scheme that weekend. Mark Martin's #6 Roush Racing Ford was painted up in full Batman Begins glory. The car was a great visual tribute to what would become one of the most popular movies of all-time.

I hope you've enjoyed this little ride through the pages of DC Comics courtesy of NASCAR. Comic book heroes provide some really great imagery and themes to create cool paint scheme promotions and these DC Comics cars are all great examples. There have also been many comic book hero cars from other companies, and we'll profile some of those soon.

Classic Paint Schemes: Earth Day Edition

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I would take a look at some cars that have "gone green" over the years. I know that there is a legend surrounding green racecars, but I thought it would be fun to take a look at some random "green" cars from years past and present.

The most famous "green" car in today's NASCAR is the #88 Amp Energy car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Amp Energy car uses the base green of the Amp brand for the car's paint scheme. Dale Jr.'s status as the most popular driver on the circuit makes this "green" ride one that is recognized by all. In addition to the Amp colors, Dale Jr. also "goes green" any time he races a car with the Mountain Dew brand on it. The colors of Amp and Mountian Dew definiteley get huge exposure on the #88 and Dale Jr. has made "going green" a popular thing in NASCAR.(in a NASCAR kind of way)

One other car on the track today that "goes green" every once in a while, and has a long storied history of "going green" is the Interstate Batteries Toyota of Kyle Busch. The #18 has a long and storied history of "going green" as the Interstate Batteries sponsorship has been around for a long time, gracing the rides of all-time greats Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte. Those two drivers made this "green" scheme one of the all-time classics.

A classic old school example of "going green" can be seen on the #11 Mountain Dew cars driven by NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip. The famous Mountain Dew #11 is a true NASCAR classic. The car featured the old school Mountain Dew logo and "went green" with the drink's corporate colors before "going green" was cool. This classic green scheme was recently revived by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on a #88 that paid tribute to the legendary Waltrip #11.

Another famous driver who has "gone green" in the past is four time champion Jeff Gordon. Sporting a paint scheme that many thought they would never see at a NASCAR race, Gordon "went green" in the Nicorette sponsored #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

I hope you enjoyed this Earth Day edition of Paint Scheme Profile, I just couldn't help myself. It is good to know that the NASCAR community has committed itself to "going green" so many times in its history!

Paint Scheme Profile: Kevin Harvick

Today's Paint Scheme Profile takes a look at the #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick. Shell/Pennzoil took over for GM Goodwrench in the 2007 season as the primary sponsor for the RCR #29. Replacing the longtime and familiar sponsor of GM Goodwrench was a big event. The #29 is technically still the famous #3 driven by the late Dale Earnhardt. The GM Goodwrench sponsorship kept the #29 connected to its legacy, but with Shell/Pennzoil taking over the #29 had to develop a new identity of its own.

When this paint scheme originally hit the track it received mixed reviews. There were many who didn't like the bright red and yellow color scheme. It was a drastic departure from the familiar black and silver of the car from the previous year. Yellow Pennzoil sponsored cars have been a regular site in NASCAR for many years, and the base paint scheme marries the Pennzoil and Shell yellows with the Shell red.

This color combination creates a car that stands out from the others on the track and is extremely easy to identify. Like it or not, the car communicates its sponsor message very well. The sponsor logos are clear and easy to read and the numbers are easily spotted from the grandstands and on television. After appearing on the track for a few seasons now, the car has become much more familiar and is immediately connected to Kevin when you see it. The car continues to carry the #3 right below driver's window to carry on the historic legacy of the car and keep it tied to its historic past and legendary driver.

Harvick will also run a special paint scheme for Reese's during the 2009 season. Harvick has been running special Reese's paint schemes for years. The car's base color is the familiar orange of the Reese's packaging. The car is complimented with the Reese's secondary colors of yellow and black.The sponsor logo and message is clear and clean. The yellow numbers are easy to see and contrast well with the base orange. The #29 on the doors are framed by the famous peanut butter cup.

With Harvick's on track successes, like winning the Daytona 500 in the Shell/Pennzoil car, it has become one of the most easily recognized rides on the track. Harvick's driving style and brash personality keep him in the spotlight and have earned him a legion of loyal fans, along with those who pull for him because he carries on the legacy of this famous team. Kevin is also a team owner in the Camping World Truck Series and the Nationwide Series with his own Kevin Harvick Inc. team. He is a talented driver and is dedicated to the sport. I am certain we will continue to see more of the #29 Chevrolets as Harvick sets out to continue his winning ways as the 2009 season progresses.

Paint Scheme Profile: Carl Edwards

Today's Paint Scheme Profile takes a look at another Roush-Fenway driver, Carl Edwards. Edwards has become one of the most popular drivers in the series with his on-track success and his famous celebratory back flip after his victories. Edwards has been in the hunt for the championship and has had a great record of wins over the last few years.

In 2009, Edwards switched from his previous Office Depot colors to a new primary sponsor in Aflac. The Aflac duck has become one of the most visible character pitchmen in the world. Everyone knows the sarcastic duck and his familiar cry. The duck has even taken to the track with Carl in the commercial spot where there is a slight feather issue on the track.

 The 2009 Aflac car is very well designed. The base color of the car is black with accent colors of blue and green. The famous duck is clearly visible on the rear quarterpanels. The sponsor logo is clear and very visible on the hood. The numbers are well designed and are easy to see due to their contrast with the car. The scheme is clean, well designed and effective.

Carl will be running a special Subway scheme in three races this season, including Phoenix in April (A Subway sponsored event), Daytona in July and at an event still to be determined. The Subway car's primary color is the Subway corporate yellow accented in the ever healthy shade of green. The graphics on the side of this car are a bit more random than that of the Aflac car but do not get in the way of the sponsor message. The Subway logo is easy to read on the hood and rear quarters.

Carl's popularity and on-track success make him a very visible driver and a great choice for these two high profile sponsors. Both of the #99 Ford's paint schemes are clean, well designed and communicate their sponsor message very well. It is likely we will see a lot of coverage for Carl as the season goes on and these paint schemes will become even more familiar to everyone.

Paint Scheme Profile: David Ragan UPS

In today's Paint Scheme Profile we take a look at the UPS Ford driven by up and coming driver David Ragan. A relative unknown a few years ago, Ragan, who was first seen in Roush Racing's "Driver X", came on strong at the end of 2008 and came very close to making the Chase. That on track performance helped Roush-Fenway to land one of the most coveted sponsors in the sport for David in UPS. After Ragan's season ending performance last year, expectations for him are high in 2009.

This year's version of the UPS paint scheme differs greatly from the UPS schemes that Dale Jarrett ran in the past. The #44 and prior to that, #88 UPS cars used much more white and had more striping and graphic elements on the car. The previous versions of the UPS car were easy to see due to the white and the contrast on the schemes, but I always wondered what a solid brown car would look like on the track.

I remember talking with noted racing artist Sam Bass a few years ago about the design of the original #88 RYR UPS car and he indicated that he did not want to do an all brown design for the car, choosing instead to give the car more white space and contrasting colors. Jarrett's original #88 UPS cars carried a very familiar look to fans of the sport.

The 2009 David Ragan version of the UPS car does finally adapt the famed brown color of the sponsor. The UPS brown truck is one of the most identifiable icons on the road and this car reflects the look of the "Big Brown Truck". Along with the primary brown, the car uses the UPS gold for the accents and for the numbers. I'm not really sure how to describe the swirled elements that are all over the car or why they are there. They seem to get a little lost on the car and I think the design would still look great and much more clean without them.

The 2009 UPS car definitely communicates the look of their sponsor and is very different than the cars that preceded it. It definitely gives David Ragan his own UPS look. Hopefully David's luck can improve as the season goes on and we can see him take the UPS Ford to Victory Lane for his first career Sprint Cup Series win in 2009.

Paint Scheme Profile: Kyle Busch

There is no driver in NASCAR today more controversial than Kyle Busch. No driver on the circuit can generate more reaction from a crowd than the driver of the #18 M&M's car. His winning ways have made him new fans, and have made the fans of other drivers show him their displeasure. His no-holds-barred attitude and lack of fear when sharing his thoughts make him one of NASCAR's most visible drivers. Kyle is also fortunate to be behind the wheel of a car with one of the most creative and popular sponsors in the sport.

The M&M's car is a bright, colorful and fun paint scheme. The M&M's characters are icons in advertising and have great appeal to almost everyone. The car's basic scheme is a colorful and creative look. The blue, green and red M&M's candies on the hood are easily recognized by anyone who has eaten one of the tasty treats. The portrayal of the M&M's characters in racing situations adds to the fun of the car. The addition of some diamond plate accents gives the design a bit of toughness. One of my pet peeves is the mismatched color of the numbers on the door and hood. I am always a fan of the numbers matching on the roof and doors, and would like to see the yellow #18 on the roof match the white numbers on the doors.(my blog, my rules!)

My five year old daughter doesn't know anything about Kyle Busch the driver, but absolutely loves when this car is on the screen when I'm watching the races. The kid appeal of this car is undeniable.

Kyle will also be running several other cars this year that have some really graphically interesting designs. At Bristol in March, Kyle drove a Snickers themed machine. The Snickers design features a silver diamond plated base with overlapping flames. How can you go wrong with tough diamond plating and flames? The car looks great and the sponsor is clearly visible and identifiable on the hood.

At Dover, the #18 will feature sponsorship from Combos. The Combos design takes the diamond plated look and adds the Combos orange to it, making a nice looking, though strange effect. The Logo is clear and easy to read and the car even has some images of the snacks right on the side. Matching number colors=good!

At Infineon in June, Kyle will be promoting the new Transformers movie. The #18 will be featuring the M&M's as everyone's favorite Autobots and Decepticons in a flame covered shade of red and blue. Each time the M&M's characters are portrayed this way, it is creates a very enjoyable look. This should be another car with serious kid appeal.

Most of us old-timers still have trouble hearing about the Joe Gibbs #18 and not think of the Interstate Batteries sponsorship that graced this ride for many years with drivers Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte. A few times a year, the #18 gets back to its roots and sports the familiar Interstate Batteries colors. This weekend in Texas, the team will run this sponsorship package and will honor former driver Bobby Labonte on the rear decklid for his induction into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. This will be a nice tribute to a driver who took this car to a series championship in 2000.