With Halloween just around the corner, how can we not talk about some of the most iconic Halloween-themed cars that have blessed the NASCAR tracks? One that cannot be missed from the list has to be Bobby Labonte’s #18 car with the Frankenstein monster on the hood. Labonte drove that car in the 2000 Charlotte Motor Speedway race. The Frankenstein monster has appeared more than once on NASCAR cars. Even Dale Jarett’s #88 car featured the eerie monster in the Bud Shootout race at Daytona in 2004.

Speaking of spooky cars, how can we miss Kyle Petty’s infamous pumpkin car? Driven in 1995 by Petty, the car is often regarded as one of the first Halloween-themed cars to feature in NASCAR. However, not many know that the #42 car wasn’t always supposed to have a pumpkin on its hood. Recently, Petty revealed the story behind it!

Kyle Petty’s pumpkin car!

The Pumpkin car made it to the tracks in 1995 in the Rockingham race. This was the time when Kyle Petty drove for SABCO Racing, owned by veteran driver Chip Ganassi. In 1995, Rockingham Speedway was the third last race in the lineup of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called Cup Series). Petty started the race in 15th position but ended up crashing and eventually ended up in the 32nd place. The pumpkin-featured car, however, became a fan favorite and a collector’s item for die-cast enthusiasts.

However, the pumpkin feature emerged as a very last-minute decision by the #42 team. Recently Petty revealed the story, in an Instagram video posted by Kyle Petty Charity, a nonprofit started by Kyle Petty.

In the video, he said, “The story of this car, which was a Coors car and originally it had Elvira on the hood. If some of you people remember Elvira. When we got to Rockingham it was not approved. Not by NASCAR, but Elvira did not approve it.” Elvira was a character from the famed horror/comedy movie, ‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ released in 1988. Actress Cassandra Gay Peterson played the titular role. Elvira’s character gained huge popularity back in the day, making her a top-picked Halloween character. Originally, Petty’s car was supposed to feature her on the hood of the car.

However, Coors Brewing Company, Petty’s sponsor for the car, failed to communicate this collaboration with Elvira’s team. Leading to last-minute changes ahead of the race. “The Coors people did not get it approved through her PR people. So we had to take it off and we put a pumpkin on it. Now the pumpkin design came from Montgomery.” Petty added. Petty’s daughter Montgomery Petty carved up the pumpkin design that ended up being used on the car. Petty further in the video said, “The morning of the race we laid out a big orange piece of vinyl. We drew it off, we cut it off and that’s the pumpkin car. The infamous pumpkin car.”

The 8-time race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kyle Petty did not get the same success as his father, the legendary 7 time-cup champion, Richard Petty. However, Petty’s car became one of the most iconic Halloween-themed cars in NASCAR history. While Halloween-themed cars have reduced over time, some drivers have still rocked them in the recent past.

Recent Halloween-themed cars in NASCAR

Kyle Busch‘s M&M car from the 2018 Martinsville race has to be one of the best Halloween-themed cars we have seen recently. It had the purple, green, and red M&M featured on the hood. Busch finished the race in 4th place and made it to the championship 4 with it. Another top pick has to be Corey LaJoie’s Scooby Dooby Do-themed car from the 2019 Martinsville race. Scooby Dooby Do was a beloved cartoon made in the late 1970s still remains to be an epic. Iconic moments from the cartoon were featured on the car. Lajoie’s run might not have been impressive in the race, but his car surely was.

The most recent one that comes to mind is Kaz Grala’s 2021 ride, driving for Kaulig Racing at Texas Speedway. You’d remember the car having a scary-looking grim reaper on the side door. Even this year, in the upcoming Xfinity Series race at Homestead Miami, Kyle Weatherman’s #91 car is also going to be a Halloween-themed car.

While DGM Racing has had a disappointing season so far, they surely don’t disappoint with their cars. It’s not every day that you get to see a full-blown pink-colored car with skeletons having a beach party on its side door. Over the years, there have been many such Halloween cars. Which ones have been your favorite? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.