Earnhardt Jr. goes back in time with final paint scheme for Miami

The final paint scheme of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career will look very similar to his first paint scheme, which debuted in 1999 when he made his debut in the sport’s top series.

Sponsor Axalta will adorn the rear quarter panels of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and be featured across the hood. But the color scheme, which features a red body, black roof and posts and black stripes down both sides of the car, is clearly modeled after his former No. 8 Budweiser-sponsored entry fielded by his father’s Dale Earnhardt Inc.-owned organization.

The paint scheme will be run in the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 19. Earnhardt unveiled the car Wednesday night during a one-hour Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appreci88ion Tour special on QVC.

The final #Axalta88 paint scheme @DaleJr will drive. What do you think?? pic.twitter.com/RlJYsRZLob

— Axalta Racing (@AxaltaRacing) August 2, 2017

After missing the last half of the 2016 season due to injury, Earnhardt, 42, announced earlier this year that he will retire from full-time competition in the Monster Energy Series at season’s end. He currently is scheduled to compete in at least two NASCAR XFINITY Series races in 2018.

The son of seven-time NASCAR champion and inaugural Hall of Fame member Dale Earnhardt, the younger Earnhardt has won 26 times in 616 starts at NASCAR’s highest level. He has 149 top-five and 256 top-10 finishes as well as 14 Coors Light Pole Awards.

Earnhardt also is a two-time champion in the XFINITY Series (1998-99), where he has 24 career victories.