Jimmie Johnson 2016 Darlington Paint Scheme – Throwback Cars
CONCORD, N.C. — Next month at Darlington Raceway, the No. 48 team will join in the retro theme of the Southern 500. View the Jimmie Johnson 2016 Darlington paint scheme here.
“The nostalgia of the whole event was a lot of fun,” No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus said of last year’s event. “The whole environment is really full of energy and a lot of fun.”
Wednesday morning in the No. 48 race shop, Knaus unveiled the throwback paint scheme that Jimmie Johnson will pilot in the Sept. 4 race.
“This one is really unique and it’s a lot of fun,” he said before revealing the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS. “It goes back years and years and years to one of everybody in racing’s favorite drivers.”
That driver? David Pearson, who served as the inspiration for the look.
“David Pearson actually substituted for Dale Earnhardt Sr. in this race car, sponsored by Lowe’s, at Talladega Superspeedway,” Knaus explained. “We all know how great David Pearson was at Darlington and how many races he had won there, so we thought that this would be an amazing tie-in back to the Darlington, vintage-style racing.”
The look is based off of Pearson’s No. 2 car paint scheme from 1979, which he drove for four races while filling in for Earnhardt. Lowe’s was the primary sponsor on the hood for the race at Talladega.
Pearson finished second in that event, and then went on to win the Southern 500 at Darlington in the same scheme — albeit without Lowe’s on the hood in that particular race.
Knaus said that success serves as a good omen for the 2016 version — which celebrates Lowe’s long history in NASCAR — not to mention the fact that Johnson has won three times in his Sprint Cup career at Darlington.
“Our hopes are high,” the crew chief smiled.
Jimmie Johnson 2016 Darlington Raceway Retro Paint Scheme Photos
