Darlington’s Spring Throwback weekend is one of the highest-regarded modern traditions in NASCAR. Once, and sometimes twice a season, drivers and teams unveil modern take on some of the best paint schemes in NASCAR history. This year, Throwback Weekend is April 5 and 6; here are all the new (old) paint schemes fans will see that weekend.
Freightliner – 1979-80 Dale Earnhardt Osterlund Racing Throwback
Beef-A-Roo – 1996 Dale Earnhardt Jr Myrtle Beach Throwback
Hendrickcars.com – 2003 Terry Labonte Southern 500 Win Throwback
Unifirst – 1994 Ken Schrader Kodiak Throwback
Sea Best Seafood/Beaver Street Fisheries – 1989 Patty Moise Daytona Throwback
Sports Clips – 2006 Carl Edwards Office Depot Throwback
Dutch Boy – 2006 Dave Blaney Charlotte Win Throwback
DeWalt – Rick Ferkel Sprint Car Tribute
Motorcraft – Jim Clark 1965 Indianapolis 500 Winning Lotus 38 Throwback
Pennzoil – 1976 Cale Yarborough Holly Farms Throwback
Axalta – 2015 Jeff Gordon Homestead-Miami Speedway Throwback
Ruedebusch – Ray Fox Engineering Throwback
Long John Silvers – Long John Silvers Throwback
Haas Tooling – 2002 Jimmy Spencer Target Throwback
Dollar Tree – 1998 Joe Nemechek BellSouth Throwback
Advent Health/#CheckIt4Andretti – 1998John Andretti STP
Wawa – 1985 Bill Elliott Coors Throwback
Ally – 2012 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 200th Win Throwback
Jacob Construction – 2000 Ward Burton Caterpillar Throwback
Bass Pro Shops – 2010 Jamie McMurray Daytona 500 Win Throwback
Dr. Teal’s/VisualPak – 1990s Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Throwback
Brandt – 1949 Brandt Fertilizer Service Truck Throwback
Liberty Brew Coffee – 2007 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Throwback
TMC Transportation – 2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3 Doors Down Throwback
Helm – 1999 Adam Petty Spree Throwback
Alloy – 2007 Mark Martin U.S. Army Throwback
Trophy Tractor – 1993 Terry Labonte MW Windows Throwback
Starkey – 2016 Kyle Busch Xfinity Series 10-Win Season Throwback
Sports Clips – Rick Ferkel Sprint Car Tribute
Turtle Wax/Menards – 2013 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Throwback
DEX Imaging – 2001 Jeff Burton Citgo Throwback
Thompson Pipe Group – 2009 Jamie McMurray Talladega Win Throwback
AJ Transport – 1994 Ward Burton Hardee’s Throwback
Night Owl – 2002 Ricky Rudd Havoline Throwback
CB Fabricating – 2015 Ryan Reed Daytona Win Throwback
SciAps – 1999 Dale Jarrett Reverse Retro Throwback
Haas Tooling – 2017 Kurt Busch Daytona 500 Win
Randco Inc. – 2005 Jamie McMurray Coors Light Throwback
Clark’s Directional Boring/CW & Sons – 2001 Jeff Gordon Looney Tunes Dupont Chromalusion Throwback
Capital City Hauling – 1999 Jimmy Spencer Winston “No Bull”
Big Machine Spiked Coolers – 1975 Bobby Unser Jorgensen Eagle Throwback
Harrison’s – 1985 Harry Gant #33 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Throwback
Distributor Wire & Cable – Jeff Green 2000 Xfinity Series Championship Throwback
Southern Elevator – Ryan Ellis Legend Car Throwback
WeatherTech – 1987 Buddy Baker Crisco Oldsmobile Throwback
Viking Motorsports – 2000 Jeff Burton Exide Batteries Throwback
This article will be updated throughout the season leading up to Darlington.
Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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Corey Day’s run-in with Connor Zilisch at Circuit of the Americas became one of the most discussed incidents from Saturday’s race, even drawing a response from Denny Hamlin as well, who this week talked about his support for Zilisch.
During the race, Zilisch dealt with brake trouble on his No. 1 Chevrolet but worked his way forward from the rear of the field, advancing from P29 to P4 in the closing laps. With five laps remaining, he engaged in a battle with Hendrick Motorsports driver Corey Day as they exited Turn 2, holding the outside line. But as they contested the position, Day moved up behind him, contact occurred, and Zilisch spun off course to finish the race in P21.
After the contact, frustrated, Connor Zilisch initially referred to Day as an “absolute hack” on his radio, describing the clash as part of the latter’s racing pattern. But the JR Motorsports driver later tempered his comments, simply saying he expects an apology from the young Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Given that Zilisch declined to escalate the situation, on the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin credited him for calmly managing his response after the race, saying,
“Zillich was smart about this. He in his interview, he’s like, “I looked over at him thinking, come on over here. Come apologize.” And he said he just looked at him with a stare like, I don’t know what it is with these guys. Why, Why can’t they… youth?”
However, he questioned Day’s failure to issue an immediate apology. In fact, he said he was “floored” by Corey Day’s reaction, which involved staring at a frustrated Zilisch rather than apologizing.
The No. 11 JGR driver also raised questions about how Hendrick Motorsports evaluates developing drivers. Organizations invest with the expectation of returns measured in wins and titles, but when a driver continues to make visible mistakes, fans and especially other drivers will start to scrutinize. Hamlin pointed to the balance between development and production, asking how long it would hold.
The COTA incident was not the first time Day’s racing antics were questioned. Last week, during the Atlanta race, Day was involved in a multi-car crash on lap five after attempting a three-wide move that resulted in contact with Ryan Sieg. The move triggered a chain reaction that collected several cars.
Sieg responded over team radio, questioning both the decision and Day’s presence in the series.
Hamlin argued that drivers are allowed to make mistakes as part of growth. At teams with front-running equipment and title ambitions, time frames are shorter. But he questioned whether Day faces a deadline by season’s end or whether the assessment extends into the following year.
In Day’s case, results have not offset the incidents that have drawn attention. Hamlin referenced Kyle Larson as an example, noting that aggressive driving can lead to contact as well as wins.
Do you agree with Hamlin’s take? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Bubba Wallace shared a message on X following the death of a close friend, writing about the weight of the news over the weekend.
“Makes you think about life and how precious it is… That tune… Nutshell- Alice In Chains Love yall,” he continued.
While Wallace did not name the friend in his post, one day before, reports confirmed that Chase Pistone, 42, had died. Pistone competed on short tracks and in NASCAR’s national ranks and later owned a Legends car. His family asked media outlets to share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, 988. His brothers, Nick and Tom Pistone, confirmed the news to LegendsNation.com.
Pistone, who was the grandson of NASCAR driver “Tiger” Tom Pistone, built his racing career in Legends cars and Late Models before stepping into NASCAR competition.
Apparently, Wallace and Pistone raced each other in Legends cars around 2005. Pistone won four Summer Shootout Championships at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with two titles in the Semi-Pro and two in the Pro divisions. Wallace competed in both Bandolero and Legends categories during that period, winning 35 of 48 Bandolero races in one season.
Both drivers were regulars at the Charlotte Summer Shootout. From there, their paths moved toward the national touring series.
Pistone made starts in ARCA and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005 and 2006, including an appearance with Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway. Meanwhile, Wallace moved into the K&N Pro Series East by 2010.
In 2006, Pistone made a start in the Nationwide Series at Martinsville, finishing 37th. After failing to qualify for the ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona in 2007, he stepped away from NASCAR competition until 2014.
He returned that year for eight combined starts in the Truck and Nationwide Series. In his final season at the national level, Pistone recorded a P9-place finish in the Truck Series race at Gateway, the best of his NASACR Truck career.
Beyond driving, Pistone owned CP Inc., building Legends and Late Model stock cars and offering leasing programs that included equipment, crew, and transport.
