Denny Hamlin pays epic tribute to Carl Edwards for his Darlington paint scheme

Denny Hamlin is bringing back a piece of NASCAR history with a special throwback paint scheme for Darlington Raceway. The scheme is a tribute to Carl Edwards — a replica of his iconic 2006-07 Office Depot design. The gesture honors Edwards, who is also a 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee.

The news first broke on X when NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass shared an image of the scheme and wrote:

“Denny Hamlin throwback for Darlington is a nod to Carl Edwards paint scheme from 2006-07 (Office Depot scheme). ⁦@NASCARONFOX”

The official X handle of Joe Gibbs Racing also made the announcement, writing:

“Throwing back to our friend and 2025 @nascarhall inductee Carl Edwards!”

During his media availability at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hamlin talked about NASCAR’s throwback weekend. He pointed out how changes in car designs make it harder to recreate classic looks, but the spirit of honoring NASCAR’s past remains alive. He said:

“It seems like the throwback has lost a little of it for sure… there’s really no defined rules for it, so it’s a mix there. But there’s some really cool paint schemes that you see.”

Denny Hamlin has had a mixed start to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. After six races, he is eighth in the driver standings with 164 points, 80 points behind leader William Byron. Hamlin has yet to win this season. His average start is 17.333 and his average finish is 13.833.

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Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, their past performance and history at Martinsville

Following the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Denny Hamlin didn’t hold back while discussing Joe Gibbs Racing’s current performance. Despite JGR winning three races this season — all from Christopher Bell — Hamlin was the only JGR driver to lead laps at Homestead. He said this was a concerning trend.

“I still think we’ve got work to do. I contend that we still don’t have the speed that it takes to lead a ton of laps, which is showing in laps led. We’re not leading laps like we have in the past. All of JGR. So I think we’ve just got to get our cars a little bit faster to really contend week in, week out, right now," Hamlin said (via NASCAR).

Though Hamlin won Stage 2 of the race and finished fifth, he said the team’s overall pace isn’t where it needs to be. With 74 career wins across NASCAR’s top divisions — 54 in the Cup Series — Hamlin is one of the sport’s big names. His next test comes at Martinsville Speedway, a track where he has done well.

Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in multiple categories at Martinsville, including five wins, 20 top-five finishes, 26 top-10s, and 2448 laps led. Joe Gibbs Racing, as a team, has 14 Cup Series wins at the track, with 60 top-five finishes, 91 top-10s, and 12 pole awards over 178 starts.