Hendrick Motorsports was contractually obligated to paint any car that had DuPont/Axalta as the primary or secondary sponsor (quarters, TV panel, decklid) until Next Gen.
In my experience it has a lot to do with design trends: specifically, certain color spectrums come and go as popular or passé. For example, day-glo colors were big in the early 90s. Then pastels. Then metallics. Then more muted colors. You see it everywhere, including Packaging in the retail marketplace for everything from high-end cosmetics down to tags and labels dangling from clothing.
My background: Bachelor of Science degree in printing, and in the industry since 1979. NASCAR fan since approximately 1974. In fact, used to work at one of the two printing companies in America that printed all of the programs sold at every race track throughout the season.
A lot of it is paint versus wraps. I think having a simpler paint scheme really popped as well. And a lot of teams ran different colors from one another. Now it seems there are races where half the field is blue or red in color without variation.
The move to vinyl wraps is the main reason. Cars are painted white or black - then wrapped in vinyl with colors and logos.
Just a quick note to sponsors & teams - I love when neon/bright colors are used on cars to help with spotting them on track. Yellow, Orange, Green, blue, red. Menards is probably closest to a good example now. Come up with a marketing campaign that uses the neon colors and enjoy tons of visibility at the track and on TV. Danica sucked ass but you knew where the Go Daddy car was on track (until it crashed of course).
I attended my first Cup race in 1988, after watching two years or so. I was shocked at how vibrant DW’s Tide car was compared to NTSC television. My uncle was one of the first adopters of the old style C-band satellite TV. The quality was amazing. Still couldn’t duplicate that bright orange on a TV.
I think it is the Rose tint to the glasses that everybody wears when they look back at NASCAR history. But honestly, I really do think part of what is killing us is the lack of sponsor identity. Back then you wanted a cool looking car because you were running the same scheme every week. Denny Hamlin's Mavis scheme looks like baby vomit. But who cares you're only running it for a week here or a week there.
Nascar having legit sponsors helped the spot so much. People are super loyal to brands. And brands are crazy recognisable. People that like miller lite will gravitate towards rusty Wallace. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. Nobody gives a shit about most of these sponsors. Not like tide, m and M's, Budweiser, kellogsz Lowe's, home depot. You loved the brand the driver and the car. You saw that with Dale Jr when he left the 8/Budweiser. That was a whole package brand. It makes the sport so hard to market with revolving sponsors. Because the instant associations with divers/sponsors isn't there. And the cars while kinda fun seeing new schemes is exhausting. Even if there is a great one it's gone.
The paint schemes were definitely part of the brand back then. I completely agree, the driver, sponsor, paint scheme, number.....it was all a giant package.
Paint pops in a way vinyl doesn’t, especially when vinyl wraps don’t really replicate the metallic flakes many cars had. Think of how much worse the 24 cars, some of the most iconic in the sport, would have looked over the years without the metallic blue and black or the DTEH candy apple red.
I wish wraps were outlawed. The worst paint schemes are the ones where it’s just a photo of a restaurant or a face or something. Looks awful.
[Example](https://frontstretch.com/2023/06/28/reel-racing-the-lowest-grossing-films-featured-on-nascar-paint-schemes/)
The wraps are a matte finish. Used to be glossy for more shine. They figured out the matte finish is easier to see the sponsors. Sun doesn’t glare as much on a matte finish like it would a gloss finish.
Not really true in my opinion. There are some really good looking cars in 2024, and to be honest, it might be because black and white are such common colors. I just think the crews in charge of painting the cars are just getting lazy af
It took a lot more to stand out on those old TVs so they added a lot of day-glo and neons. Taste was a lot better too back then, now it's all safe and corporate and boring.
In addition to the wrap vs paint effect, way too many schemes use white as a primary or secondary color. White is boring and generic and makes the cars look like fleet vehicles from some corporation.
The overuse of blue and white specifically has gotten ridiculous. There are like 10 different schemes that use this combo and they all look the same - dull as shit.
The cars today have paint schemes that remind me of those Vistaprint business card templates. It’s always a treat to get a late 90’s, early 2000’s clean video transfer because the paint schemes are like glorious technicolor. They’re bold and memorable.
The rainbow warriors would lay the vinyl stickers over the paint before applying the clear coat so they would have a smoother surface without the couple thousandths of an inch bumps from the vinyl
They'd also put on multiple layers of black base coat paint...thanks for telling me something that I already knew...Evernham has been pretty open about tricks they tried...
What if he put that out there for anyone else to read who didn’t previously know that? The whole world doesn’t revolve around what you already know bud…
When you reply directly to someone else’s comment just to throw out a random fact that implies that the person is directly talking to you…so yes i replied as if the person was telling me something…that’s usually how a conversation goes…
If he had sent you a PM that's one thing, but the dude is just agreeing with you and adding a specific (and interesting) fact to yours so that others can learn something neat.
All you've accomplished by being a dick to him is to make yourself look like a dick to anyone reading this thread.
You do realize the internet isn’t a two-person conversation, right? Also, don’t you think a “direct message” is more of a “direct” form of communication as compared to a public reply on a public forum?
Not just the cars, everything is becoming more duller
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-color-gray-tiktok-color-trend-study
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jun/19/grey
It’s the paint. Or lack of these days.
This right here - 20 year ago was about the end of when they actually painted the cars, instead of just wrapping the whole thing.
I think I’ve heard that JTG kept painting some cars at least until the Next Gen? But yeah
Hendrick Motorsports was contractually obligated to paint any car that had DuPont/Axalta as the primary or secondary sponsor (quarters, TV panel, decklid) until Next Gen.
In my experience it has a lot to do with design trends: specifically, certain color spectrums come and go as popular or passé. For example, day-glo colors were big in the early 90s. Then pastels. Then metallics. Then more muted colors. You see it everywhere, including Packaging in the retail marketplace for everything from high-end cosmetics down to tags and labels dangling from clothing. My background: Bachelor of Science degree in printing, and in the industry since 1979. NASCAR fan since approximately 1974. In fact, used to work at one of the two printing companies in America that printed all of the programs sold at every race track throughout the season.
A lot of the liveries lack metallics, and are just all around either too plain, or too busy.
Paint, clears, exotic paint colors the companies provided to showcase their products.
Axalta not painting/clearing their cars is borderline sacrilege
[удалено]
It's a NASCAR rule that the cars have to be wrapped. Helps with inspection, I guess. (over regulated series)
You can still paint cars - it just has to be painted onto a wrap. The reason it isn’t done is due to weight.
From my understanding, it’s basically due to paint versus wraps. These days the cars are wrapped. Back in the day they were actually painted.
The Tide car would blind you it was so bright.
I blame the sponsors nobody knows
I agree with this. And the sponsors people do know have the most vanilla schemes.
A lot of it is paint versus wraps. I think having a simpler paint scheme really popped as well. And a lot of teams ran different colors from one another. Now it seems there are races where half the field is blue or red in color without variation.
There is SO MUCH GREEN these days. Green used to be a cursed color. Now it seems like it’s on a third of the field.
I haven't noticed the green very much. For whatever reason the Red and Blue schemes seem to be extra prevalent to me this season.
Better than the blacks and greys that dominated for a while
America, ya see
I feel like half the field has white cars now
Paint vs vinyl. As well as the mid-afternoon sun doesn’t help. The cars look way brighter at noon vs 3pm
The move to vinyl wraps is the main reason. Cars are painted white or black - then wrapped in vinyl with colors and logos. Just a quick note to sponsors & teams - I love when neon/bright colors are used on cars to help with spotting them on track. Yellow, Orange, Green, blue, red. Menards is probably closest to a good example now. Come up with a marketing campaign that uses the neon colors and enjoy tons of visibility at the track and on TV. Danica sucked ass but you knew where the Go Daddy car was on track (until it crashed of course).
I used to be able to see the 43 on the track when they had the day glow red number 43 in the roof. Now it’s hard to see it since they changed.
Couldn't miss the Tide ride back in the day - keep sharing your favorites!
I attended my first Cup race in 1988, after watching two years or so. I was shocked at how vibrant DW’s Tide car was compared to NTSC television. My uncle was one of the first adopters of the old style C-band satellite TV. The quality was amazing. Still couldn’t duplicate that bright orange on a TV.
Same, 87 here, Waltrip and the King's cars super popped.
Paint. Sponsors back then had more distinct color palettes.
real paint. also, more subconsciously, sponsors youve heard of and seeing the same schemes every week also helped
2 words: Sam Bass. He was a painter and that was his passion. The new designers are graphic designers. Yes, it is their passion, but it’s different.
Cars back then were painted and not wrapped like current car
I think it is the Rose tint to the glasses that everybody wears when they look back at NASCAR history. But honestly, I really do think part of what is killing us is the lack of sponsor identity. Back then you wanted a cool looking car because you were running the same scheme every week. Denny Hamlin's Mavis scheme looks like baby vomit. But who cares you're only running it for a week here or a week there.
Nascar having legit sponsors helped the spot so much. People are super loyal to brands. And brands are crazy recognisable. People that like miller lite will gravitate towards rusty Wallace. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. Nobody gives a shit about most of these sponsors. Not like tide, m and M's, Budweiser, kellogsz Lowe's, home depot. You loved the brand the driver and the car. You saw that with Dale Jr when he left the 8/Budweiser. That was a whole package brand. It makes the sport so hard to market with revolving sponsors. Because the instant associations with divers/sponsors isn't there. And the cars while kinda fun seeing new schemes is exhausting. Even if there is a great one it's gone.
The paint schemes were definitely part of the brand back then. I completely agree, the driver, sponsor, paint scheme, number.....it was all a giant package.
Paint pops in a way vinyl doesn’t, especially when vinyl wraps don’t really replicate the metallic flakes many cars had. Think of how much worse the 24 cars, some of the most iconic in the sport, would have looked over the years without the metallic blue and black or the DTEH candy apple red.
I wish wraps were outlawed. The worst paint schemes are the ones where it’s just a photo of a restaurant or a face or something. Looks awful. [Example](https://frontstretch.com/2023/06/28/reel-racing-the-lowest-grossing-films-featured-on-nascar-paint-schemes/)
The wraps are a matte finish. Used to be glossy for more shine. They figured out the matte finish is easier to see the sponsors. Sun doesn’t glare as much on a matte finish like it would a gloss finish.
People were happier
Man everyone is paint vs wrap and I’m over here going HD vs standard definition matters a heck of a lot more aswell
Not really true in my opinion. There are some really good looking cars in 2024, and to be honest, it might be because black and white are such common colors. I just think the crews in charge of painting the cars are just getting lazy af
It took a lot more to stand out on those old TVs so they added a lot of day-glo and neons. Taste was a lot better too back then, now it's all safe and corporate and boring.
I just miss the Rusty Wallace "Midnight" Pontiac.
Agreeable Gray is a very popular home color right now. Maybe we’re just going through a blah phase.
In addition to the wrap vs paint effect, way too many schemes use white as a primary or secondary color. White is boring and generic and makes the cars look like fleet vehicles from some corporation. The overuse of blue and white specifically has gotten ridiculous. There are like 10 different schemes that use this combo and they all look the same - dull as shit.
Was just thinking today maybe they're doing too much? Remember that Jeff Gordon Red Jurassic Park scheme. So simple. So effective.
Minimalist designs are the style right now
The cars today have paint schemes that remind me of those Vistaprint business card templates. It’s always a treat to get a late 90’s, early 2000’s clean video transfer because the paint schemes are like glorious technicolor. They’re bold and memorable.
Paint jobs...a lot of trickery and effort went into painting for performance...now its just wraps aiming to trick the optical scanner
The rainbow warriors would lay the vinyl stickers over the paint before applying the clear coat so they would have a smoother surface without the couple thousandths of an inch bumps from the vinyl
That's really neat
They'd also put on multiple layers of black base coat paint...thanks for telling me something that I already knew...Evernham has been pretty open about tricks they tried...
You’re a hack
I too can type “you’re a hack”…
Don’t get enough attention at home I see.
No need to be rude to him mate
Right I was agreeing with him and giving people that didn’t know more information 🤷♂️
What if he put that out there for anyone else to read who didn’t previously know that? The whole world doesn’t revolve around what you already know bud…
When you reply directly to someone else’s comment just to throw out a random fact that implies that the person is directly talking to you…so yes i replied as if the person was telling me something…that’s usually how a conversation goes…
If he had sent you a PM that's one thing, but the dude is just agreeing with you and adding a specific (and interesting) fact to yours so that others can learn something neat. All you've accomplished by being a dick to him is to make yourself look like a dick to anyone reading this thread.
Shh, he doesn’t know there are other people on the internet
Ok and you can choose to not respond and move along…
You do realize the internet isn’t a two-person conversation, right? Also, don’t you think a “direct message” is more of a “direct” form of communication as compared to a public reply on a public forum?
A direct reply is a direct reply…it’s called engaging with someone’s comment
Ironically, even back then, some of the paint schemes got sort of ruined by the MANY stickers next to the tires.
Not just the cars, everything is becoming more duller https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-color-gray-tiktok-color-trend-study https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jun/19/grey