Hendrick Motorsports unveiled the No. 48 Chevrolet that Jimmie Johnson will drive Labor Day weekend at Darlington Raceway on Wednesday, flashing a throwback paint scheme that pays tribute to NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt.
Johnson's car will maintain primary sponsorship by Lowe's Home Improvement for the Bojangles' Southern 500 on Sept. 4, but with a retro-themed look for NASCAR's annual throwback weekend. The blue-and-yellow paint scheme is reminiscent of the No. 2 entries that Rod Osterlund once fielded for Earnhardt and Pearson in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Earnhardt made 75 starts for Osterlund in that time frame, but suffered a bilateral fracture of the clavicle -- breaking both collarbones -- during a severe crash at Pocono Raceway in 1979, his rookie season. Earnhardt missed four races, winning the pole at Richmond International Raceway in his return to the circuit.
Pearson made just four starts in Osterlund's No. 2 Chevy as a replacement driver for Earnhardt, but one was a Darlington victory -- the ninth of his 10 career wins on the historic 1.366-mile track in his home state of South Carolina. Pearson's first start for Osterlund -- a second-place run atTalladega Superspeedway -- carried sponsorship by Lowe's.
Johnson is a three-time winner at Darlington, and will be looking next month for his first victory since 2012 at the track "Too Tough to Tame." Johnson passed Earnhardt on NASCAR's all-time win list earlier this season.
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