Dale Jr. to race vintage scheme on Father's Day
No. 8 car honors three generations of Earnhardts at Michigan
NASCAR.COM
May 31, 2006
10:20 AM EDT (14:20 GMT)

Leave it to Dale Earnhardt to have such a lasting legacy -- not so much behind the wheel (although his talents there transcend the sport), but rather on the cars' paint schemes.

The Intimidator paid tribute to R.J. Reynolds' 25th anniversary with a special silver paint scheme at The Winston in 1995. Since then, one-off paint schemes have become the norm; rare is the race when there isn't a tribute to something.

On Father's Day at Michigan, the latest in DEI's line of tribute paint schemes will take to the track when Dale Earnhardt Jr. races a "throwback" No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in a nod to grandfather Ralph and father Dale.

The predominantly cream-colored car will feature vintage Budweiser bow-tie logos which were introduced in 1956 -- the same year Ralph Earnhardt won the NASCAR National Sportsman title, a series that eventually became the modern-day Busch Series. Dale Earnhardt also raced a similar paint scheme when he began his NASCAR career in 1974 -- the same year Dale Jr. was born.

"I love that era, and I like the look of the car," Earnhardt Jr. said of the vintage Bud machine. "If I can't go back in time and race in the 1950s, at least I can drive a car that looks like it's from the '50s. I've always liked bold, simple paint schemes, and it'll be cool to drive a car that looks so similar to what my dad and grandpa drove."

This special "throwback" paint schemes follows the likes of Harry Gant's final race in 1994, Darrell Waltrip celebrating his 25th season in 1997, and both Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin with their "Last Call" and "Salute to You" farewell tours in 2005.

DEI also rolled out Intimidator-themed schemes for all of its cars at Talladega in May. Dale Jr. raced a black and silver No. 8 Budweiser car at Talladega on April 30 to celebrate his father's induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

"From the early days of our sponsorship of Dale, to our current involvement with NASCAR and Dale Jr., Budweiser has always been proud to be associated with the Earnhardts and their great racing tradition," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing, Anheuser-Busch Inc. "We think the fans will really appreciate this vintage car honoring two of racings all-time greats, Ralph and Dale, on Father's Day."

While Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR champion, is most famous for driving the black No. 3 car with Richard Childress Racing, he raced much of his early career with the No. 8 on his cars, the number also used by his father Ralph.

Ralph Earnhardt was selected as one of NASCAR's top 50 drivers in 1999.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has driven the predominantly red No. 8 Budweiser car to 17 victories since joining the Cup Series in 1999. He became the first third-generation NASCAR champion when he won the first of two consecutive Busch Series titles in 1998.

Junior also is the host and executive producer of Back in the Day on SPEED, a show that celebrates the vintage era of NASCAR racing in the 1970s.

It was Big E who ran point on getting merchandising under his control. Earnhardt was a pioneer in the memorabilia market, the first driver to take control of any souvenir or retail item bearing his name or likeness.

"What Dale did was to protect the quality and image [of the product]," said Joe Mattes, who served as president of Sports Image, a licensed memorabilia company Dale and Teresa Earnhardt owned from 1995 until Earnhardt sold it to Action Performance in December '97. "He was the first to do it in his style. He was ahead of his time."

 

I wasn't even aware of this one until I saw it today. Pretty nice looking car. Hopefully he will have a better run with it than the last tribute car.