“The Lady In Black” Throws Back 75 Years
by Tom Jensen April 03, 2025
Ten years ago, Darlington Raceway launched its hugely popular Throwback Weekend. Here are some of the best tribute paint schemes of the past decade.
When it comes to old-school NASCAR racing, Darlington Raceway is one of the true crown jewels of the sport, a track that combines a high-speed, high-banked 1.366-mile oval layout with 75 years of history dating back to the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950.
Over the past 75 years, Darlington has earned the nicknames “The Lady in Black” and “The Track Too Tough to Tame” for good reason: It’s one of the most difficult circuits on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, which also makes it a true prize for drivers who win there.
Ten years ago, Darlington launched its hugely successful “Throwback Weekend,” where cars and crewmembers carry the colors of legends of the past, names like Petty, Pearson, Earnhardt, Yarborough and Gordon, among others. The walk down Memory Lane proved highly popular with race fans, teams and sponsors.
NASCAR is set to return to Darlington for Throwback Weekend and the running of the April 6 Goodyear 400 Cup Series race. Meanwhile, about 100 miles northwest of the track, the NASCAR Hall of Fame has opened a new exhibit honoring Darlington’s first 75 years with a host of rare artifacts and photographs, including some never seen publicly before.
In honor of Darlington’s rich 75-year history and the new NASCAR Hall of Fame exhibit, here are some of the best special paint schemes from each of the first 10 years of Throwback Weekend at The Track Too Tough To Tame.
Driver Aric Almirola carried his team owner’s favorite colors during Darlington Raceway’s inaugural Throwback Weekend. Photos courtesy of Brian D. Lawdermilk/NASCAR via Getty Images and NASCAR Archives & Research Center
Aric Almirola, 2015
One of the most iconic NASCAR paint schemes of all time was the Petty Blue and STP Day-Glo Red combination that Richard Petty (Class of 2010) debuted 1972. So it was only natural that Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) brought back the look for the inaugural Throwback Weekend. Driving his No. 43 RPM Ford with the 1972 colors, Aric Almirola finished a respectable 11th in the 2015 Southern 500.
With Dale Earnhardt Jr. sidelined by a concussion, Jeff Gordon filled in behind the wheel of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Darlington in 2016. Photos courtesy of Jerry Markland/NASCAR via Getty Images and NASCAR Archives & Research Center
Jeff Gordon, 2016
The all-time Darlington leader in NASCAR Cup Series victories, Jeff Gordon (Class of 2019) won seven times on the challenging 1.366-mile Darlington oval. In his 36th and final start at Darlington, Gordon substituted for Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Class of 2021) and finished 14th in the 2016 Southern 500. The paint scheme on Gordon’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet paid homage to Buddy Baker (Class of 2020) and his famed “Gray Ghost” Oldsmobile that won the 1980 Daytona 500 in record time.
Wood Brothers Racing broke out their old Citgo colors from the late 1980s for driver Ryan Blaney in 2017. Photos courtesy of Matt Sullivan/Getty Images and NASCAR Archives & Research Center
Ryan Blaney, 2017
In 1950, the same year Darlington Raceway opened, Glen Wood (Class of 2012) founded Wood Brothers Racing in Stuart, Virginia. In the late 1980s Glenn’s brother Leonard (Class of 2013) was preparing the team’s Citgo-sponsored Fords, which were driven by Neil Bonnett. For the 2017 Southern 500, the team brought Bonnett’s paint scheme back for driver Ryan Blaney.
Driving for team owner Roger Penske, Brad Keselowski led the final 22 laps to win the 2018 Southern 500. Photos courtesy of Josh Hedges/Getty Images and NASCAR Archives & Research Center
Brad Keselowski, 2018
Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski had a NASCAR Hall of Fame night in the 2018 Southern 500. Piloting a Ford owned by Roger Penske (Class of 2019) and trimmed out in the familiar black and gold Miller Genuine Draft livery made famous by former Penske driver Rusty Wallace (Class of 2013), Keselowski scored one of the biggest wins of his career.
It was “Days of Thunder” for William Byron at Darlington Raceway in 2019, when he was behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Photos courtesy of Brian D. Lawdermilk/NASCAR via Getty Images and NASCAR Archives & Research Center
William Byron, 2019
The 1990 Hollywood blockbuster “Days of Thunder” was loosely based on the story of Rick Hendrick (Class of 2017), the founder and owner of both Hendrick Motorsports and City Chevrolet, a car dealership in Charlotte. In 2019, Hendrick driver William Byron qualified on the pole for the Southern 500 in a City Chevrolet-sponsored car like the one actor Tom Cruise raced in the film. Byron struggled in the real Darlington race, finishing 21st.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford ran vintage Kyle Petty colors in the 2020 Southern 500. Photo courtesy of Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
Clint Bowyer, 2020
Stewart-Haas Racing, the team co-owned by Tony Stewart (Class of 2020), always ran eye-catching paint schemes for Throwback Weekend and the 2020 Southern 500 was no exception. For that race, Clint Bowyer’s No. 14 SHR Ford was decked out in the Peak Antifreeze paint scheme first raced by Kyle Petty in 1990, when he drove for Felix Sabates. Bowyer had a good race, finishing 10th.
Bubba Wallace saluted Hall of Famer Wendell Scott in the 2021 Southern 500. Photos courtesy of Chris Graythen/Getty Images and NASCAR Archives & Research Center
Bubba Wallace, 2021
In 2021, Throwback Weekend at Darlington was moved from Labor Day weekend and the Southern 500 to the spring race, the Goodyear 400. Virginia racer Wendell Scott (Class of 2015) was the first Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. To recognize Scott’s pioneering efforts, Bubba Wallace’s Toyota carried a portrait of Scott on the side of his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, along with the light blue paint scheme that Scott ran back in the 1960s. Wallace would go on to score his first career Cup Series victory later that year.
One of the more recent throwbacks was this Mark Martin scheme circa early 2000s. Photos courtesy of Emilee Chinn/Getty Images and Darrell Ingham/Getty Images
Brad Keselowski, 2022
In 2022, Brad Keselowski became a co-owner of RFK Racing, the NASCAR Cup Series team founded by Jack Roush (Class of 2019) as Roush Racing in late 1988. So when Throwback Weekend rolled around later in the 2022 season, Keselowski’s No. 6 RFK Ford was given the blue and white colors of Roush driver Mark Martin (Class of 2017) in the early 2000s. Unfortunately for Keselowski, he was caught up in a crash in the Goodyear 400, finishing 34th.
One year after winning the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, Joey Logano returned with this red, white and blue Team Penske Ford Mustang. Photos courtesy of David Jensen/Getty Images and NASCAR Archives & Research Center
Joey Logano, 2023
In 1975, Bobby Allison (Class of 2011) swept both Darlington races in a red, white and blue AMC Matador fielded by team owner Roger Penske (Class of 2019). Some 48 years later, 2022 Goodyear 400 winner Joey Logano ran an Allison-inspired paint scheme on his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang in the 2023 spring Darlington race. Logano’s tri-colored Ford Mustang turned a lot of heads, but he was unable to repeat his 2022 victory, instead finishing 18th.
Austin Dillon’s gold paint scheme was a throwback to his grandfather’s 50th anniversary of founding Richard Childress Racing. Photos courtesy of James Gilbert/Getty Images and Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Austin Dillon, 2024
In 2019, NASCAR team owner Richard Childress (Class of 2017) celebrated the 50th anniversary of his Richard Childress Racing (RCR) team with a special gold car for his grandson, driver Austin Dillon, to run in the annual NASCAR All-Star Race. Just five years later, RCR rolled out another gold Chevrolet for Dillon, this one to be raced at the Darlington Throwback weekend, where Dillon finished 28th.
Plan your visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets by visiting nascarhall.com/tickets.
