Haas CNC Racing was car owner Gene Haas' first foray into NASCAR's top series. The #0 car sponsored by NetZero went full-time in 2003 as a Pontiac with three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague. After releasing Sprague midway through the season, Haas hired Jason Leffler, John Andretti and finally Ward Burton, who remained with the team in 2004 but left near the end of that season. That's where Bliss came in, followed by the beginning of 2005 by Best Buy as a new sponsor. The resulting paint scheme contained a black background with purple, yellow, orange and red lines containing a gradient pattern. Bliss almost took the #0 to the last spot in the 2005 Nextel All-Star Race but was spun by Brian Vickers coming to the checkered flag in the Nextel Open.
Bliss left the Haas team after the 2005 season, as did NetZero. 2006 saw Jeff Green pilot the renumbered #66 machine. Best Buy pulled their sponsorship after 2007 and for 2008 Scott Riggs took over as driver. Haas joined forces with former Joe Gibbs driver Tony Stewart to create Stewart Haas Racing in 2009. The #66 became the #39 driven by Ryan Newman, which then became the #4 of Kevin Harvick for the 2014 season. Harvick took the car to the Cup championship in his first year with the team.
Regan Smith #01 Principal Financial Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc., 2008
This is the paint scheme that appeared on Smith's #01 Chevrolet Impala during his 2008 rookie Cup season. It was predominantly black with the Principal logo appearing in blue. The numbers also have a blue shadow underneath them. The car's look is completed by the "E" stripes on the bottom left, which added a nice touch to every DEI car. This simple, unique scheme almost went to victory lane at Talladega in October of '08, but Smith was disqualified because he was below the yellow line when he took the checkered flag, and the win was handed to Tony Stewart.
2008 would ultimately be DEI's last year as an active NASCAR race team. During the 2008-09 offseason, they merged with Chip Ganassi Racing to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Along with the #01 team, the #15 team at DEI and the #41 team at CGR ceased to exist after this second merger, leaving DEI's #1 and #8 cars and CGR's #42 car to enter 2009 as a three-car stable. The #8 team would also disappear before the end of '09, and after the 2013 season Teresa Earnhardt sold her share of the team to Chip Ganassi. Meanwhile, Smith ended up at Furniture Row Racing driving the #78 Chevrolet, winning at Darlington in 2011 before going back down to the Xfinity Series with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Clint Bowyer #07 DirecTV Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing, 2006-2008 (some races)
The #07 car at RCR started in 2001 as the #30 AOL car. Richard Childress picked up Jack Daniel's whiskey as a sponsor during the 2004-05 offseason, and changed the number to #07 as a reference to Jack. Below is the main paint scheme on that car from 2005 to 2009.
In 2006, rookie Clint Bowyer replaced Dave Blaney in the #07, which quickly became one of the best-known NASCAR cars of the period. But one lesser-known special paint scheme was the DirecTV scheme that Bowyer drove in a few races during his three seasons driving the car. The blue-and-white paint job on the DirecTV car stands out a lot from the black Jack car. The top and back contain baby blue, while the bottom is a darker blue. There is a medium-blue stripe on either front quarter panel and plain white on the hood behind the DirecTV logo and the rear quarter panels, which still contain the Jack Daniel's logo. The numbers are also outlined in blue.
After 2008, Bowyer moved to the #33 car at RCR, giving the team four full-time cars. The new driver of the #07 machine was Casey Mears. DirecTV did not appear as a primary sponsor at all in 2009. Mears was released from RCR after a mediocre season and the #07 team was shut down after Jack Daniel's pulled their sponsorship. After taking 2010 off, the team was revived in 2011 as the #27 driven by Paul Menard and sponsored by his father's hardware store Menards. The #27 and #30 iterations of this car will also be covered in other posts in this series.
Dale Earnhardt #3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing, 1988-2001
Dale Earnhardt #3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing, 1988-2001
One of the best-known and most recognizable cars in NASCAR history, the black #3 car of "The Intimidator" will always be regarded along with Richard Petty's #43 as one of the sport's best paint schemes. After driving it as a special scheme in a couple of races, Earnhardt picked up Goodwrench as the replacement for the blue and yellow Wrangler paint scheme on his Richard Childress-owned Chevy in 1988. He took the black car to four of his seven Winston Cup championships in the 1990s. Earnhardt also took Goodwrench to victory in the 1998 Daytona 500.
Earnhardt died in a crash with Ken Schrader on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 with two of his Dale Earnhardt Inc. drivers, new recruit Michael Waltrip and son Dale Earnhardt Jr., running first and second. "The Intimidator" was my first favorite NASCAR driver, and I as an almost six-year-old had the misfortune of watching him die on live television, while at the same time I was helping driver-turned-commentator Darrell Waltrip cheering on his brother Michael to the win. Even at my young age I knew Dale was dead when he didn't get out of his car, and ever since then I have rooted for a long succession of Cup drivers; my current favorite is Joey Logano. Meanwhile, Dale's replacement at RCR was Kevin Harvick, and the #3 car became the #29 car with an inverted paint scheme. Goodwrench was replaced by Shell/Pennzoil in 2007, which in turn gave way to Budweiser in 2011. This year, the #3 car came back as Richard Childress' grandson Austin Dillon began his full-time Cup career. Nearly 14 years later, the memory of Dale Earnhardt and that black #3 car still live on in NASCAR.
#4 Kodak Oldsmobile/Pontiac, Morgan-McClure Motorsports, 1986-2003
Earnhardt died in a crash with Ken Schrader on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 with two of his Dale Earnhardt Inc. drivers, new recruit Michael Waltrip and son Dale Earnhardt Jr., running first and second. "The Intimidator" was my first favorite NASCAR driver, and I as an almost six-year-old had the misfortune of watching him die on live television, while at the same time I was helping driver-turned-commentator Darrell Waltrip cheering on his brother Michael to the win. Even at my young age I knew Dale was dead when he didn't get out of his car, and ever since then I have rooted for a long succession of Cup drivers; my current favorite is Joey Logano. Meanwhile, Dale's replacement at RCR was Kevin Harvick, and the #3 car became the #29 car with an inverted paint scheme. Goodwrench was replaced by Shell/Pennzoil in 2007, which in turn gave way to Budweiser in 2011. This year, the #3 car came back as Richard Childress' grandson Austin Dillon began his full-time Cup career. Nearly 14 years later, the memory of Dale Earnhardt and that black #3 car still live on in NASCAR.
#4 Kodak Oldsmobile/Pontiac, Morgan-McClure Motorsports, 1986-2003
The #4 Kodak car stood out in the Cup series for nearly two decades. It had a solid yellow-orange background with red numbers and various Kodak fixtures, including a rainbow pattern at the bottom that existed in a number of variations. Early drivers included Phil Parsons and Rick Wilson. In 1989 Ernie Irvan was hired to drive the Kodak machine, and won several races including the 1991 Daytona 500. Late in 1993, he moved to the #28 of Robert Yates Racing to replace the deceased Davey Allison. In 1994, Sterling Marlin took over and won the '94 and '95 Daytona 500s along with four other races, before departing for Team SABCO after the 1997 season. Marlin's successor was Bobby Hamilton, who won at Martinsville in 1998, and left after the 2000 season for Andy Petree's team. A series of drivers followed, including Robby Gordon, Kevin Lepage, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Mike Skinner and Stacy Compton.
In 2004, Kodak moved their sponsorship to the #77 Dodge of Jasper Motorsports, owned by Doug Bawel. The #4 at MMM subsequently picked up Lucas Oil as a new sponsor and Jimmy Spencer as their driver. Spencer was eventually replaced by Mike Wallace, who then gave way in 2006 to Scott Wimmer. In 2007, now sponsored by State Water Heaters, the #4 was piloted by Ward Burton during most of the season. MMM shut down during the 2008 season after failing to qualify for a few last races.
Kyle Busch/Casey Mears/Mark Martin #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Auto Parts Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, 2005-2009
Kyle Busch/Casey Mears/Mark Martin #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Auto Parts Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, 2005-2009
The #5 Chevrolet was Rick Hendrick's first Cup car back in 1984 with Geoff Bodine driving. The car was then driven by Ricky Rudd, who was succeeded in 1994 by Terry Labonte. This is when the car got the famous Kellogg's Corn Flakes paint scheme. It was changed to Frosted Flakes in 2001. Labonte, the 1996 series champion at Hendrick, switched to part-time driving after 2004.
Replacing Labonte in the #5 car was rookie Kyle Busch, the 19-year-old brother of then-defending series champion Kurt Busch. Kellogg's remained a sponsor with Tony the Tiger on the car, and the car also picked up Carquest Auto Parts as another sponsor. This began a series of schemes that were slightly varied over the next few years. All of these schemes contained a mix of blue, red and yellow, with the number decals usually yellow as well. The hood contained either Tony the Tiger, Carquest or sometimes Cheez-It crackers. Busch left Hendrick for Joe Gibbs Racing after 2007 and Casey Mears moved over from the #25 car to make way for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008. Veteran Mark Martin, after two part-time seasons, took over the #5 full-time in 2009 and won five races.
In 2010, Kellogg's moved over to the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards at Roush Fenway Racing. The #5 at Hendrick got GoDaddy.com (made famous by Danica Patrick) as a new primary sponsor. Martin left Hendrick after the 2011 season and was replaced by Kasey Kahne, who is currently signed until 2018. Current sponsors include Farmers Insurance and Pepsi.
Mark Martin #6 Pfizer Ford, Roush Racing, 2001
Mark Martin was Roush Racing's first full-time driver in the #6 Ford in 1988. After going through a series of sponsors, Pfizer and their drug Viagra came on board in 2001 to replace Valvoline, with whom Martin had enjoyed great success. The number decals also had a new look. One variant of the Viagra/Pfizer scheme only had Pfizer logos on it. Both with and without Viagra, this version of the Roush #6 car, at the time a Taurus, contains a grey-silver top and hood with medium and dark blue shades zig-zagging across the hood and sides, with white at the bottom, white side number decals and a blue top number.
The Viagra schemes went through a few more variations before the sponsor left following the 2005 season. Replacing them as the main sponsor of the #6 car was AAA auto insurance, with Mark Martin driving for Roush for one last year.
The Viagra schemes went through a few more variations before the sponsor left following the 2005 season. Replacing them as the main sponsor of the #6 car was AAA auto insurance, with Mark Martin driving for Roush for one last year.
Mark Martin/David Ragan #6 AAA Ford, Roush Fenway Racing, 2006-2008
Mark Martin signed an extension with Roush for 2006, with the #6 car becoming a Ford Fusion and with AAA insurance as a new sponsor. The resulting paint scheme had a mostly white front with the AAA logo on the hood, a half-white, half-blue setup on the side panels with a streak of red at the bottom and a red spoiler (later a black wing). In 2007 martin went to Ginn Racing to drive part-time and was replaced by rookie David Ragan. The main sponsor of the #6 car became UPS in 2009.
Michael Waltrip/Mike Wallace/Robby Gordon/Ted Musgrave/Kevin Lepage #7 NationsRent Chevrolet/Ford, Ultra Motorsports, 2000-2001
The Ultra Motorsports #7 Cup team evolved out of the late Alan Kulwicki's self-run operation. Kulwicki won the 1992 Winston Cup championship as a driver-owner, and died in a plane crash the following April. The #7 Chevrolet team was eventually bought out by Geoff Bodine, who went on to win a number of races, his last win coming at Watkins Glen in 1996. Bodine went to another team after the 1998 season, and the #7 team was rebranded as Mattei Motorsports. Michael Waltrip was the new driver, while Philips Light Bulbs came on as a new sponsor. In 2000, with the addition of Nations Rent, the #7 car got a new look with a yellow and black paint job. The Nations Rent logo appeared in a yellow diamond on the hood, while the number decals were featured in black in the same diamonds on the sides, as well as on a solid yellow top. The look was completed by a yellow and black construction-type pattern along the bottom.
Midway through 2000, future Truck Series champion Jim Smith purchased the #7 team and renamed it Ultra Motorsports. Waltrip left for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2001 and was replaced by Mike Wallace. The #7 car also became a Ford Taurus and Philips left, leaving Nations Rent on its own. Robby Gordon piloted the car at Sonoma and came close to pulling off a win, while Ted Musgrave took over at Pocono. Wallace was released late in the season (he found a ride briefly at Penske Racing as a replacement for the fired Jeremy Mayfield) and Kevin Lepage drove the #7 for the rest of the season.
Casey Atwood #7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge, Ultra-Evernham Motorsports, 2002
After the aforementioned 2001 Winston Cup season, Jim Smith and Evernham Motorsports owner Ray Evernham formed a partnership named Ultra-Evernham Motorsports. Smith's #7 car became a Dodge, for which Evernham had been a flagship team a year earlier, and in 2002 sophomore Cup driver Casey Atwood moved over from Evernham's #19 Dodge, which Jeremy Mayfield took over, to drive the #7 car, which picked up Sirius satellite radio as a new sponsor. Sirius gave the #7 Ultra-Evernham Dodge a black hood with the Sirius logo on it outlined in orange, a blue body and top with the number decals now in Evernham style in orange, and silver-white lines on the edges of the hood and body with an orange line below the grille.
Atwood returned to drive full-time in the Busch Series in 2003, although he competed in the Brickyard 400 in the #91 Dodge before formally leaving the Evernham team. Jason Leffler drove the #7 in the last two Cup races of 2002, after which Smith and Evernham ended their partnership and Smith's team reverted to the Ultra Motorsports banner. Jimmy Spencer drove the #7 Dodge, featuring a new light blue, black and white paint scheme, in 2003 and part of 2004. By 2005, Robby Gordon had purchased Ultra Motorsports and began driving the #7 car under the name Robby Gordon Motorsports.
Johnny Benson/Scott Riggs #10 Valvoline Pontiac/Chevrolet, MB2 Motorsports, 2001-2004
Jason Leffler/J.J. Yeley/Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing, 2005
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