Every year for the NASCAR Cup Series, certain paint schemes stand out above the rest. Paint schemes are what make the look of the cars iconic. Most are for good reasons, but some are so bad that they are memorable. Remember Jeff Gordon’s Dupont No.24 with the red flames? Or what about Rickard Petty’s iconic STP car with the Petty Blue and Red? Today, we will be discussing the Top-10 NASCAR Cup Series Paint Schemes of 2023. This is all entirely my opinion so do not hesitate to share some of your favorite paint schemes in the comments!
#10. Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Chevy Camaro:
If you like heartwarming stories, then this paint scheme will be your favorite. For the July Atlanta race, Chase Elliott had a unique paint scheme for his Chevy Camaro. Two cancer patients, 11-year-old Alex Corbin and 13-year-old Kayleb Duran-Rodriguez, designed Elliott’s paint scheme for Atlanta. Elliott’s car featured a campfire and s’mores on the hood. Perfect for a nice summer evening. The ‘DESI9N TO DRIVE’ program that Elliott started, has raised over $350,000 to benefit the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Elliott would finish in the 13th position in this paint scheme at Atlanta in July.
#9. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Darlington Throwback Chevy Camaro:
This paint scheme just screams tough. For the Darlington throwback race in May, Kyle Larson ran a very unexpected throwback to one of his biggest supporters, Tony Stewart. This paint scheme was a throwback to Tony Stewart’s victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener at Daytona in 2009 with Hendrick Motorsports. Same colors, new era. The blue and black worked so well with each other that fans were excited to see how it looked on track, and it was a beauty. Larson was in a prime position to win this event in May but was taken out in a bizarre incident with Ross Chastain. He would finish in 20th position.
#8. Erik Jones, No. 43 Guns n Roses Chevy Camaro:
Oh, sweet paint scheme of mine! Erik Jones drove this absolute beauty of a paint scheme in the sport’s biggest race last year, the Daytona 500. NASCAR has a long history of bands being the primary sponsor for drivers in the early 2000s. The most notable band paint scheme was Tony Stewart’s 3 Door’s Down Paint Scheme in 2003. For all fans of music and racing, this was an awesome paint scheme to see on and off the track. Jones would go on to finish 37th in the 2023 running of the Daytona 500.
#7. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Jordan Brand Carolina Blue Toyota Camry:
If you are a fan of the Carolina Tar Heels, then you will love this paint scheme. Combine the iconic Jump Man logo of the Jordan Brand with the Beautiful Carolina Blue, and that is exactly what this car is all about. 23XI Racing Co-Owner, Michael Jordan, has always been a fan of motorsports ever since he was growing up in North Carolina. This car was run as a special one-off scheme at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May, as well as the Southern 500 at Darlington in September. Reddick would finish in 5th place in the Coca-Cola 600, as well as 2nd place in the Southern 500.
#6. Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Busch Light Ford Mustang:
When it was announced that 2023 would be the last full-time year for Kevin Harvick in the Cup Series, everyone knew that it would be the end of an era. In late March of 2023, it was announced that Harvick would run a special paint scheme at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. In addition to this special paint scheme, Stewart-Hass Racing received special permission from Richard Childress to let Harvick run the No. 29 car one last time. For years, Harvick carried the banner for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 29 car. This special one-off paint scheme was special to so many fans as they have witnessed all of Harvick’s career. It was great to see the white No. 29 under the lights one last time as the Cup Series raced at North Wilkesboro in over 25 years for the All-Star Race.
#5. Tyler Reddick No. 45 Star Wars Toyota Camry:
In a galaxy, far, far away, it was Tyler Reddick embracing the dark side of the force with his TIE fighter-inspired design. While his 23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, embraced the light side with an X-Wing-inspired paint scheme. As a Star Wars fan, both paint schemes are awesome. But Reddick’s paint scheme with a TIE fighter design, gets the edge over Wallace on the list. This design was what Star Wars fans could only dream of. And boy, it did not disappoint. In a collaboration with Columbia Sportswear to promote their new Star Wars-inspired clothing, these slick schemes hit the track in the season finale at Phoenix last season. Reddick would finish in the 22nd position in this paint scheme.
#4. William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Darlington Throwback Chevy Camaro:
This one hits home a little bit. Being a Jeff Gordon fan growing up, it’s always special to see his paint schemes hit the track occasionally. Since William Byron is currently the driver of the No. 24 for Hendrick Motorsports, he has some big shoes to fill. In 2022, Byron was less than two laps away from victory at Darlington in Jeff Gordon’s Dupont flames paint scheme. That did not happen thanks to Joey Logano. But this year, Byron got his redemption at Darlington in another throwback paint scheme to Gordon. This paint scheme was a throwback to the 1998 All-Star Race where Gordon ran a special Dupont paint scheme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of NASCAR. Byron would go on to win this race in what would be the 100th victory for the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 car.
#3. Ryan Preece No. 41 Wonder Bread Ford Mustang:
“Shake ‘n Bake!” This paint scheme is special for so many reasons. In a special promotion, Ryan Preece and his SHR teammate, Chase Briscoe, ran a pair of Talladega Nights-inspired paint schemes for the Fall Talladega race. Preece would run a Ricky Boddy Wonder Bread paint scheme. While Briscoe would run a Cal Naughton Jr Old Spice paint scheme. Both paint schemes were special on their own, but Preece’s Wonder Bread paint scheme gets the edge. Both Briscoe’s and Preece’s paint schemes were a hit with the fans, but the Ricky Bobby-inspired paint scheme resonated with the crowd even more. Preece wheeled his way to a Top-10 finish in a chaotic finish during the Fall Talladega race.
#2. Justin Hayley, No. 31 Mtn Dew Chevy Camaro:
After it was announced that Pepsi and its products would be leaving the sport of NASCAR as a sponsor entirely, there were a lot of fans who were disappointed. Pepsi has had a long relationship with the sport, most notably with Jeff Gordon as a sponsor for over 15 years of his career. The last time Mtn Dew was a main sponsor in NASCAR, was in 2020 for Chase Elliott. It was announced in early September that Mtn Dew would sponsor Kaulig Racing driver, Justin Haley, for the Bristol Night Race. This paint scheme was a beauty to see under the bright lights at Bristol Motor Speedway. With the iconic Mtn Dew logo all over the car, it was hard to miss this car under the lights at Bristol.
#1. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Budweiser Ford Mustang:
It’s honestly hard to describe how beautiful this paint scheme was. For his final start at Homestead, Budweiser collaborated with SHR to run a special paint scheme for Kevin Harvick. Budweiser has had a long relationship with Harvick in the past by being his primary sponsor for six seasons of his career. This paint scheme was a tribute to his 2014 Championship Season. The best part about this is that the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer had no idea about this tribute paint scheme. It was great to see a beautiful tribute paint scheme to Harvick and Budweiser. There were plenty of great paint schemes in 2023, but Kevin Harvick’s Budweiser paint scheme is the best NASCAR Cup Series paint scheme of 2023.
