In a little over a week, NASCAR will race at Darlington. It’ll be Darlington’s annual throwback weekend, where the current stars of the sport recognize and honor the stars of the past. Each team has their own process why they choose their throwback paint scheme.
This season, two teams will honor Dale Jarrett with the same UPS paint scheme from the early 2000s. Trackhouse Racing announced on Tuesday that Ross Chastain will drive a version with Worldwide Express bringing on UPS as a hood sponsor. Then on Wednesday, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will have the same scheme with Country Crock and Kroger as sponsors.
There’s nothing against two cars having the same paint scheme. It’s a requirement in Formula 1, and it’s happened in NASCAR. Specifically, the #9 and #19 Evernham Dodges that raced over 20 years ago. It is wild that two cars from two different teams have the same paint scheme.
And then there’s the potential confusion between the two cars during the race. Spotters will need to be able to spot the correct car and not accidentally go to the other car, while the Fox broadcasting crew will not only need to adjust to seeing 40 different-looking cars but deal with two similar-looking cars in the same race.
Either way, I’m sure everyone will be able to adjust to the circumstances, and it should be a great weekend.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
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