An exhaustive project I undertook in the middle of June 2020.
As a writer for Frontstretch.com, I have a weekly (usually) column about racing movies or the connection between movies in racing. Usually it's reviewing a certain movie about motorsports.
However, I got the idea to find out every single movie that's ever been promoted or thrown back to via NASCAR paint schemes, and there were more than even I could have imagined.
Some stats (by my counts, which are probably inaccurate):
100 different movies
74 different drivers
149 different schemes
97 different movies (excluding throwbacks)
66 different drivers (excluding throwbacks)
139 different schemes (excluding throwbacks)
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9 movie schemes have won races:
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Kevin Harvick…
An exhaustive project I undertook in the middle of June 2020.
As a writer for Frontstretch.com, I have a weekly (usually) column about racing movies or the connection between movies in racing. Usually it's reviewing a certain movie about motorsports.
However, I got the idea to find out every single movie that's ever been promoted or thrown back to via NASCAR paint schemes, and there were more than even I could have imagined.
Some stats (by my counts, which are probably inaccurate):
100 different movies
74 different drivers
149 different schemes
97 different movies (excluding throwbacks)
66 different drivers (excluding throwbacks)
139 different schemes (excluding throwbacks)
-------------------------
9 movie schemes have won races:
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Kevin Harvick truck, 2003 Phoenix)
Revenge of the Sith (Jeff Gordon, 2005 Talladega)
Click (Kasey Kahne, 2006 Michigan)
Indiana Jones 4 (Kyle Busch, 2008 Darlington)
Madagascar 3 (Jimmie Johnson, 2012 Dover)
The Dark Knight Rises (Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2012 Michigan)
The Smurfs 2 (Ryan Newman, 2013 Indianapolis)
Batman v Superman (Jimmie Johnson, 2016 Fontana)
Cars 3 (Kyle Larson, 2017 Michigan)
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Stats entirely excluding throwbacks:
Driver(s) who were sponsored by movies the most: Bobby Labonte & Tomy Drissi (8 apiece)
- Labonte: Small Soldiers, Jurassic Park III, Hulk, The Passion of the Christ, Shrek 2, Madagascar, Spider-Man 3, Speed Racer
- Drissi: Wall Street, Chipwrecked, Ice Age 4, The Wolverine, The Counselor, Hercules, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Straight Outta Compton
Movie(s) with the most schemes: Revenge of the Sith and The Wizard of Oz (4 each)
- Revenge of the Sith: Jarrett, Sadler, Gordon, Kyle Busch
- Wizard of Oz: Riggs, Gordon, Sadler, Gaughan
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3 promotional movie schemes failed to qualify:
The Benchwarmers (Kenny Wallace, 2006 Atlanta)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (J.J. Yeley, 2008 Daytona)
Run the Race (Korbin Forrister, 2019 Daytona)
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Year(s) with the most movies represented: 2003, 2004, 2006 (7 each)
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Cup movie schemes: 92
Xfinity movie schemes: 19
Truck movie schemes: 4
