Some paint schemes are used multiple times and become iconic, while others are one-off schemes that are never used again. What are some NASCAR paint schemes that will never be seen again? These are not bad schemes, just schemes that will not be used again.
In 2016 at Auto Club Speedway, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran promotional schemes from DC Comics promoting the brand new Batman V Superman movie. How did he schemes run? Well, let’s just say the critics probably enjoyed the schemes more than the movie itself.
Johnson took home his second win of the season by beating fellow California native Kevin Harvick on an overtime restart. Earnhardt Jr. came home a decent 11th. So, maybe the schemes received mixed reviews just like the movie.
With advertising of tobacco products now illegal, any tobacco related paint schemes are never going to be run again. The most iconic tobacco related paint scheme was run by Harry Gant between 1981 and 1994. Gant won 18 races in the scheme during his 14 seasons running it.
In 1991, Gant had his most iconic moment in the scheme. He won four races in a row in the September of 1991, cementing the nickname “Mr. September”. The final win coming in a damaged race car at Martinsville.
2016 was not Johnson’s first movie-themed scheme victory. He also ran a movie scheme in 2012 at his best track, Dover Motor Speedway. Johnson led 289 laps en route to the win by 2.5 seconds over Kevin Harvick.
This scheme is best remembered, however, for Johnson’s victory lane. Where in conjunction with the movie, Johnson wore a rainbow afro in the victory lane photographs. Typically a clean-cut guy, it was kind of cool to see Johnson in this type of goofy light.
In 2012, Jeff Gordon ran a special paint scheme in the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami. This was to commemorate his 20 years with DuPont as his sponsor. It was the final time DuPont was on a race car before it became Axalta in 2013.Gordon made sure DuPont went out with a bang.
He and crew chief Alan Gustafson played some great pit strategy to take the lead with 20 laps to go. This was also a week after Gordon’s run-in with Clint Bowyer at Phoenix, and guess who ran second. Clint Bowyer ran second in that race.
Another movie scheme, Kyle Busch ran a paint job promoting Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for the Darlington race in 2008. On a newly paved race track, Busch had a chaotic day as people normally do at Darlington.
In the end, Busch led 169 of 367 laps en route to a win. It was one of eight wins that Busch had during the first 22 races of the 2008 season.
Okay, we may need to put an asterisk next to this one with how many Batman movies DC is attempting. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had one of his best moments in this special Dark Knight scheme in 2012 at Michigan.
Earnhardt Jr. had not won since the same race at Michigan in June of 2008. This year, he would lead 95 laps and comfortably win over Tony Stewart by 5.4 seconds. The second win for Earnhardt Jr. for Hendrick Motorsports.
These are some rare schemes in NASCAR history that will never happen again. These types of schemes have also had plenty of great moments as well, and maybe we will see more of these as the season goes on.
