Getty Daniel Suarez poses for photos at Martinsville Speedway.
The No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro will have a unique look during Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway as Daniel Suarez channels Ricky Rudd. He will run a special scheme honoring The Rooster.
The scheme, which Suarez unveiled during an April 27 appearance on “NASCAR Race Hub,” throws it back to the 1988 season. His No. 99 Chevrolet will have a green, gold, and white design that features Quaker State logos. This is a recreation of Rudd’s No. 26 Buick that he used during the 1988 season while driving for King Racing.
Recreating the color scheme from Rudd’s No. 26 Buick is only one part of the process. Trackhouse Racing also went a step further by using the same font on the door numbers. This only adds to the scheme’s effectiveness.
“I watched a video of Ricky’s career the other day and it’s obvious that he was a great driver and one tough man,” Suarez said in a press release. “We hope this paint scheme reminds the older generation of fans of happy times watching Ricky Rudd race and teaches the younger generation about his accomplishments.”
Rudd’s 1988 Campaign Was Hit or Miss
GettyRicky Rudd won 23 races during his Cup Series career.
A Virginia native, Rudd was an accomplished racer by the time he joined King Racing in 1988. He had eight career wins split between Richard Childress Racing and Bud Moore Engineering. This includes two trips to Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway.
The 1988 season was one that featured struggles and successes alike. For example, Rudd took the No. 26 to Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International, which was his first of two wins with King Racing. The second was at Sonoma Raceway in 1989.
Bringing back a Ricky Rudd classic. #NASCARThrowback
@QuakerState | @TeamChevy
The struggles came in the form of mechanical issues. Rudd had 12 DNFs during the 1988 season, 11 of which were due to engine failures. The 12th was a crash at Bristol Motor Speedway. The result of these is that Rudd finished the year 11th in the championship standings, which was the lowest of his full-time career at that point.
The 1989 season was better statistically as Rudd’s number of DNFs dropped down to only five. He went on to finish eighth in the championship standings before he departed King Racing to join Hendrick Motorsports.
Suarez Joined Forces With Quaker State After a Winning Season
GettyDaniel Suarez (front) races with Quaker State as his primary partner.
The ability to recreate the scheme from Rudd’s No. 26 Buick was only made possible by a new partnership. Quaker State joined forces with Trackhouse Racing and Suarez early in the 2023 season.
The announcement took place on March 19 ahead of the Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Trackhouse Racing announced that Quaker State had agreed to become a primary partner of the No. 99 team and an associate partner of the No. 1 team.
This deal featured Quaker State first taking over Suarez’s stock car for the race at Richmond Raceway. The company also agreed to become the primary partner for the summer race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway was not in the original announcement from Trackhouse Racing. However, the situation changed, which created the opportunity to debut a unique throwback scheme.