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Short Track Weekly: Taking a Look at 2025 CARS Tour Throwback Schemes
(Photo: Chase Folsom)

Short Track Weekly: Taking a Look at 2025 CARS Tour Throwback Schemes

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The annual zMAX CARS Tour throwback weekend is upon us.

every year, the tour brings their best throwback paint schemes to Hickory Motor Speedway late in the summer, serving as a blast from the past for the short track racing community.

This year, the stakes are higher than ever, as the newly facelifted Throwback Classic puts up $50,000 to the winner of the Late Model Stock race, and $3,000 to the winner of the Pro Late Model race.

One unique part of CARS Tour throwback weekend is the teams are allowed to change their car numbers to better fit their throwback schemes. For authenticity of the scheme, this is great. For spotters and fans trying to keep up on track, not so much.

Since things may get a little confusing this weekend at Hickory, we’ve put together a list of all the throwback schemes hitting the track at Hickory, both for the Pros and Late Model Stock cars.

Late Model Stock

Thomas Beane

Hickory regular Thomas Beane will drop his regular No. 1 for the iconic Busch Light No. X, made famous by Pete Silva. Silva became the first New England native to win a NASCAR Late Model event with his win in the 1980 Firecracker 150.

Parker Eatmon

Hettinger Racing and Parker Eatmon will run a throwback to the iconic Miller Genuine Draft No. 2, driven by Rusty Wallace. The car is designed after the car driven by Wallace in 1990, which actually sported the No. 27 on the door.

Doug Barnes Jr.

The first Dale Earnhardt throwback to be announced will be driven by Doug Barnes Jr., who sticks with his typical red colors to run the red and black Taz car. Earnhardt drove the in the 2000 Daytona 500.

Kaden Honeycutt

The next throwback on the list is directly tied to one of the most iconic moments in NASCAR history. Kaden Honeycutt and Tom Usry Racing will rock a David Pearson throwback on the No. 17, themed specifically after the 1976 car Pearson won the Daytona 500 with.

Blayne Harrison

Blayne Harrison will sport the classic “Tide Machine” on his throwback No. 17, with the sponsor logo printed in the font Tide used to use on their racecars. The scheme honors the Tide sponsored car Darrell Waltrip drove in the late 1980s.

Kade Brown

R&S Race Cars pays homage to family ties with Kade Brown’s throwback No. 19. Brown will drive a throwback to Paul Richmond, the father of crew chief and team owner Marcus Richmond.

Brody Monahan

Swinging back to the NASCAR throwbacks, the throwback for Brody Monahan honors Steve Park with the No. 31. The scheme specifically resembles the Whelen scheme Park ran in 2000.

Landon Huffman

Defending champion of the best throwback competition, Landon Huffman is back with another 90s throwback to his father Robert Huffman. The scheme known as ‘The Pink Caddy’ was run on Robert Huffman’s Late Model Stock car in 1993.

Mason Diaz

With one of the oldest throwbacks in the field, Mason Diaz has a throwback to team owner Jay Hedgecock on the Hedgecock Racing house car. The scheme honors Hedgecock’s Late Model Sportsman championship at Caraway Speedway back in 1979.

Ronnie Bassett Jr.

Keeping with the theme of family throwbacks seen many times above, Ronnie Bassett Jr. will throwback to his father, Ronnie Bassett Sr. The blue No. 44 matches the same No. 44 scheme Bassett Sr. ran in the early 2000s, most notably at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Jake Bollman

Jake Bollman joins Mike Darne Racing for the throwback classic, and brings a bad to the bone Napa throwback along with him. Bollman’s No. 16 is a nod to Bill McAnally’s Winston West car from the early 2000s.

Conner Jones

The next two on the list share a graphic. Up first, Conner Jones sports a throwback to one of the greatest in NASCAR history, 7x NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. Jones’s No. 48 scheme resembles the “White Lightning” Lowe’s car Johnson drove from 2012 to 2014.

Landon S. Huffman

Meanwhile, Landon S. Huffman sticks with the father-son theme. Much like the other Landon Huffman, Shane Huffman’s son will fly throwback colors to his time in the grassroots racing ranks.

Landen Lewis

CARS Tour title contender Landen Lewis throws back to one of his mentors, Ron Hornaday. The yellow No. 97 pays homage to the Southwest Tour car run by Hornaday in the early 1990s. The video put together by Lewis and KHI shows Hornaday’s reaction to the scheme.

Michael Bumgarner

Driving for MKM Racing development, defending Hickory track champion Michael Bumgarner throws back to his father, Keith Bumgarner. The elder Bumgarner won the Late Model Stock track championship at Hickory in 2005.

Darren Krantz Jr.

Despite being left off the original entry list, it appears Chad Bryant Racing and Darren Krantz Jr. are going throwback racing. The No. 77 sports the colors of Dave Blaney’s Jasper car from 2003.

Layne Riggs

The final Late Model Stock throwback on the list belongs to Layne Riggs and Tom Usry Racing. Riggs will throwback to his father Scott Riggs and Long Brothers Racing, the team he made his NASCAR national series debut with in 1999.

Pro Late Model

Caden Kvapil

He may not have a throwback on his Late Model Stock car, but Caden Kvapil’s Pro Late Model kicks their throwbacks off with a bang. The No. 32 resembles the beautiful Miller High Life car driven by Bobby Allison in 1988.

Brandon Lopez

The second car to feature an ‘X’ in the number, Bryson Lopez throws it back to a pioneer of short track racing, Steve Leavitt. Leavitt was one of the original designers of FURY Race Cars and still works for the company currently.

Dawson Sutton

Dawson Sutton’s No. 17 honors one of NASCAR’s greats, Darrell Waltrip. The blue and orange colors resemble those of Waltrip’s Western Auto car from the early 1990s.

Seth Christensen

This one is a classic. One that’s been run many times, but never seems to get old. Kulwicki Development driver Seth Christensen is flying the famous Hooters colors on his No. 7, the same scheme Alan Kulwicki made famous before his passing.

Isaac Kitzmiller

It’s crazy to see a throwback to an active NASCAR Cup Series driver, but that’s exactly what we’re getting from Isaac Kitzmiller. The young Rackley WAR driver will throw back to last weekend’s Brickyard 400 winner, Bubba Wallace, harkening back to Wallace’s days in late model racing.

Brody Gunter

Another one for the young crowd, Brody Gunter will throwback to Jeff Gordon with his No. 24. Rather than the usual classic flames or rainbow warrior scheme, Gunter will run a tribute to Gordon’s Pepsi MAX cars from the early 2010s.

Keelan Harvick

Fresh off a win in the Road to The Throwback a few weeks ago, Keelan Harvick keeps his throwback in the family with a tribute to his late grandfather, John Paul Linville. Linville drove the No. 32 at Hickory early in his racing career before later switching to the No. 62 that Harvick drives now.

Kaden Honeycutt

Finally, making his second appearance on the list is Kaden Honeycutt. Bryson Lopez Racing kept the throwback in the family with a tribute to grandfather Doug Bryson’s No. 47.

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Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023.ย  Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.

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