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Chase Elliott’s throwback scheme for Darlington Raceway, honoring NASCAR legend Ken Schrader, has been revealed. The No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet will sport a livery inspired by Schrader’s early 1990s No. 25 car. Fans reacted quickly, with some criticizing the design, questioning its accuracy, and expressing disappointment.
Reactions on social media were mixed—some appreciated the tribute, while others argued it wasn’t a true throwback due to its execution. The discussion came to life after Bob Pockrass shared the scheme on X, followed by an official announcement from UniFirst. Fans had strong opinions, and the response was far from unanimous.
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According to the reactions, fans were not entirely convinced by the execution of the scheme. Many reacted with disappointment.
“Lmao ok,” one fan reacted.
“To be honest, it appears as though the guys at UniFirst need to get a much deeper understanding on what the scheme actually looked like. They took something great and made it appalling! Now, if this was Elliott's primary UniFirst scheme, I wouldn't mind. But this is no throwback!” another fan commented.
“This gotta be one of the worst throwbacks ever, right? Not THE worst but like bottom 10,” a user remarked.
“Chase Elliott fan here, what in the absolute hell,” another added.
“👎👎👎” one fan gave a wordless reaction.
“I get branding and all that jazz, but it’s always lame when a sponsor won’t give up their colors to stay close to the inspiration,” another fan pointed out.
Ken Schrader, a NASCAR veteran, drove the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the early 1990s. Schrader, now 69, remains active in racing, competing in dirt Late Models, open-wheel modifieds, and even the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). With a career of 50 years, Schrader has raced in nearly every NASCAR series, ARCA, and countless dirt-track events. Despite retiring from full-time NASCAR competition in 2013, he continues to race over 100 times a year (via Autoweek).
Chase Elliott penalized at Homestead, NASCAR steps in to explain the call
During the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Chase Elliott was penalized for not entering pit road in a single-file line. The penalty came on Lap 169 under caution, frustrating both Elliott and his crew chief, Alan Gustafson. They challenged the call with NASCAR officials, but the ruling remained.
NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, later addressed the issue on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He explained that the rule is in place for safety, mainly to prevent accidents as cars enter pit road.
“If there’s another car to the inside, he’s going to turn him around on pit road. We can see chaos without introducing [it] to pit road like we saw with the 22 [Joey Logano] and 21 [Josh Berry] but in this case, you just have to be single-file,” Sawyer stated.
Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott’s team, has a strong track record at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The team has now won five times at the 1.5-mile oval, with wins from Jeff Gordon (2012), Jimmie Johnson (2016), William Byron (2021), and Kyle Larson (2022, 2025). Chase Elliott himself has four top-10 finishes at the track, including leading 81 laps last season before finishing fifth.
