In NASCAR, great paint schemes take on lives of their own. It becomes a part of a driver’s brand. When you think of the STP 43 car, you think of Richard Petty. Which are the most iconic? Our very own John Rizzo goes through every decade to talk about the most iconic.

• 1950s: The iconic Fabulous Hudson Hornet, which was a major departure from other paint schemes of the time.
• 1960s: The first team to nab a major sponsor, the iconic banned Chevy Chevelle, Petty Blue, and EYEBALLS??
• 1970s: The STP 43 car makes an appearance. A couple of other Hall of Famers are on the list as well.
• 1980s: Dale Earnhardt tops himself with two iconic paint schemes, but plenty of other schemes join as well. The most iconic scheme of the decade is now banned. Why is it banned?
• 1990s: Is this the greatest decade of paint schemes? The duality of Jeff Gordon vs Dale Earnhardt and a bunch of other paint schemes. However, one of the most iconic is not from a Hall of Fame driver.
• 2000s: The “Blue Deuce”, the Bud 8 car, and the Silver Bullet for the beer-sponsored cars. However, a couple of Hendrick cars join as well.
• 2010s: The best M&Ms scheme, and two of the few paint schemes that saw few changes through the years.
• 2020s: While sponsorship demands mean that few drivers have singular paint schemes, a couple of drivers appear to have their schemes age well.

There is nothing like an iconic paint scheme, and every decade of NASCAR history has its version of iconic paint schemes. Which one is the best?