Chase Elliott ‘honored’ to run Dale Jr. Darlington throwback
Chase Elliott will honor Dale Earnhardt Jr., his former boss and Hendrick Motorsports teammate, with a throwback paint scheme at Darlington Raceway.
Hendrick Motorsports on Wednesday unveiled the red, white and blue scheme throwing back to 2014. Jr. won three NASCAR Cup Series races racing the scheme that year, including the Daytona 500.
“It’s honestly a huge honor for me. I remember that race like it was yesterday,” Elliott said on the Dale Jr. Download podcast. “I didn’t know you then as well as I know you now, and it was just very genuine. It meant a lot to you. Really for me, that is what makes it really cool. It’s a great honor, I’m excited about it.”
UniFirst will sponsor the throwback ride. Dale Jr. said he was flattered with the throwback.
“Amazing job on the car. The design, everything in the right place, looks perfect,” Dale Jr. said. “I just got to say, man, I appreciate it. Thank you very much.”
Elliott was still in high school when Dale Jr. won the race. He said he stayed up late to watch it — and showed up to school with a tardy slip the next day.
Elliott is now selling t-shirts with a blown-up copy of that hand-written note.
Chase Elliott Throwbacks Through the Years
Since the introduction of throwback paint schemes at Darlington Raceway in 2015, teams have paid tribute to various drivers, teams and sponsor-related yesteryear ideas.
Elliott has sported throwback paint schemes in each NASCAR Cup Series season he has competed in.
During his part-time year in 2015, a “Million Dollar Bill” throwback adorned his Hendrick Motorsports No. 25 car.
During his 2016 rookie season, Elliott sported a NAPA Auto Parts vintage delivery truck tribute with gold and black colors.
2017 saw Elliott race a Bill Elliott 1975 debut tribute No. 24 car with light and dark blue colors.
In 2018, his first season in his now-current No. 9 car, Chase paid tribute to his cousin Casey Elliott in a yellow-and-blue inspired car.
Elliott’s 2019 scheme was blue with a white stripe in the middle, a tribute to father Bill’s 1981 Melling Thunderbird.
In 2020, Elliott raced a Jimmie Johnson 2009 championship tribute paint scheme.
In 2021, with sponsorship from Hooters, Elliott drove an Alan Kulwicki 1992 championship tribute paint scheme with white and orange colors.
The throwback scheme in 2022 paid tribute to racer Jimmy Means with blue and yellow colors.
Last year’s Chase throwback was another to his father’s, sporting a red paint scheme similar to the car Bill ran in the early 2000s.
The throwback Goodyear 400 is scheduled for Sunday, May 12, at Darlington Raceway.
To see all the angles of Elliott’s throwback, click here.
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.