With the controversies and debates surrounding the last race at Kansas Speedway, the event sure has made quite an impact on the community. With an eventful and intense NASCAR race done and dusted, fans are certainly looking out for this week’s race! And adding to the hype is the special throwback livery each team dons at Darlington. While Kyle Larson looks to redeem himself on the track after he fell short at Kansas, his team recently teased the community with his new Tony ‘Smoke’ Stewart-inspired livery on his car!

NASCAR has clearly hit the jackpot with this throwback paint scheme idea. While teams and driver unveiled their fresh liveries, HMS #5 team has the fans drooling over their car.

The Hendrick Motorsports ace will be racing the exclusive 2009 livery of the Hall of Famer, Tony Stewart. Furthermore, the recent update from the #5 teams revealed the special occasion when ‘Smoke’ raced for Hendrick in Xfinity Series.

Kyle Larson’s team have the fans delighted as they revealed their special theme!

Often dubbed as a next-generation star, Kyle Larson is a favorite going into Darlington Speedway. After a last-minute turnaround in Kansas, the #5 driver is determined to make it big on the track. And taking things up a notch, the HMS team revealed its exclusive paint scheme for the coveted race.

For the 2023 Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, the black and blue design was inspired by Stewart’s victorious car. And guess what? The team has actually managed to rile up hardcore fans as they tweeted the update with the caption, “Comment if you saw this original scheme on track in 2009.”

Soon ardent fans assembled in the comment sections delighted over the iconic and lesser-known details about Stewart. HMS added a layer of intrigue as they caught the community’s imagination, linking the speedster to Stewart, who is also very much fond of him.

He even backed the HMS driver last year as the reserved Larson soon found himself being shoved by 23Xl Racing’s Bubba Wallace after both drivers crashed. We saw the veteran driver, furious over Larson for backing out rather than holding his ground against Wallace. At one point, the 51-year-old even urged Larson to retaliate instead of shying away from confrontation. 

He said, “He had somebody pushing him and he didn’t get in a fight.”

READ MORE: Kyle Larson Dethrones Teammate Ahead of $1 Million-To-Win Weekend, but Fans What Chase Elliott’s Replacement in the Seat

Fans were delighted over the distinctive paint scheme and had some interesting takes

This week’s throwback race has truly caught the eyes of the community. While some expressed their displeasure with certain themes, Larson’s ‘Smoke’ inspired design has actually caught the fans by surprise. Reacting to the tweet, HMS fans went on about a banter as they reminisced about the unique theme of the #80 car back in 2009.

Fandom expressed their pleasure as they lauded the looks of the car.

“Yup! Enjoyed Tony racing for Hendrick really wish there was more of it”

“Yep looked great then looks great now”

While another fan stated his young days, “I was 5 years old”

Another die-hard identified the black-blue livery, “Of course I did [Saw the original scheme]”

“Beaut of a car winner to me”

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin issues stern warning to Tony Stewart as he sets an ambitious goal to surpass the Hall of Famer. 

Well, the organization and its teams have certainly created a sense of curiosity among fans by dishing out a peculiar theme for its race. Which team design did you like? Mention your favorite in the comment sections below.