2016 Darlington Paint Scheme Power Rankings

By Richard Tix


It's Darlington week during Labor Day weekend again. Last year NASCAR brought Darlington back to it's traditional Labor Day weekend and the teams brought back the retro feel by feeding us ton's of throwback paint scheme's.

Behind the Wall followed suit and gave readers a Throwback Paint Scheme Power Rankings. So, for the second straight year lets break down the Darlington Throwback schemes. Disclaimer, this is all based on opinion (like many lists are). This year we will do a top 16. One: because so many great schemes came out and Two: because the Chase consists of 16 drivers and it's the best way to fit in all my favorites.


1) Greg Biffle - Hooters

When this paint scheme first dropped I had already started this list (head starts are nice when you're busy with a real life job, not just a blog...). When the Hooters scheme dropped I immediately had to think about where it landed because I knew I held it highly. I originally had it two or three, but then it was announced that the famed "Underbird: would be added to the front it edged out Tony Stewart's throwback. Everything about this scheme is perfect including Hooters coming back for a one off race. Nice work RFR and Hooters, NBTW approves.


2) Tony Stewart - Coca-Cola



When this car was reviled it automatically shot up the list I was keeping in my head. Everything about it screams perfect throwback. SHR/Tony Stewart/Coca-Cola made the old school look first run by Bobby Allison from 1970-73 work perfect on the Gen-6 (Inclduing 1971 and 1972 Southern 500 wins). The simple lines work perfect and when I think old school NASCAR I think of colors like this. The number font is great (but the 12 looks better in the stylized font) and Coca-Cola is a great sponsor (plus the original). Oh, and man the engine CC on the hood, its a thing of beauty. - NASCAR.com story on the revile and car


3) Kevin Harvick - Busch



A throwback scheme to the 1979 Daytona 500 run by NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough, count me in as a fan. The Busch scheme gets extra points for the gold number/rim combo. Plus, it's always nice when a team can use the same old school sponsor that was originally on the car. SHR takes the top two spots in this ranking after underwhelming on the No. 41 and No. 10. - More on the 1979 Cale Yarborough look on NASCAR.com


4) Dale Earnhardt Jr/Jeff Gordon - Nationwide



The "Gray Ghost" is back again. Dale Junior hinted at this being his scheme for awhile before officially releasing it in mid April. It's a classic NASCAR look from Buddy Baker and his scheme from 1980 when he won the Daytona 500. I am a huge fan of this scheme (I even have a shirt of it I picked up while at the All Star Race). It would have landed a bit higher is he hadn't already used a Gray Ghost look a few years back. - More on Gray Ghost on DaleJr.com


5) Kyle Busch - Interstate Battery



What is more 90's NASCAR then Dale Jarrett and Interstate Batteries? Sure, you could make a case for Bobby Labonte and Interstate Batteries after Dale, but play along here. This is biased of me (but what rankings isn't?). The 90's look on Jarrett and Labonte's Interstate Battery cars are some of my favorite. Mostly because it was an iconic look in the time frame I started watching as a young kid. Past that, the colors pop while the black gives it an intimidating look. The Interstate logo at the time was perfectly overlaid on the scheme which is an added bonus. - More on the Dale Jarrett scheme on NASCAR.com


6) Casey Mears - Geico



Black, Gold, with a small pop of red. Everything about Mears throwback for Darlington says NASCAR roots. So, with no surprise the scheme is a tribute to Smokey Yunick who was one of the most innovative crew chief's in NASCAR history. The car just seems to pop and stick out with the black and gold combo that was used on Smokeys cars including for Curtis Turner in 1977 who won the pole for the Daytona 500. Between the ingenuity of the man behind the car and the way he pulled it off, this is a top 6 throwback. I will say, the silver "bumper" is a cool idea, but I don't think they pulled it off on the Gen 6. Without it, I may have moved the Smokey Tribute car a bit higher. - More on the Smokey car on NASCAR.com


7) Matt Kenseth - Tide

JGR, Kenseth, and Tide came in strong to screw up my rankings. I figured I wouldn't have to make a ton of changes to the top 10 so I started my rankings two weeks before Darlington, then this happened. Tide makes a one race return which is enough to get this car into the top 10 (props to Tide and JGR). On top of that, this is one of the classic NASCAR looks of all time. I did doc it a bit because GoFast Racing already ran this one last year (Ricky Craven with a correct number) and the yellow stripe is curved wrong. Seriously, its curved wrong.... Three different versions have seen this livery and they changed the yellow stripe curve? Weird miss, but it won't get in my top five for those two reason's. Still, huge props to get Tide back for a race. Top 10 is impressive in such a stout year for throwbacks let alone 6th overall.


8) Carl Edwards - Arris



We have perfect throwback colors in a car/s above. We have perfect early childhood NASCAR memories in a car above. Now we have perfect timing on a throwback in a car. What a better time for JGR to bring back a Tony Stewart throwback then in his last season and last trip to Darlington. The other part of this scheme keeping it higher is the fact that they very successfully used current sponsor Arris on the hood and almost made you think it was Home Depot. Seriously, that part of the car was very well done and might get overlooked. It's JGR 25th anniversary year and showing off Smokes 1999 rookie year scheme at the Southern 500 was a home run. If it wasn't for the "perfect" storm (timing with Stewart's retirement) this scheme would have fallen a few extra spots. - More on the Stewart tribute on NASCAR.com


9) Jeffery Earnhardt - CorvetteParts.com/Keen Parts



Jr Nation may come after me for having this one so low (that's because most of Jr Nation was first Dale Sr fans). However, the 1981 Dale Earnhardt throwback is still easily a top 10 scheme for Darlington weekend and one of the better throwback scheme's one could have. Its also an added bonus to keep the scheme in the family. The colors will always be an amazing combo and the stripe fade is a great touch. What bring's it down a touch? Dale Junior running the exact throwback in Xfinity a few years back (then Nationwide) and the fact that they could have done more with the numbers (match the old three better stylistically). Overall, nice job GoFast Racing/Keen Parts. - More on the Earnhardt throwback on NASCAR.com


10) Trevor Bayne - Advocare



My first thought when this was the scheme chosen by RFR? "Hey, that was one of my first 1:24 scale NASCAR die-cast's!" My early collection consisted of a bunch of Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty cars, this Mark Martin Valvoline run in 1996 and 1997, and a Bill Elliott car. My 1:64 was a bit more well rounded, but for the bigger versions this was one of my favorites. Over time the scheme has aged well. RFR and Advocare brought it back which marks back to back years of Mark Martin throwbacks and back to back years Trevor Bayne made this Power Rankings. Well done RFR, now if you could just turn the on track finishes around. - Another look of the Mark Martin throwback on NASCAR.com


11) Jamie McMurray - Mac Tonight (McDonalds)



Speaking of die-casts of my youth, add in this McDonalds scheme to the Mark Martin one above. This "Mac Tonight" scheme run by Bill Elliott in 1997 is a classic for how off the wall it was. Nothing brings me back to childhood more then NASCAR, McDonalds, and Die-Casts. Let's also note J-Mac running a Mac Tonight scheme, perfect! - More on NASCAR.com


12) Matt DiBenedetto - Orange Crush



This is secretly one of my favorite scheme's of the weekend that may not get the credit it should. So, secret is out! Unlike all of the above, this scheme isn't actually based on a car from a past era, but rather a whole "new" scheme where the sponsor is throwing it back. The lines are fairly simple which was a staple of older schemes. Meanwhile Orange Crush really gave it an old school feel with old script and throwback logo's. The perfect numbers are what puts this one over the top (as well as my love for Orange and Blue). - More about Orange Crush and the throwback scheme on NASCAR.com


13) Ryan Blaney - Quick Lane



We are at No. 13 and have yet to hit a weak point in the list, that's pretty amazing. If you add in fire suits to the equation then Blaney and his ride would gain a few spots. Wood Brothers really can do no wrong when it comes to throwing a car's paint scheme back in time, heck every week they run a classic! This time the Wood Brothers chose to go with the 1976 Mercury Montego that David Pearson made famous by winning 10 races in 1976 including the Southern 500. I will say the red by the headlights doesn't work like it did on the Mercury which held it back a bit (like the bumper on the No. 13), but I do appreciate the attempt to replicate what was on Pearson's ride. - More on the David Person throwback on NASCAR.com


14) Denny Hamlin - Sport Clips



This years Denny Hamlin throwback is better then what Sport Clips gave us last year for the Southern 500. It's tough to go wrong with Red, White, and Blue. The gold numbers on the side are a fantastic and I can dig the clean lines. Overall its a nice classic feel which points out the fact that clean lines are king (in my opinion) when throwing it back. - More on NASCAR.com


15) Aric Almirola - STP



Look, I love the King. My brother who loves NASCAR and got me into it as a young kid is much older then me and was a Richard Petty fan, so I followed suit. But, I think if the throwbacks weren't Petty STP car's every year I would find myself putting them higher. The colors are classic and iconic in NASCAR. Not many times does a color become iconic in sport, but STP and Petty did just that. The 1979 throwback is still fantastic, hence why it made the list, but I downgraded it because it feels like we have seen it before. The slight paint scheme changes back when car bodies changed more often are more noticeable then on the Gen 6 every year. - More on NASCAR.com


16) Brad Keselowski - Miller Lite



Team Penske/Miller Lite came up with a fresh "new" old school look. Personally, I love this scheme, but in a class of so many good one's this slipped a bit. It's original yet has a classic feel. The lines are simple and flowing and work with the Gen 6 (because it isn't based off an old scheme). When it comes to original throwbacks, this one is up there with the "Orange Crush." Miller Lite did well with the stylistic font and the baby blue, white, and accent gold that resemble their 1972 designs. Trust me, this will look good under the Darlington lights. - More on NASCAR.com


Extra Credit: AJ Allmendinger - Kroger



Considering this scheme came off of a 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo it works pretty well. Once again, I absolutely love the colors. Any time you can use red, blue, or white (or all of them) and add in gold, well it's pure throwback gold. JTG went back and will honor 1975 rookie of the year Bruce Hill. IN the end, its the gold number on the side that gets this care on the list for me, 100% love them. - More on jtgdaughertyracing.com com

Extra Credit Two: Jimmie Johnson - Lowes



Another look at a Dale Earnhardt throwback this season. This time to his first season which also included David Pearson subbing for him. The colors and lines are simple which really works. The style and numbers are nice and everything looks good. For me, it's just not amazing compared to how much I love the others. Still, nicely done. - More on NASCAR.com

Extra Credit Three: Michael McDowell - Thrivent



The No. 95 will be throwing it back Darlington weekend to a 1973 scheme driven by Richard Childress. What I love: how simple the scheme is. The silver numbers. The font on the quarter panels that match the old "Kansas Jack" style. What I wish they added/changed: The Thrivent logo is too large for my taste. You can barely tell a racing strip continues to the hood. I also which they would have added in some of the blue that was normally run by Childress that season. Thrivent said the red worked better with them, but I think some blue accent would have worked nice. - More on NASCAR.com


Just Missed: Chase Elliott, Regan Smith, Austin Dillon, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr (See them here)
Totally Missed the Mark: Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr, and David Ragan