No. 43 STP Ford Paint Scheme Replicates Colors of 1979
Darlington Raceway invited teams to participate in a weekend of nostalgia with throwback paint schemes. Richard Petty Motorsports took on the challenge and replicated the paint scheme of the 1979 No. 43 STP car driven by “The King” Richard Petty. Petty won five of 31 races and his seventh championship in 1979 running the iconic paint scheme. The team will dive fully into the throwback theme. Crewmen grew “Darlington beards”, Aric Almirola will have a revamped firesuit, and we’re once again busting out the red pants for the team!
This will be the second primary paint scheme of the year for STP. The motor oil and automotive additive company also sponsored the No. 43 Ford Fusion during the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway earlier this year. The 2016 season marks the 44th year of partnership between STP and Richard Petty. To honor the partnership with the Petty family, STP raised money throughout the summer for Victory Junction. Through STP’s “Giving Kids an Ultra Summer” program, $.43 for every bottle of STP Ultra 5-in-1 Fuel System Cleaner sold from June 1 through August 31 will be donated to the camp. The amount raised will be revealed in Darlington with the dollar value being displayed on the rear quarter panel of the No. 43 STP Ford.
Almirola has four previous Sprint Cup Series starts at the famed racetrack. His best finish of 11th place came last season during the inaugural throwback weekend. In 2014, he earned his best starting position when he started on the inside lane of the second row in third place and broke the current track record.
Almirola will join other Sprint Cup Series drivers in Sunday’s NASCAR Youth Autograph Session. The kids-only autograph session will be held in the Raceway Rascals tent in the Darlington Raceway Kids Zone on Sunday afternoon. Wristbands will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 12:00 PM at the Raceway Rascals tent.
When: Sunday, September 4, 2:00 – 2:30 PM
Where: Raceway Rascals Tent, Kids Zone in Darlington Raceway Fan Midway
“It’s really fun to run a throwback scheme with STP. It’s an iconic sponsor in the sport, and Richard Petty and STP have done great things together. They created a brand for the No. 43 car with that Petty blue and day-glow red. Having the opportunity to go run that scheme at Darlington will be very special. We ran really well during last year’s throwback weekend, and I think this year’s race will be very similar. Any time you take a lower-downforce package to a track that’s very narrow and tricky, you’re going to see a lot of wrecks and cautions. The racetrack is aging and getting slick. There’s really only room for two cars and, most of the time, just one. So, it’s definitely a place where mayhem is easily found. But, our team is up for the challenge. We’re looking forward to loading up our awesome No. 43 STP Ford and getting it on track for everyone to see.”
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the “Fresh From Florida” campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
