Do you know what’s common between Star Wars and NASCAR? Speed and thrill are deeply ingrained in both of their DNA. Does anyone remember the pod races Anakin Skywalker competed in during The Phantom Menace? It’s as competitive as a Cup Series race, although the stakes might have been slightly higher in that instance. This time around, history seems to be repeating itself. After an X-Wing-inspired car-wrap designed Phoenix Raceway last year, Bubba Wallace has something even more exciting this time.

The 23XI Racing driver will be featuring an ultra-cool paint scheme, helmet, and racing suit inspired by none other than Darth Vader. Yes, you read that right. Wallace’s best friend Ryan Blaney, who is known for his Star Wars obsession, will already be green with envy after hearing the news.

Bubba Wallace switches to the dark side

Bubba Wallace already joined the rebellion last season, with his helmet and firesuit resembling the alliance’s pilots from the original trilogy. The car was featured at Phoenix Raceway last year and revealed with a guest appearance from Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the popular franchise. This time around, the Alabama native will feature a livery inspired by Anakin Skywalker’s alter ego, Darth Vader, and was presented in an advertisement featuring Hayden Christensen. Has Wallace joined the empire after all?

Featuring a cool black and red paint scheme, the No. 23 Toyota has taken key aesthetics from Darth Vader’s iconic black suit and incorporated it into the car. The red elements signify the fallen hero’s iconic lightsaber color, while his fire suit and helmet also take inspiration from the Sith Lord. Keeping in mind the little details, Bubba Wallace’s new helmet features black with shades of gray, just like Darth Vader’s iconic mask from the movies. In an advertisement promoting the collaboration, Hayden Christensen is heard telling Wallace, “Welcome to the dark side,” to which the 31-year-old responded by saying, “This is where the fun begins,” a popular line from the opening scene in Revenge of the Sith.

As for Bubba Wallace’s suit, it has been designed in such a way that it takes inspiration from Darth Vader’s armor without being too literal. While both suits are designed to protect, the racing driver’s firesuit features the same vertical patterns as the iconic villain and has a similar belt, chest component, and shoulder pauldron. Chris Araujo, director of brand management at Columbia Sportswear, said, “That hard armor piece that Vader wears underneath his cape is something that we absolutely had to have in there.”

As expected, Bubba Wallace’s best friend Ryan Blaney reacted to the Vader-inspired reveal, simply sharing a shocked emoji on X. Having narrowly missed out on a victory at Homestead-Miami, the Team Penske driver will be feeling a sense of FOMO this time around as well. The reigning Cup Series champion begged his best friend for his Star Wars-inspired helmet last year.

Would a similar request be made this time around? Perhaps if Blaney manages to secure back-to-back championships, Wallace might be willing to part ways with the ‘dark side’ headgear, even though he has previously said, “I’ve just always loved my helmets.”

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Lucasfilm executive reveals the thought process behind Vader-inspired design

Bubba Wallace has arguably had the coolest paint schemes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 23XI Racing driver is turning up the heat at Phoenix Raceway with his Star Wars-inspired livery, which will be recognizable even when his No. 23 Toyota goes 200 miles per hour at Phoenix Raceway in the last race of the season. Naturally, a lot of effort goes into such collaborations, especially from a design perspective, to ensure that the car stays true to the franchise it’s taking inspiration from.

Sharing his insights, Lucasfilm’s executive design director Doug Chiang said, “It’s the same thing that we do with our Star Wars vehicles. You’ll think we’ve done so many spaceships now that it’d be very easy, but each one has a very specific demand, and each one is really, really challenging because at the end, you’re dealing with an inanimate object that you’re trying to infuse with a lot of personality, and the personality is key. And so our goal was to make sure that it worked on a car, but then aesthetically, it had to marry the Vader aesthetic from the film to the car.”

Even though Bubba Wallace might not be fighting for the championship, he will be confident about having the best-looking car when the race at Phoenix rolls around. As things stand, the 31-year-old is 18th in the driver standings going into the final playoff race at Martinsville Speedway. The 23XI Racing driver will be expected to play a supporting role in the final race of the season, as his teammate Tyler Reddick has made it to Championship 4 with a dramatic victory at Homestead-Miami.

What are your thoughts about Bubba Wallace’s Vader-inspired car?