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DARLINGTON, S.C. -- One of the former drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. has said he respected as a youngster was NASCAR Hall of Fame member and three-time premier series champion Cale Yarborough.
When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Darlington for this year’s Bojangles' Southern 500, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 6 (7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Earnhardt and his Hendrick Motorsports team will pay homage to the five-time winner of the series’ oldest superspeedway event.
Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet will feature a paint scheme reminiscent of the Valvoline look run by Yarborough in 1981-82 while competing for car owner M.C. Anderson. It will also honor others who ran the familiar red, blue and white colors such as Buddy Baker and Neil Bonnett.
The endeavor is part of Darlington Raceway's throwback celebration surrounding the return of the Bojangles' Southern 500 to the Labor Day weekend race date, as well as a kick-off for Valvoline's upcoming Legacy celebration of the brand's 150th anniversary next season.
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"I've always been a fan of Cale's and the car that we run on the Sprint Cup side right now with the Nationwide colors is sort of inspired by his 1977 paint scheme," Earnhardt Jr. said during a recent video shoot at the legendary facility.
"I admired his style and how he approached driving, definitely admired the accomplishments he had in the sport."
Earnhardt, Yarborough and former championship-winning crew chief Ray Evernham took part in the day-long process at the 1.366-mile track.
Yarborough, inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012, was the first driver to win three consecutive premier series titles. He is sixth on the all-time win list with 83 career victories.
Even the shoes to be worn by Earnhardt have a throwback tie-in, specifically to those used by Yarborough.
"The suit is just like his," said Earnhardt. "And he had this (blue) color shoes. There's a picture of him with his car at Daytona in the grass before the 500 and he's wearing Carolina blue (shoes) -- he doesn't call 'em Carolina blue, being from Timmonsville -- but they sort of match this part of the V (in the Valvoline logo); I think that's what they were going for."
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Valvoline has been a major associate sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports, which fields four full-time entries in the Sprint Cup Series, since 2014. Next month's race will be its first as a primary sponsor since aligning with Hendrick, but it has a deep history in auto racing.
"A lot of it came together, actually, at the urging of Dale," Jamal Muashsher, Director Brand Marketing for Valvoline, said of the program. "He obviously knows the history of the brand and the legacy that Valvoline has had in the sport. He approached us about trying to come back with a paint scheme, especially with this special race that Darlington has coming up next month.
"Obviously we were very interested. It was a great opportunity … as we get ready for our 150th anniversary. It's a great way to celebrate our history as well as pay homage to the legacy of the brand over that time."
According to Muashsher, the special paint scheme will be just one part of the program celebrating the company’s rich auto racing history. A series of videos featuring Earnhardt, Yarborough and three-time championship winning crew chief Ray Evernham will be located on the Valvoline YouTube channel. Limited-edition die-casts of the No. 88 Chevrolet entry featuring the paint scheme will be available in participating Walmart stores beginning Aug. 31.
"There is a lot of great history there," Muashsher said, "and a lot of great imagery from an amazing group of drivers that Valvoline has had the opportunity to work with."
Yarborough said his association with Valvoline actually began in 1966, when he competed in the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie.
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"When I came back to NASCAR, I brought them with me," he said. "They were a part of my career for almost the entire time. They were a good company to work with, good people and a good product and I just enjoyed my association with them.
"It's an honor to have Dale Jr. driving the Valvoline car."
Earnhardt said initial talks about Valvoline coming on board as a primary sponsor began late last season. The announcement of the Darlington throwback program was a bonus that helped put the idea on the fast track.
"The car looks great and it's awesome to be able to include Cale," Earnhardt said. "I hope that he is enjoying being a part of it.
"It's good to have Ray here. He's sort of the glue that holds it all together. … It's been fun. I've been really surprised that this came together so well."
Photo credit: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Twitter account, @DaleJr