“It must be kept” - NASCAR insider shares her take on keeping legendary tradition at Darlington

NASCAR insider Taylor Kitchen recently shared her view on the iconic paint schemes tradition at Darlington. NASCAR's return to Darlington Raceway for the annual throwback weekend ignited the discourse about the future of the decade-long tradition. While teams aren’t required to run retro paint schemes, few Cup drivers felt the event had lost its charm, and team owners highlighted the hurdles in putting together a throwback paint scheme.

Chase Elliott, the NASCAR Cup Series' most popular driver, opined that the throwback weekend had run its course, reckoning the sport had ridden the "horse to death." Elliott jokingly added that if it continued at the current pace, drivers would soon be paying tribute to his own 2018 paint schemes.

Contrary to Elliott's opinion, motorsports influencer Taylor Kitchen stated that the throwback weekend tradition must be continued. After attending the race weekend at the 1.36-mile oval, Kitchen shared that her interactions with past drivers gave her a deeper appreciation for the weekend. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"After talking to some of the NASCAR Alumni, I can tell you I have a whole new appreciation for throwback weekend. It must be kept."

The throwback weekend goes beyond nostalgic paint schemes on next-gen cars. It offers younger and newer fans a chance to learn about the sport’s history and legends. Drivers and teams honor their childhood idols by running their colors, and a few drivers spotlight racers from outside the stock car racing world.

The weekend also brings together past drivers, who get a chance to interact with fans at NASCAR’s most historic oval. Beyond the merchandise and die-casts, the broadcast and social media highlight the rich history of the sport, with retired drivers returning to the booth.

Despite only half the Cup entries fielding a tribute paint scheme last weekend, the throwback weekend continued to invoke strong nostalgic memories among fans. NASCAR should keep the tradition alive, keeping it open for teams willing to participate.

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Denny Hamlin highlights throwback weekend hurdles as a NASCAR team owner

23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin shed light on hurdles that prevent teams from being a part of the throwback weekend celebrations. Hamlin said that in a sponsor-driven sport like NASCAR, sponsors aren't willing to give up their slot to alter their branding, logo, or primary colors for a throwback design.

Hamlin said that when teams have anchor sponsors committed to more than 20 race weekends, it is much easier to negotiate a one-off tribute paint scheme. He said on Actions Detrimental [at 34:20]:

"When you got sponsors on the cars for three or four races, they’re not going to give up one of their races to change their logo, change their colors, change their brand. You’re not giving them value doing that. When it’s a sponsor-driven sport, sponsors are going to drive what you see. That’s the model that we’ve got, and we just have to accept it."

RFK Racing team co-owner Brad Keselowski mentioned that having global brands on their cars also hinders the process, as aligning their global initiatives with the team's ideas for the throwback weekend often doesn’t work.

Although Hamlin's 23XI Racing cars didn't feature a throwback paint scheme, the team owner paid tribute to Carl Edwards and parked his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the victory lane.