Chase Elliott rips NASCAR Throwback Weekend at Darlington to shreds: ‘We’ve rode the horse to death’

NASCAR fans have come to love throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. It’s a celebration of the sport’s past, with the best and brightest of today’s age paying tribute to the legends of old — but the face of the sport feels it’s getting a bit old.

Chase Elliott may be honoring Ken Schrader this weekend, but he’s feeling a bit of fatigue when it comes down to it. He spoke out about the future of throwback weekend at Darlington, thinking it’s something NASCAR has to seriously evaluate, or risk oversaturating the idea.

“I feel like it got old 4-5 years ago,” Elliott stated, regarding NASCAR’s throwback weekend at Darlington, via Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch. “Not to be a downer. … If we kept doing it down the road we’re gonna be throwing it back to me in 2018. … I think we’ve rode the horse to death.”

In Elliott’s defense, a surprising number of teams aren’t participating this time around. Still, the track will be filled with some incredible paint schemes when the Goodyear 400 comes to the green flag, with Austin Cindric’s Dale Earnhardt Sr. scheme and Kyle Larson’s Terry Labonte makeover slated to turn heads throughout the afternoon.

Perhaps Elliott has a point. However, with NASCAR’s vast history, we’re willing to bet teams will come up with something creative year-in and year-out. Heck, fans wouldn’t mind if some drivers re-use schemes from recent seasons. Whatever it takes to break up the monotonous nature that sometimes befalls the Cup Series and the look of their cars.

Regardless, fans and drivers alike will enjoy the 2025 iteration of Darlington’s throwback weekend, even if Chase Elliott has some reservations. Time will tell who gets the win, but it’s become a little more special to win at The Lady in Black this weekend over the past couple of seasons. One wheelman will be celebrating hard in South Carolina when the checkered flag waves.

More on Chase Elliott, Darlington Raceway

Even if he’s being a bit of a party-pooper, Chase Elliott has a chance to get the win at Darlington. Last weekend, he qualified P2 at Martinsville Speedway, and it was obvious his team brought a car capable of winning. He was able to secure a top five, finishing P4 on the afternoon. He’ll take it, even though he would’ve preferred to get to the podium. 

Darlington hasn’t been one of his better tracks in his career, as he’s only finished in the top three once in 16 tries. Time will tell if he can have a better experience this time around in 2025, but he’ll have to embrace the fun of throwback weekend if he’s going to get the job done.