Dale Earnhardt Jr. is breaking out an iconic paint scheme for the CARS Tour race at Florence Motor Speedway on Aug. 30.
Earnhardt will pilot the No. 3 Sun Drop Chevrolet for the race, JR Motorsports announced on Tuesday. Sammy Smith’s No. 88 Chevrolet will carry the Cherry Lemon Sun Drop sponsor for the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 15.
Like peanuts and Coke or biscuits and gravy, Earnhardt and Sun Drop just go together. The Earnhardt-Sun Drop relationship dates back to the late 1980s. Sun Drop initially sponsored Earnhardt’s late model stock car in 1994.
In April 2023, Earnhardt and Sun Drop announced a multi-year extension to their partnership. Earnhardt notably used the Sun Drop paint scheme at the CARS Tour event at North Wilkesboro last May.
“We’re excited to team back up with Sun Drop,” Earnhardt said in a statement at the time. “Sun Drop has been a part of my life since I was a kid. It’s special to be able to work with a company that is authentic to who I am. I appreciate all Sun Drop has done for me over the years and for them hearing me out last year when I wanted to bring that car back to North Wilkesboro.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. set for 2024 CARS Tour debut
Earnhardt, 49, has sporadically appeared in events in the Xfinity Series and CARS Tour since retiring from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2017 season. Earnhardt has compiled a P3 and P16 finish in two career starts on the CARS Tour. His first start this season will come in this Saturday’s National Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram 250 at New River All-American Speedway.
“I’m a huge fan of the CARS Tour and local short-track racing,” Earnhardt said, via Jayski.com. “The competition, the tracks, and the drivers are some of the best around. These regional series are vital to the quality of racing you see at the top level – it’s the heartbeat of motorsports in North America.”
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