The two drivers at Petty GMS Motorsports are about to showcase some special tribute schemes. They will head to Darlington Raceway with throwbacks honoring Lee and
“The King” Richard Petty.
The Cup Series team unveiled the special schemes on May 4 and announced that the theme was the inaugural Daytona 500 from the 1959 season. Ty Dillon will drive the white and red No. 42 that Lee Petty used to secure the win. Though he had to wait three days while NASCAR reviewed photos. Erik Jones will have the Petty Blue scheme on his No. 43, throwing it back to Richard’s first time using the number in competition.
“It’s such an honor to not only drive the No. 42 each week but run Lee’s inaugural Daytona 500 victory scheme this weekend at Darlington,” Dillon said in a press release. “I don’t know if people realize the No. 42 was originally made famous by Lee, Richard’s father. He was the originator of the Petty name and very successful from day one in NASCAR as we know it. I hope to bring honor to his name and number with a modern twist and bring it back to Victory Lane.”
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The King Will Watch as Jones Competes
GettyErik Jones climbs into his stock car at Richmond Raceway.
When Jones climbs into the Petty Blue stock car, he will have an important figure watching. The King will be in attendance for the race while taking on multiple responsibilities. He will start by waving the green flag as the honorary starter, and then he will head up into the booth to serve as a guest analyst.
Jones is in the midst of a season in which he has contended for strong finishes and the win. He has four top-10s, including consecutive races at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway. He also has a season-best third-place finish at Auto Club Speedway to his name.
“When you look at the history of NASCAR and the No. 43, everybody knows who Richard Petty is whether they are a race fan or not,” Jones said in a press release. “Having a chance to spend time with him is pretty cool, just talking to him and hearing the stories that he and Dale (Inman) share. I’m a really big fan of the history of our sport and to hear some of the stories first-hand is a neat experience. The ultimate goal for this year is to get a win though and return the No. 43 back in Victory Lane. To share that moment with ‘The King’ would be a pretty cool moment for me.”
Jones will now head to Darlington Raceway, a track where he historically has contended. He has six top-10 finishes at The Lady in Black, and he also reached Victory Lane. He captured the 2019 Southern 500 while driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Another Team Will Run Dual Schemes
The 2022 iteration of Throwback Weekend will continue the tradition of honoring NASCAR history, but the teams will try to take it to the next level. There are numerous schemes fighting to win the fan vote while also honoring NASCAR legends.
The Petty GMS Motorsports drivers will run dual Petty schemes while another pair of Chevrolet drivers will honor two other Hall of Famers. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez will run Coca-Cola schemes throwing it back to Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s battle during a non-points race in Japan.
The two-car team unveiled the schemes on May 3. Suarez will have the red Coca-Cola scheme that the elder Earnhardt used during the 1998 race, complete with the bottle on the hood featuring a checkered pattern. Chastain will drive the black No. 1 that Dale Jr. used during the exhibition race, and he will have the polar bears back on the stock car for the first time in nearly 24 years.
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