Special Paint Schemes in Racing Cars - Popular Themes

Popular Themes

Custom paint schemes frequently feature special events, and often include the following:

• An associate sponsor becomes the primary sponsor for selected races.
  • Often, if that associate sponsor is sponsoring the race, they will have primary sponsorship for that race.
• Sports teams (especially during special promotions)
  • During the 2001 MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr. 400, the MBNA-sponsored #18 driven by Bobby Labonte drove a special Ripken-themed Pontiac Grand Prix. The Baltimore Orioles game that night was scheduled as Ripken's last home game until games were rescheduled because of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Ripken was grand marshal, started the race, and the race winner was to attend that game.
  • At the 2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300, Carl Edwards used a Boston Red Sox-based car in celebration of Jack Roush partnering with Fenway Sports Group, headquartered in New England. The next year, David Ragan had a Bosox-based car.
  • InBev, the sponsor of the George Gillett-owned #9 Ford Fusion driven by Kasey Kahne, fielded a white car with a mountainous motif featuring the Olympic rings as part of the Belgian brewer's sponsorship of the United States Olympic team at the XXI Winter Olympic Games. This paint scheme was used only for the races that were held during the length of the Olympic Games.
• Charities
  • During the 2010 All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will run a special paint scheme featuring the JR Foundation Logo on the hood, to commemorate this occasion. He is one of the top wish-granting athletes in the 30-year history of this organization.
  • The Home Depot often fields a Kaboom-themed car during the season for Joey Logano.
  • Lowe's fields a "Power of Pride" car with the USO as a benefactor.
  • Dale Jarrett raced a "reverse" paint scheme in 1999 where his entire car's colour scheme was reversed for breast cancer research.
• Cartoon Characters
  • The Muppets were featured on a special series during a race at the Chicagoland Speedway.
  • The Looney Tunes were used as part of a promotion with the September race at Richmond International Raceway with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400.
• Rock Bands
  • During the time that Chevrolet sponsored the Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Some of the cars featured cars paint schemes based on popular rock bands.
  • 3 Doors Down has also been featured on several NASCAR cars before with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 2008 for the NASCAR Sprint All Star Race and Tony Stewart in the Nationwide Series in 2003 for a race at Michigan International Speedway.
• Movies