Did Rick Ware Racing and JJ Yeley Just Win Throwback Weekend? Amazing Kenny Irwin Jr. Throwback Unveiled

Now, this is a properly done throwback paint scheme. Ricky Ware Racing unveiled the No. 27 Ford Mustang that JJ Yeley will drive in next weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The scheme is a near identical match to Kenny Irwin Jr.’s No. 27 Nerf machine from the 1997 season.

We are honored to throwback to Kenny Irwin Jr. For this years @TooToughToTame #Throwback @CookOut #southern500 @jjyeley1 @Jacob_Companies @thriv5 @Knockaround @FortWorthScreen #Mustang pic.twitter.com/TmO5oSP5Hd

— Rick Ware Racing (@RickWareRacing) August 28, 2020

Kudos to Jacob Companies for allowing RWR to morf their logos to duplicate the Nerf logo on the hood of the race car, and to look identical to the old Winner’s Circle logo on the sides of the car. This is a truly special scheme.

Irwin attempted five races in the 1997 season, in preparation for his first full-time season a year later. Irwin made the show in four of the five events. This scheme was scheduled to run at Rockingham in the fall 1997 race, but Irwin DNQ’ed with it. Now, the scheme will get it’s chance to be displayed for a new generation of NASCAR fans.

Irwin was the 1998 NASCAR Cup Series rookie of the year and was potentially a future star in the sport. However, a tragic crash in 2000 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ended Irwin’s life at the age of 30.

Yeley will look to honor the legacy of Irwin, all the while continuing what has been a really successful season on the track. While Rick Ware Racing doesn’t expect to mix it up for wins, or even top-10s, on a weekly basis, the team has really churned out decent results and they have torn up very little equipment in the process. In fact, Yeley has recorded zero incidents in points paying events this season. He is the only driver with more than 20 starts in 2020 who can say that.