NASCAR Cup Series
Todd Gilliland Honoring Short Track Roots with Darlington Throwback Scheme
May 1, 2024
Tyler Reddick will have a special paint scheme and firesuit honoring the late Tim Richmond next weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Reddick will pilot a MoneyLion-sponsored No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE, which will be designed to look reminiscent of Richmond's 1982 No. 29 Motorcraft paint scheme.
In addition to the paint scheme, Reddick will wear a custom throwback firesuit, which will be made to look like the one that Richmond wore in 1982. MoneyLion will have two of the firesuits made, which fans will have a chance to win in a social media giveaway on MoneyLion's accounts prior to the event.
The scheme will have a white base color with a 1980s-esque rainbow pinstripe design that flows on the top-half and bottom half of the car.
Richmond, who would go on to win two races in the No. 2 J.D. Stacy-owned entry, began the season in the Mike Lovern-owned No. 29 Ford. Motorcraft signed on to sponsor the entry for the Daytona 500 that season, and Richmond would DNQ for that event.
The DNQ for the Daytona 500 relegated Richmond to the Daytona 500 consolation race, which the driver would go on to win.
Legendary crew chief Harry Hyde served as the crew chief for the entry, and the two joined forces again in the late 1980s when Richmond moved to Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 25 Folgers Chevrolet. In 37 races together at Hendrick Motorsports between 1986 and 1987, Hyde and Richmond recorded nine NASCAR Cup Series wins.
Sadly, Richmond passed away due to complications from the AIDS virus on August 13, 1989.
Reddick, who notched his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series win in thrilling fashion a couple of races ago at Talladega Superspeedway, is one of the rising stars in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The 23XI Racing driver sits fifth in the championship standings heading into this weekend's race at Kansas Speedway, a track where Reddick won last fall.
Prior to moving to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2020, Reddick scored back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series championships in 2018 and 2019.
In that 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship season, Reddick also sported a Tim Richmond throwback paint scheme as he ran Richmond's Old Milwaukee paint scheme from the 1985 season. Reddick started third and finished third in that ride.
