Chase Elliott Adds the Finishing Touches for the Celebration of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Legacy at Darlington

The NASCAR favorite, Chase Elliott currently sits at No. 3 with 35 pts. in the cup series standings ahead of the Throwback Race weekend at the Darlington Raceway. The race is significantly known for celebrating icons of the past and is aimed at honoring the legacy and heritage of NASCAR while looking ahead to the exciting future of the sport. Keeping the theme in mind, drivers took up different schemes to represent the legacy of NASCAR over the years, and Chase Elliott took up the legacy of Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s 2014 winning scheme.

The “theme” of this year’s throwback weekend actually centers around grassroots racing, as competitors were encouraged to select paint schemes from their own personal racing histories at the local and regional levels on their way to NASCAR’s peak. Indeed, it is going to be a nice crossover for fans who consider them favorites.

Paint scheme from a 2014 race that got Chase Elliott late for school

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver Chase Elliott’s car will be sporting the No. 88 paint scheme. Elliott will run a throwback to the National Guard Chevrolet that Junior drove in 2014, a car most famous for winning that year’s Daytona 500.

2014 was one of Earnhardt’s most successful seasons late in his Cup career, as he won his second Daytona 500 while also sweeping the season at Pocono and then earning a seminal, long-sought victory at Martinsville. This National Guard paint scheme holds significance as Dale Earnhardt Jr drove his car to victory three out of four times in 2014.

Past weekend Elliott was seen admiring the car with Junior at Hendrick’s workstation, where the two were seen exchanging some throwbacks from 2014.

Moreover, speaking of representing Dale Jr’s legacy at the Darlington Raceway this weekend, Chase Elliott took to his Twitter account and announced something special. “This throwback weekend look wouldn’t be complete without the iconic @DaleJr skeleton gloves. They’ll be up for auction on Thursday, stay tuned for more info!” 

Did you know that this 2014 race, for which Elliott is honoring Dale Earnhardt Jr, Junior contested over 200 laps and 500 miles on the 2.5-mile asphalt tri-oval, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the race, making this his second Daytona 500 victory, breaking a 55-race winless streak?

And this is not the first time someone has honored Dale Earnhardt Jr around the Darlington weekend. In 2019, just a few weeks after Junior and his family were involved in a fiery plane crash, fellow NASCAR driver Kurt Busch showed support and honored the Earnhardt legacy. He said, “It’s just like wow! It shows the passion, the desire and the fire that’s within him still to go out there and face, He’s been an amazing ambassador for our sport.”

Other NASCAR drivers to represent the Grassroots Racing theme at Darlington

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Other than Elliott, other drivers will also be representing the legacy of NASCAR at Darlington Raceway this weekend.

• One of them is Ross Chastain, driving the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. He will be representing the Busch Light throwback scheme.
• The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driver Josh Berry will be 1998 Rodney Childers’ late model throwback scheme. Kyle Larson, driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, will be sporting the Terry Labonte throwback scheme.
• Brad Keselowski, driving the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, will showcase the Castrol TDM Toyota Supra GT throwback scheme. Corey LaJoie, behind the wheel of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, is set to honor the 2012 K&N Pro Series with a throwback scheme.
• Chase Briscoe, in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, will pay tribute to the 1976 dirt sprint car. He will do that with a throwback scheme at the Throwback Weekend Race at Darlington. Harrison Burton will drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, featuring the 1953 “Leonard Wood Special” throwback scheme.
• William Byron, piloting the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, will also join in. He will be representing the 2009 Jeff Gordon throwback scheme, though.

Among all the drivers mentioned, whose honor are you more excited about? Let us know in the comments.