“Shame, Their Schemes Were Awesome” – Nostalgia Sweeps Over Fans as Iconic Sponsor Shuts Down Operations

Published 07/31/2023, 1:19 PM EDT

While numbers plastered on the top and sides of the cars help distinguish drivers from one another on the track, so do the flashy and eye-catching paint schemes. Making fans go gaga over the paint schemes, the liveries can often be credited to one crucial element of NASCAR teams i.e. sponsors. Be it Denny Hamlin’s white, purple, and orange FedEX-sponsored Toyota or Joey Logano’s iconic yellow Shell-Pennzoil-sponsored Mustang, several paint schemes have become synonymous with the drivers who sport them.

As the community continues to enjoy the eye-catching paint schemes, recent news of a former NASCAR sponsor closing down has fans swept over by nostalgia.

Former NASCAR sponsor shuts down operations

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Throughout NASCAR’s 75 years run, hundreds of companies and brands have flocked to the ovals in a bid to secure a sponsorship spot. Once boasting of over 60% Fortune 500 companies in its sponsor arsenal, NASCAR now cites that only 25% have stuck around. One such company that used to be a part of NASCAR’s operations was transportation giant, Yellow Corp. Known for its iconic yellow trucks, Yellow Corp. stepped foot into NASCAR in 1998 as an associate sponsor for a Craftsman Truck Series team.

Further expanding on its NASCAR venture, the freight and logistics company then established Team Yellow Racing in the same year. Tying up with Emerald Performance Group in 1999, Yellow Corp. then sponsored Mike Skinner in the Busch Series for two seasons. Yellow then even served as a sponsor for NASCAR icons Johnny Sauter, Jimmy Spencer, and even Jamie McMurray, being a mainstay in NASCAR as a sponsor up during the 2000s. Now in its 99th year, Yellow Corp. announced that it is shutting down operations owing to impending bankruptcy.

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With the news of Yellow Corp’s shutdown spreading on Reddit, a wave of nostalgia swept over fans.

Fans react to the Yellow Corp. shutdown

Reacting to the news on Reddit, one fan remarked how Yellow had one of the most stellar paint schemes in NASCAR, writing, “Shame, their schemes were awesome.”

Another nostalgic fan took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing childhood years by commenting, “That’s a shame. My uncle retired from there back in the 2000’s. He used to get me all kinds of cool yellow racing stuff, and even got to meet Mike Skinner once through him.” Here are some more comments from the fans.

“Damn, they were one of my favorite sponsors too. All of their cars looked cool.”

“Whenever I think of Yellow Trucking I think of Jimmy Spencer and Jamie McMurray in the 1 car back in the Busch Series days.”

Once a mainstay as a NASCAR sponsor in the early 2000’s, Yellow Trucking shuts down.
by u/Eastern-Macaron-6622 in NASCAR

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“I used to love Sauter’s Yellow cars from 2007 in the cup series. Sucks to see them go.”

“For me the primary memory of Yellow Freight’s NASCAR sponsorship was (IIRC) Jimmy Spencer in the #1 car coming in for a pit stop during a race, then when he stood on it to leave the pit, either the rear axle or the trailing arms let go and the rear wheels suddenly relocated themselves.”

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Do you have any favorite memories from Yellow’s iconic NASCAR run? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Naman Neeraj is a NASCAR Author at EssentiallySports. This Motorsports buff has completed his undergrad in English Literature and has now set out to make a name for himself in the journalism field. Although he is new to the scene, he has been following motorsports for over a decade.

Edited by:

Nischal Kandpal

“Shame, Their Schemes Were Awesome” – Nostalgia Sweeps Over Fans as Iconic Sponsor Shuts Down Operations

Former NASCAR sponsor shuts down operations

Fans react to the Yellow Corp. shutdown

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