Dale Earnhardt Jr Says Throwback Paint Schemes Aren’t Going Anywhere Anytime Soon

What’s Happening?

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently gave his take on NASCAR cutting the throwback weekend ahead of the 2026 season, saying that while the Throwback weekend concept may officially be over, throwback paint schemes will stick around through the teams who choose to run them.

As usual Bob is correct but I think it's fair to say that the industry as a whole can and will at times still do throwback designs around Darlington (you'll see a handful this year)

The track and Nascar decided to shift focus towards a program around the drivers of the past and… https://t.co/dUEprt16bs

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 13, 2026

As the stars of the NASCAR National Series roll into Darlington Raceway next weekend, for the first time in many years, things will be different at the historic track.

After nearly a decade, NASCAR will no longer host its annual and highly popular throwback weekend, which saw teams across ask for garages to pay homage to the sport’s history through throwback paint schemes.

This annual tradition, which began in 2025, seemed to have reached its climax over the past few seasons, with fans and industry members agreeing that the concept had, to an extent, exhausted itself.

Diminishing returns on the weekend (alongside rumors of disinterest from some sponsors in running a throwback paint scheme) led NASCAR to a point of backing off from at least part of the race’s throwback festivities.

While NASCAR will not officially hold the full throwback weekend festivities, Darlington Raceway Track President Josh Harris told SiriusXM NASCAR radio in January that the track will continue to use its spring weekend to honor NASCAR history and legends into the future.

The Conversation Begins (Again)

Despite this shift in the overall tone of the weekend, fans and industry members predicted that teams would still enter throwback paint schemes in 2026. Of course, NASCAR never officially said that throwback paint schemes were off the table, but rather that they were not the focus of the race weekend.

Regardless, with Darlington’s spring race right around the corner, the conversation about the end of throwback weekend has reignited, as some fans who may have missed the preseason news are trying to decode what teams are allowed to do during this race weekend.

For the most part, these fans are seeking clarity as to whether or not teams will or can run throwback weekends in 2026, something understandable, as NASCAR never officially announced the end of throwback weekend.

To help explain what is happening, many from the online NASCAR community and the garage area have stepped up to the plate to help explain what to expect from NASCAR’s throwback weekend from now on.

In a post to social media late Thursday night, JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr joined the fray, reaffirming that even though throwback weekend is officially canceled, fans can still expect to see throwback paint schemes for years to come.

In short, Earnhardt said that the decision is really up to the teams, as NASCAR is not outright pushing back at teams, racing throwback designs.

The Hall of Famer even praised Darlington and NASCAR for continuing to “ shine a light” on drivers of the past while reinforcing that “No one in Nascar ever said no more throwback cars.”

Of course, it’s no secret that teams across the garage are already revealing their 2026 throwbacks.

This list already includes RFK Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Alpha Prime Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, with more throwback designs expected to be announced ahead of next weekend’s race.

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