Category: throwback thursday

Frank Hawley in the Chi-Town Hustler hustles down the track in 1983

Blue, white, and metallic gold could be difficult to work with. But this classic scheme takes a difficult color scheme and makes it work very well. The design scheme works very well here too. I do like the TEAM STRANGE logo on the sides. It’s a solid A scheme.

Jim Dunn speeds down the track in 1983 in his Fireman’s Quickie Funny Car

Yellow can be a difficult color to work with, in this case, the yellow is a good shade that works well. The blue works well too, and the two work very well together. The gold lettering on the blue background is really good too. The stripe pattern could be a little toned down, but it isn’t that bad. All in all, it’s a solid A- scheme.

Raymond Beadle and his Blue Max kept on racing in 1982

The Blue Max had seen some different versions, both in terms of car model and paint scheme. This version, from 1982, has a really great shade of blue. The white stripes up the hood and roof look very good. The stripes on the sides are subdued, and they fit the overall scheme very well. The gold and black lettering stands out on the blue background. I give it an A.

Tom McEwen’s 1982 Coors Light Corvette races down the track

Prior to the Silver Bullet motif, Coors Light had a really good shade of red that they used. This scheme is a great example of that color scheme in action. The color scheme is good, and the white and red designs work very well. I also like the snake logo on the hood of the car. It’s a solid A scheme

Don Prudhomme smokes his 1981 Pepsi Challenger

In February, I said this about the IndyCar version of the Pepsi Challenger:

“Apparently Pepsi didn’t get the piss yellow memo, and here we have another example of why it’s a terrible color for a race car. It’s not just IndyCar, NASCAR and the NHRA also fell victim to the Pepsi Challenger design. Did Pepsi not realize that they have a great color scheme? Red, white, and blue is a color scheme that rarely misses, but for some unknown reason, Pepsi thought that piss yellow was the way to go…which it wasn’t. I’m giving this scheme an F. “

Everything I said about that paint scheme applies to this one as well, including the grade.

Dale Plude races in his 1981 War Eagle Funny Car

The red design works, but I was a little confused when I first saw this picture of what the designs were. After looking at it again, I saw that it was a feather design. Once I realized that, the scheme made sense, and I like everything about this scheme. The color scheme works very well, the design scheme is good, and the two work well together. I give it an A.

Ron Colson races in his 1981 Kings Hawaiian Bread Funny Car

Our first funny car paint scheme is a good one. The shade of red works well. The subdued Kings Hawaiian Bread logo looks good, but the white stripes and white logo on the hood both are bright and very visible. I have to say, it’s a good look. It’s a solid A scheme for sure!

Cory McClenathan took the 1999 US Nationals, his second title, in his MBNA dragster

Our last Top Fuel entry is this Cory Mac edition from 1999. Black and green could work better if the green didn’t closely resemble the black. It just looks too similar, and it doesn’t stand out as much. The white MBNA logos are good, and they work well with the overall scheme. It’s not a terrible scheme, it needs a little tweaking of the green to make it great. I’ll give it a B+. Next week, we start Funny Car.

Larry Dixon won the 1995 US Nationals in his rookie, driving his Miller Genuine Draft dragster

Another good scheme that uses black and yellow. The yellow stripe across the side works well, and the white lettering on the sides and top looks really good too. It’s a shame that within a few years, Miller would focus more on the Miller Lite brand, and eschew the black and gold for blue and white. Still it’s a good solid A scheme.

After tipping his Coors Light dragster over, Michael Brotherton came back to win in Seattle in 1992

The dark blue era of Coors Light wasn’t great, the car looked decent. The blue didn’t work as well with the black, red, and white of the logos. I also don’t get the silver on the front wing and mud flaps. Coors Light was already known as The Silver Bullet, so why wouldn’t they have a Silver Bullet themed race car? It’s a bad concept, and the scheme is a C- scheme at best.