MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 3, 2021) – In one of the grand traditions of today’s NASCAR, JR Motorsports will celebrate the Throwback weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway with a trio of offerings paying tribute to some true legends of the sport.
Michael Annett’s No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet leads it off by hearkening back to the glory days of ol’ D.W. (and others) with a Gatorade-themed throwback. Darrell Waltrip won 25 of his 84 NASCAR Cup Series races in the famed No. 88 Gatorade Chevrolet for DiGard Racing, including the spring race at Darlington in both 1977 and 1979. The paint scheme is the one that was on the No. 88 in 1979. It’s a famous car in NASCAR history, as it was driven by Ricky Rudd and Bobby Allison.
Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 throwback, sponsored by Good Humor Ice Cream, is a tribute to the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the 2000 Daytona 500. The car was adorned with a promotional paint scheme with Taz, the Tasmanian Devil from Warner Bros. of cartoon fame, in conjunction with Chevrolet and GM, owners of the Goodwrench brand. That race was special in that it was the first Daytona 500 to feature both Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The elder Earnhardt started and finished 21st after a late-race accident.
Josh Berry’s No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet will carry another Earnhardt-specific paint scheme remembrance, the Budweiser All-Star Game Chevrolet from the 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona. In that race, the first at Daytona following the tragic loss of Dale Sr. in the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. restarted sixth with six laps remaining, moved to fourth by Turn 3 and was third the next time by the flag stand. The next time by, he was in the lead and he would hold it to the finish line. Behind him was DEI teammate Michael Waltrip, whom Earnhardt Jr. had escorted to the checkered in the fateful race there a few months before. After a burnout in the infield, Waltrip pulled up beside him to celebrate atop the roof of his car. Earnhardt Jr. soon joined him, and the two embraced in full view of the capacity crowd. That is depicted in a decal on the side on the No. 8 this weekend.