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Chase Elliott says "we've rode the horse to death" with Throwback Weekend

Throwback Weekend, officially established at Darlington in 2015, has been used as a way to honor the history of NASCAR through special paint schemes and liveries inspired by the sport's past. It's expanded to include everything from 'throwback' commentators in the booth and old-school logos on the Goodyear tires.

Some years have had themes, focusing on specific decades, but most years, teams and drivers just did whatever they liked. While many honor the history of NASCAR, others take on a more personal nature or branch out into throwbacks to race cars outside of stock car racing. Drivers have even joined in on the fun with wigs and mustaches to match the driver they were paying tribute to. But it seems like with every year that passes, fewer and fewer teams are taking part.

However, with half of the Cup Series field (19 of 38 entries) choosing not to participate this weekend, is it time to end the tradition?

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, LLumar Throwback Chevrolet Camaro (Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images)

NASCAR's 'Most Popular Driver' seems to think so. Speaking in a Saturday media availability, Chase Elliott admitted: “I thought I lost it (its luster) about four or five years ago, so I was way too early to that conversation, I think."

However, Elliott and the entirety of Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) are participating this year with the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion running a paint scheme that pays tribute to Kenny Schrader's 1994 HMS Chevrolet.

"Not to be a downer -- I joked about this years ago, but if we kept going down the road, we're going to be throwing it back to me in 2018," continued Elliott. "At some point, I think we've got to chill on it a little bit. I think we've rode the horse to death, and we tend to do that a little bit too much.”

Speaking in his own media session, Denny Hamlin touched on pressure from sponsors unwilling to change their branding and how that is leading to a decline in throwbacks schemes throughout the field. “Yeah, I mean I think it sounds good in theory, but you know truthfully, these guys are trying to find a reason to get a return on their investment," explained Hamlin. "So, when you kind of change their logo or maybe change their colors and stuff, it doesn't really line up with what they want. It's just a sponsor-driven sport. I mean, I’m watching the Xfinity Series cars and I’m like, ‘they're awesome!’ Because they don't have this many sponsors, they can kind of do whatever they want to do. It's cool to see from their standpoint, but yeah on the Cup side it's going to be really tough going forward.”

Photos from Darlington - Practice & Qualifying

Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Goodyear Eagle tire detail

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Throwback Nascar logo

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Michael McDowell, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford

2025 Darlington - Saturday

NASCAR Cup
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In this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
Chase Elliott
Hendrick Motorsports
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