The 1979 Daytona 500 is considered one of the most important events in the history of NASCAR.
That race marked the first time the Daytona 500 was broadcast flag-to-flag on national TV. Sixteen million people tuned in to see Richard Petty win his sixth Daytona 500 after race leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed on the final lap.
The win was also Petty’s first after going winless in 1978.
Now the paint scheme that covered Petty’s 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass on that February afternoon will return on Aric Almirola’s No. 43 Ford for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
“I’m excited to run the 1979 STP paint scheme this year at Darlington,” said Almirola in a press release. “We had a lot of fun with the throwback theme last year, and it should be fun to throwback again this year. It makes the race so special. There are so many great STP paint schemes over the years, which makes it special for our team to run throwbacks; 1979 was definitely a breakout season when it comes to catapulting the sport into the mainstream, so it’s cool to recognize that this year with our throwback scheme.”
The paint scheme will have also be used to promote the Victory Junction camp.
A dollar amount showing the amount of money raised by STP customers for Victory Junction will be featured on the rear quarter panel of the car. STP launched the “Giving Kids an Ultra Summer” program on June 1 and will donate $o.43 for every bottle of STP Ultra 5-in-1 Fuel System Cleaner sold through August 31.
The Southern 500 is scheduled for Sept. 4 on NBC.