All three of NASCAR‘s top series will head to Darlington Raceway on May 7-9 for Throwback Weekend. The fan-favorite slate of races will feature a special scheme honoring the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. His grandson, Jeffrey Earnhardt, will run the 1996 scheme on his No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro, which will feature red, white, and blue colors.
JD Motorsports With Gary Keller unveiled the design on Wednesday while providing further context. This particular scheme was a one-off for the 1996 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Dale Sr. used the design to promote the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. The car featured an Olympic torch and rings on the hood and an American flag on the sides.
This deserves a 🥇
@JEarnhardt1‘s #NASCARThrowback is Dale Earnhardt’s 1996 Atlanta #Olympics scheme. Only 93 days until the Tokyo games!
This special paint scheme for Throwback Weekend will mark the second consecutive year where Earnhardt has run a tribute scheme honoring his grandfather. He previously unveiled the gold and black design in partnership with KSDT CPA. Dale Sr.’s original design featured a Bass Pro Shops logo on the hood.
Earnhardt will work with ForeverLawn to bring this iconic design to life
The JD Motorsports driver is not alone in the decision to honor his grandfather’s legacy. ForeverLawn, his primary sponsor in 2021, will help create this design in time for Throwback Weekend. ForeverLawn partnered with Earnhardt last year and continued the relationship into the 2021 season. The company will be on the No. 0 Chevrolet for the majority of the schedule.
GettyJeffrey Earnhardt prepares for an Xfinity Series race
“Man, this ForeverLawn Chevrolet is beautiful,” Earnhardt said in a press release. “Any time I get the chance to honor my family’s history in the sport, I jump at the opportunity. I remember seeing this car that my grandfather drove as a kid, and I loved it.
“Throwback Weekend is always something I look forward to each year, and I’m so happy that we get to be a part of it once again,” the driver continued. “I’m very thankful to ForeverLawn for allowing me to run this paint scheme at Darlington. It looked great twenty-five years ago and still looks great today.”
Earnhardt is a fourth-generation race car driver
The nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the son of Kerry Earnhardt, the JD Motorsports driver has made a multitude of starts in NASCAR. He has 76 Cup Series starts on his resume, which includes 34 of the 36 races in the 2017 season. His most recent start took place in 2019.
Earnhardt’s primary time behind the wheel has been in the Xfinity Series. He has 109 races on his resume, one top-five finish, and three total top-10 finishes. While he was a part-time driver in 2020, Earnhardt announced in December that he was joining JD Motorsports on a full-time basis for 2021. He also teased new sponsors while acknowledging that he would be an underdog during the season.
“We got a late start [on 2020] and the plan was to run six to twelve races, but something good was happening, and by Bristol, you could sense the momentum we were having,” Earnhardt said in a team release, per NBC Sports. “We came home in 15th in our third race [at Bristol] and that’s an accomplishment when just a few weeks earlier, we had no plans to work together. We had great partners join us and the season had some real bright spots to build on.”
Through seven races, Earnhardt has not posted a top-10 finish. He has three consecutive 19th-place finishes — Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Atlanta. Now he will strive to put together a solid performance at Darlington Raceway while honoring his grandfather’s legacy.
READ NEXT: NASCAR Reveals Starting Lineup for Talladega Races
Comments
Jeffrey Earnhardt Unveils Epic Throwback Scheme Honoring Dale Earnhardt Sr. [LOOK]