Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won’t be the only person honoring Darrell Waltrip on Sunday, but he’ll be the one doing it with the most style.
For Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, Stenhouse will run a special throwback paint scheme to honor Waltrip, who will retire from NASCAR broadcasting after the race. The scheme will feature a chrome-colored No. 17 and resemble the car that Waltrip drove in the Cup Series from 1987 to 1998.
“Darrell Waltrip has meant a great deal to our sport as both a competitor and a member of the broadcast media,” RFR owner Jack Roush said in a statement. “The thing that stands out to me about Darrell is that after I just announced I was starting the team with Mark Martin, I was invited into a driver’s meeting that season.
“Darrell Waltrip was one of the first to welcome me into the fold and say ‘come on in Jack, we are going to have a lot of fun with you’ and we sure have over the years.”
Check out these shots of the No. 17 Ford Mustang that Stenhouse will drive at Sonoma Raceway:
Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing
Pretty sharp, if you ask us.
And here’s the car being loaded into the No. 17 team’s hauler before the trip to California:
Finally, here are some cool photos of Waltrip’s No. 17, courtesy of late NASCAR artist Sam Bass:
“With as much as he’s done in the sport on and off the track, Darrell will definitely be missed,” Stenhouse said in a statement. “I have enjoyed all the sit-downs and seeing his passion that he has for the sport.
“I’ve gotten to pay homage to him with two Darlington throwback schemes so it will be extra special to drive his iconic paint scheme for his last appearance in the booth.”
