NASCAR and America have long been synonymous. One of America’s most cherished pastimes, there have been a number of paint schemes celebrating this great country through the years. Some have been as simplistic as just slapping an American flag on the hood or rear decklid of an existing scheme. But other teams and sponsors go all-in on the celebration, proudly sporting stars and stripes all over their liveries.
Historically, two races on the NASCAR calendar are when these types of schemes are usually run. The Coca-Cola 600 is one of them, it being run on Memorial Day weekend. The other, in the past, has been the Pepsi 400 (or the Firecracker 400) at Daytona, when it was on the 4th of July weekend. But with that race moved to August, we see less and less of these special schemes on track nowadays. Nevertheless, here are some of the best patriotic paint schemes to ever grace the NASCAR track.
Dale Earnhardt had a tradition in the 1990s of running special paint schemes for the annual Winston, or All-Star Race. One year, he ran a throwback to his Wrangler days. Another time he drove a black and gold Bass Pro Shops car. Dale Jr. (and Josh Berry, for that matter) did a throwback to that scheme a number of years ago in JR Motorsports’ late model division. And who can forget the Wheaties car? Or the time he ran that silvered-out car with the orange door numbers?
Well, in 1996, the United States hosted the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. To celebrate this, Dale and Goodwrench decided to run an all red, white, and blue paint scheme. The stars on the blue background near the hood and front bumpers really pop, and I like the waves in the stripes down the sides. It’s like a flag fluttering in the breeze.
Always a patriot, one of Martin Truex Jr.’s best paint schemes is his patriotic Bass Pro Shops livery from the 2019 Coca-Cola 600. And, as you can see in the video clip below, this scheme is a race-winning scheme. It practically shouts AMERICA! What I like about this one is that it somewhat incorporates Truex’s usual paint scheme without it being off-putting or ugly. The red-orange works with the Bass Pro Shops colors very well and complements the slightly lighter than expected blue. The Bass Pro Shops logo really pops, as well, making for the perfect patriotic statement.
Dupont, being essentially a paint company, can design a car pretty much however they want to. This gave Jeff Gordon a lot of freedom over the course of his career to be creative, and we’ve gotten some iconic paint schemes because of this. His Nicorette, Pepsi, and Rainbow Warriors schemes are all legendary! Especially that last one! But, when you grow up watching NASCAR in the mid-2000s, it’s hard not to see that 24 car, no matter the driver, without flames on the sides.
In the 2010 Coca-Cola 600, Dupont decided to get patriotic. Keeping the flames theme of the livery, they painted them with red and white stripes exploding from the bubble of the star-plastered logo on the hood. When this car showed up at the track in 2010, I thought it looked sharp. Looking back, it stands the test of time. Some fans might have a problem with the neon yellow door and roof number. I get the argument, but come on! It’s just an iconic look for Gordon and his many fans.
Martin Truex Jr. isn’t the only driver on this list to win in their patriotic scheme. Brad Keselowski, in fact, did it the very next year in the very same race. Like the others on this list, this car screams America. In general, the beer companies do a pretty good job at patriotic liveries. I like how it’s still essentially that classic Miller Lite scheme from the late 2010s, only spruced up with a sideways American flag running down the door. The blue of the roof and window matches the blue of the Lite logo on the hood and the sides. It’s a chef’s kiss of a patriotic paint scheme.
I also enjoy the accents of the white wheels in the tires.
For the last entry on our list, Miller is left holding our beer because next is none other than the King of Beers, Budweiser. Perhaps America’s most iconic brand of beer, Budweiser always knocks it out of the park (pun intended) when it comes to patriotic paint schemes. There are a lot of great liveries out there. Kevin Harvick had some great ones in the past. But for the sake of this list, we went with what we believe is the best of them: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2007 Pepsi 400 scheme. I mean, come on! They essentially turned Dale Jr.’s Bud 8 car into an American flag! It doesn’t get any more ‘Merican than that!
How did Dale do in this ride? Well, it was DEI in 2007, so he blew an engine. Still, it was fun while it lasted! To me, this is the perfect patriotic paint scheme. I like the flow of the stars and the stripes and the accent down the side of the blue Budweiser logo. It’s just absolutely amazing!
That does it for this list, Daily Downforce readers. What did you think of it? What are some of your favorite patriotic plaint schemes out there? Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates. And everybody have a fun and safe 4th of July!
