Getty Jeffrey Earnhardt will run a special orange scheme at Darlington Raceway.
A unique orange scheme used by Dale Earnhardt in the 1997 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race is making a comeback for Throwback Weekend. The Wheaties/GM Goodwrench car will return with different logos.
Jeffrey Earnhardt, the grandson of the seven-time champion, will head to Darlington Raceway on May 13 with ForeverLawn as the primary partner on his No. 45 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet Camaro. However, the black and green colors will be swapped out for an orange and white design.
Anyone feeling hungry? 👀
@JEarnhardt1 will honor his grandfather’s iconic 1997 All-Star design when we head to @TooToughToTame!
The ForeverLawn logos will take over the spots where the GM Goodwrench logos sat during the 1997 All-Star Race. BZ Mart logos will take over the hood while using a similar font to the Wheaties logo that took over Dale Sr.’s No. 3 Chevrolet.
Earnhardt will put this special scheme on display as he makes his sixth Xfinity Series start at Darlington Raceway, his first since the 2021 season. He will aim to surpass his career-best finish of 20th from the 2014 season when he drove for JD Motorsports. Earnhardt will also make his first start at The Lady in Black for Alpha Prime Racing.
The 1997 All-Star Race Featured Another Solid Performance From Earnhardt
GettyDale Earnhardt watches practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The annual All-Star Race was an event in which Dale Sr. excelled during his career. He won the 1987 race after Darrell Waltrip and Bill Elliott won the first two events. He then became the first repeat winner by capturing the 1990 All-Star Race.
Dale Sr. then won the All-Star Race for the third time in his career during the 1993 season. He snapped a two-year streak by Davey Allison, and he held off Mark Martin at the end after only leading two laps. Allison finished ninth overall.
The 1997 All-Star Race featured another solid performance by Dale Sr. He started second overall in the 20-car field, and he took part in a fierce battle with eventual winner Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, and Jimmy Spencer among others. Dale Sr. ultimately crossed the finish line fourth overall with the Labonte brothers just ahead of him.
The 1997 All-Star Race was the third consecutive season in which Dale Sr. used a special scheme. He showed up in 1995 with a silver car and then he used an Olympic scheme during the 1996 event. The Wheaties/GM Goodwrench car only continued this trend.
Earnhardt Previously Highlighted Another All-Star Scheme
GettyJeffrey Earnhardt prepares for the Southern 500 in 2018.
The upcoming trip to Darlington Raceway will provide Earnhardt with an opportunity to run his own version of the unique Wheaties scheme. It will also continue his trend of highlighting the one-off All-Star schemes.
Earnhardt also did so during the 2021 Xfinity Series season, his final run with JD Motorsports. He showed up at Darlington Raceway with the American flag scheme on his No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro.
This is the same scheme that Dale Sr. used during the 1996 All-Star Race. The purpose was to highlight the Olympic Games taking place in Atlanta, which Richard Childress Racing emphasized with the Olympic torch and rings on the hood of the No. 3 Chevrolet. 25 years later, Earnhardt brought the scheme back.