Paul Menard to Drive Al Unser Jr.-Inspired 1993 ‘Throwback’ Paint Scheme in Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington

Valvoline™ – the petroleum industry’s first U.S. trademarked motor oil brand now celebrating its 150th anniversary – together with Menards® home improvement stores today unveiled their “throwback” Darlington paint scheme for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) driver, Paul Menard.

The Valvoline hood-branded and Menards No. 27 Chevrolet co-primary will pay homage to IndyCar legend Al “Little Al” Unser Jr.’s first and only stock car race of his celebrated career – and one which he, in the end, was prevented from finishing.

“I am a lifelong Unser fan, so for me, this paint scheme – and what it represents – means more than most fans might realize,” said Menard. “I’m ready to get out there and finish what he started.”

In 1993, Unser aligned with Valvoline to make his Sprint Cup debut at the Daytona 500. His single car paint scheme gave a nod to Valvoline’s synthetic oil, which at that time was packaged in a black, orange and white bottle.  Menard’s Darlington paint scheme will mimic this specific car concept, which never saw the Daytona 500 track due to a wreck in preliminaries. 

“There are so many distinct strands of the racing world woven together in the context of this paint scheme,” said Valvoline Vice President of Marketing, Jamal Muashsher. “We look forward to watching Paul as he symbolically provides Little Al with another moment on the stock car stage.”

Valvoline first announced its alignment with Menards home improvement stores and Paul Menard in February. As part of the partnership, Valvoline pledged support as co-primary, hood branding sponsor of four 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and was presenting sponsor of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Menards® 250 held in June.

In honor of the upcoming Darlington “throwback” paint scheme, a video featuring Menard and Unser will soon be featured on TeamValvoline.com as part of Valvoline’s LEGACY video series, designed specifically to tell the story of the brand’s motorsports history, commitment to excellence and dedication to developing cutting-edge motor oil.

Additionally, a limited-edition die cast replica of Menard’s No. 27 Darlington throwback car will be available in Menards stores beginning September 3, coinciding with the Bojangles’ Southern 500 race weekend. 

Valvoline PR