Earnhardt reveals paint scheme for final race

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s final paint scheme as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver will resemble his first.

Wednesday night, the Hendrick Motorsports driver appeared on QVC as part of his #Appreci88ion to unveil his Axalta Chevrolet for Homestead-Miami Speedway. The car's livery will bring fond memories for longtime 'Junior Nation' fans as the scheme mimics the Budweiser Chevrolet that Earnhardt drove in his first five starts in 1999.

Notable is the primary red car with black stripes and black roof. NASCAR's only officially licensed artist, Sam Bass, designed the scheme. Bass also designed Earnhardt's first paint scheme.

"We actually talked to some of the guys on the team to get the proper paint codes so that we knew that we were doing the right thing and doing this from the top to the bottom as good as we possibly could," Earnhardt said. "It was important to me that the car replicated the actual racecars as close as possible. Sam (Bass) was incredibly involved in the design back in the late '90s. He was involved in the designs of a lot of our cars and him and my father were great friends. Sam did do a lot of these designs at DEI."

In his Cup Series debut, Earnhardt finished 16th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Earnhardt's first full season occurred in 2000 and although he came up short in capturing Rookie of the Year honors to Matt Kenseth, Earnhardt did earn his first two career wins at Texas and Richmond (pictured below).

Earnhardt also became the first rookie to win the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After pitting for fresh tires, Earnhardt charged through the field and passed former champions Dale Jarrett and his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Throughout his tenure at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. the primary Budweiser scheme changed very little for Earnhardt. And before Earnhardt left his late father's company for Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt won 17 races in a Budweiser-sponsored car, including his first Daytona 500 in 2004.

In April, the 42-year-old announced this season would be his last after 18 full seasons. To date, Earnhardt has won 26 career races in the Cup Series. He is 22nd in points entering Watkins Glen this weekend.