NASCAR is back at Darlington Raceway, and that can only mean one thing.
Well, OK, multiple things. Including throwbacks!
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and XFINITY Series take to the track this weekend at Darlington, and many of the teams entered will sport paint schemes that recall bygone eras of NASCAR. Some of those are recent; Jimmie Johnson, for instance, is tricking out his No. 48 in honor of his 2012 Southern 500 victory. Others go back to the earliest days of the sport.
Not everyone gets into the festivities — and some only field retro-themed throwbacks rather than ones specifically tied to something — but for those who are in 2018, we’ve got you covered with the rundown of Cup and XFINITY series throwbacks this year, with brief explanations of what’s being thrown back to. If they’re not listed here, a team is either not running a throwback scheme or hasn’t announced one at press time.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Jamie McMurray
Throwback: Bill Elliott‘s No. 94 McDonald’s ride from 1998, when NASCAR celebrated its 50th anniversary. The team is using the paint scheme to denote the 50th birthday of the Big Mac.
Brad Keselowski
Throwback: Rusty Wallace’s Miller Genuine Draft-sponsored No. 2.
Austin Dillon
Throwback: Not yet announced but reportedly coming before the race.
Kevin Harvick
Throwback: Busch Beer throwback
Matt Kenseth
Throwback: Oscar Mayer scheme celebrating the brand’s previous sponsorship of Roush Fenway Racing in the early 2000s
Chase Elliott
Throwback: Casey Elliott’s 1993 NASCAR scheme
Aric Almirola
Throwback: Retro-themed Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes scheme
Denny Hamlin
Throwback: Hamlin’s first racecar in 1997
Ryan Blaney
Throwback: Dave Blaney’s 2003 Cup Series paint scheme, No. 77.
Clint Bowyer
Throwback: Ned Jarrett’s 1965 Southern 500-winning car
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Throwback: Chad Little’s 1998 John Deere-sponsored No. 97
Kyle Busch
Throwback: Ernie Irvan’s 1998 Skittles No. 36
Erik Jones
Throwback: Rick Carelli’s No. 6 in the Camping World Truck Series
Paul Menard
Throwback: Cale Yarborough, 1968 Southern 500
Joey Logano
Throwback: Steve Park’s No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, 1998
Joey Gase
Throwback: Bob Gase’s modified, 2003
William Byron
Throwback: Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
Ryan Newman
Throwback: Neil Bonnett’s No. 31 for RCR, 1993
Matt DiBenedetto
Throwback: Jeff Burton’s Exide Batteries No. 99
Michael McDowell
Throwback: Retro scheme for Love’s first truck stop location in Texas
Chris Buescher
Throwback: Retro-themed scheme celebrating 110 years of Bush’s Beans
David Ragan
Throwback: Dale Jarrett, 1993
Kurt Busch
Throwback: Busch’s 2003 Southern 500 No. 97
Kyle Larson
Throwback: Davey Allison’s No. 28 Texaco Havoline Ford
Bubba Wallace
Throwback: Original STP NASCAR scheme, 1972
AJ Allmendinger
Throwback: Robert Pressley and Stacy Compton’s ST Motorsports No. 59 in the XFINITY Series
Jimmie Johnson
Throwback: Johnson’s 2012 Southern 500-winning scheme
Timmy Hill
Throwback: Darrell Waltrip’s No. 66, 2000
Corey LaJoie
Throwback: Randy LaJoie’s XFINITY Series No. 74, late 1990s
Kasey Kahne
Throwback: Kahne’s No. 9 for Evernham Motorsports, 2006
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Throwback: Dale Earnhardt’s Cup No. 96, 1978
Derrike Cope
Throwback: Cope’s Bojangle’s-sponsored Cup No. 98
XFINITY Series
Matt Tifft
Throwback: Dave Marcis’ No. 2, 1976
Ty Dillon
Throwback: Dillon’s ARCA Racing Series championship-winning No. 41, 2011
Garrett Smithley
Throwback: James Hylton’s No. 4 number font
Michael Annett
Throwback: Retro-themed Pilot paint scheme
Tyler Reddick
Throwback: Tim Richmond’s Old Milwaukee-sponsored No. 27, mid-1980s
Ryan Truex
Throwback: Martin Truex Jr.‘s 2004 Darlington scheme in the XFINITY Series
Ryan Reed
Throwback: Greg Biffle’s Darlington-winning No. 16, 2005
Brandon Jones
Throwback: Darrell Waltrip’s No. 11, 1983
Christopher Bell
Throwback: Original Rheem logo and lettering font style created in 1925.
Daniel Hemric
Throwback: Walker Evans’ No. 21 truck
Chase Elliott
Throwback: Davey Allison, No. 23 Miller Buick, 1985
Joey Gase
Throwback: Bob Gase’s modified, 2003
Alex Labbe
Throwback: Owner Mario Gosselin’s No. 10
Ryan Sieg
Throwback: Bobby Labonte’s Folgers-sponsored No. 22, 1993
Jeremy Clements
Throwback: Rex White
Austin Cindric
Throwback: The first front-engine Ford Mustang GTP, 1983
Timmy Hill
Throwback: Benny Parsons’ No. 72
Spencer Boyd
Throwback: Bob Dotter’s ARCA No. 76, 1980s
Brandon Brown
Throwback: Dick Trickle, No. 90, 1989
Kevin Harvick
Throwback: Harvick’s No. 75 truck, 1998
Vinnie Miller
Throwback: The car will feature the name of short track driver Charlie Blanton, who ran three Cup races in the 1970s. Not yet revealed.
Cole Custer
Throwback: AJ Foyt’s No. 00 Vel’s Ford Galaxie, 1965
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.