How Are Paint Schemes Decided by NASCAR Teams and Sponsors?

For the causal race fan, the biggest thing that sticks out in a car is how it looks. NASCAR has had several iconic paint schemes over the years, some of which have even become legendary. Hardcore fans of racing often purchase die-casts based on how a car looks. Over the course of a season, a car sports several paint schemes. But when are these designs made and approved?

Joe Gibbs Racing recently cleared this question up with a short video on YouTube. It turns out that these designs are confirmed early on in the season. The tricky part is when the teams get the schedule for the year. That’s when they have to decide which sponsors get the limelight in the races. The company usually picks the design in collaboration with the team’s graphics team. After being finalized, these paint schemes usually do not change barring a few companies.

JGR has had some memorable paint schemes themselves over the years. The white and purple FedEx design that Denny Hamlin sports on most weekends has become synonymous with the #11 car. Ty Gibbs’s #54 car is usually related to the black and green Monster Energy scheme and so on. Some special designs are also run in a year. 

Most recently it was announced that Chase Elliott will have a bright red Coca-Cola paint scheme. It’s quite different from the usual blue and yellow the #9 sports. 23XI Racing is another team known for its impressive designs. Last season, Bubba Wallace had a Star Wars-themed car which caught the attention of a lot of race fans.

A good paint scheme can pay dividends for a team long after it has been raced in. This is through diecasts. Race fans are a big fan of the miniature stock cars and if the design is good enough, it can keep selling for years after it has been used on the race track. With the playoffs only a few weeks away, it will be interesting to see all the schemes teams run until the end of the 2024 NASCAR season.