As much of a goofball as you may think Darrell Waltrip is in the Fox booth, the guy was one hell of a driver -- and always entertaining. I remember watching him in Victory Lane at the 1989 Daytona 500 celebrating his win by doing the
Icky Shuffle. His childlike
exuberance was stunning, and was one of those moments when you realize that these guys really just want to have
fun out there. But to have fun, you gotta have a sponsor painted on the hood. And car for car, I think Darrell had the best paint schemes out there.
The Pepsi Challenger Monte Carlo (top left) wasn't one of the best executed advertising jobs I've seen, but it's a good example of what was pretty much par for the course. For every iconic design (think Richard Petty's
#43 STP), there were a dozen that we're lackluster. Compare that humdrum Monte Carlo to the Gatorade and Mountain Dew Buicks. Those paint schemes are classic, the white border perfectly framing the green fields. Those two cars scream speed just standing still, and yet were effective billboards at 180 mph. And I get thirsty just looking at them. (Nerd intermission: Note how the "88" retains its personality, yet is perfectly legible with those outsized counters -- important at top speed. Compare it to Dale, Jr.'s
muddy 88. No way you're reading that when you're in the stands. You can do better than that, fellas.)
That 1989 Daytona 500 was the 17th attempt by Waltrip to win the Great American Race, and he did it in the #17. That car is known as the "Tide Ride," and for me is the best paint scheme ever to run. The car just glowed from its fluorescent paint job. You couldn't miss it on TV either, as it left long, orange contrails whenever it zoomed past the camera. Maybe it was just our crappy TV, but his Chevy looked like a comet streaking across the screen. That kind of cosmic speed would make me want to do the Icky Shuffle, too.
Ever wonder what it would look like if Uncle Sam threw up on your car?
Have a favorite one? Put it in the comments below.
When Tony Stewart's crew pulls into Chicagoland Speedway this weekend, they'll be rolling off what has to be the ugliest car so far this year. Office Depot's "back to school" paint scheme looks like a kid who slipped on the way to school and accidentally emptied her backpack's contents all over the sidewalk. This technicolor hodge-podge of shapes and logos has no rhyme or reason, and will look even more ugly at 180 mph than it does standing still. I'd put it up against any of these other ugly schemes any day.
Our impending trip to Las Vegas always brings up the inevitable question: what would you do if you won a million dollars?
When the thunder rolls onto NASCAR's longest track this weekend, David Reutimann will be sporting a different, uh, sport on his hood. The Alabama college football champions will be featured on the double zero. Given Dega's history of spectacular crashes -- just ask Carl Edwards about his wild ride last year -- here's hoping the only Crimson Tide we see is Reutimann's paint scheme.
We made it to the century mark! Boy, that's a lot of wasted time -- for both you and us. But we managed to learn a bunch, and hopefully you have, too. While we stuff our gourds with celebratory gluten-free cake, click on the links below to enjoy a recap of the highs and lows...
In just 100 days, the Winter Olympics will officially open. Just two days later, NASCAR kicks off its season with the Daytona 500. At the intersection of the two will be Kasey Kahne. His Dodge will be mantled by a Team USA paint scheme at both Daytona and the following week in Fontana.
No, it's not Sterling Marlin in the Coors car, but rather Carl Edwards' paint scheme for this weekend's race in Chicago. Great use of the annoying Aflac spokesduck on the side of the car, especially with the black stroke to set it off from the silver body. This baby should sparkle under the Saturday night lights. And for the sake of one Duckpin dad, let's hope Carl does, too.
Some of the top drivers in NASCAR have run with Valvoline on their hoods. The oil maker has been a stalwart sponsor since NASCAR's early days. (Fun fact: Valvoline was in the winning car in the first American car race back in 1895.) But over the past 20 years, their paint schemes just haven't kept up with their preeminence in racing.
So while comparing Darrell Waltrip's paint schemes, I ran across a couple other gems worth sharing. Okay, I ran across a zillion worth sharing, but I'll spare everyone.
As much of a goofball as you may think Darrell Waltrip is in the Fox booth, the guy was one hell of a driver -- and always entertaining. I remember watching him in Victory Lane at the 1989 Daytona 500 celebrating his win by doing the Icky Shuffle. His childlike exuberance was stunning, and was one of those moments when you realize that these guys really just want to have fun out there. But to have fun, you gotta have a sponsor painted on the hood. And car for car, I think Darrell had the best paint schemes out there.
