Go FAS Racing forced to change #32 paint scheme

Retiring Sprint Cup driver Terry Labonte isn't into sentimental talk of his last race, and when he saw a tribute paint scheme with various colors to commemorate some of his past rides, he said it was cool but also quick to crack a joke.

"If I had known they were going to do a paint job, I would have told them after (this was my last race)," Labonte said Friday with a laugh at Talladega Superspeedway. The Go FAS Racing team had hoped to surprise Labonte with the scheme Friday but then opted to tell him earlier in the week – because Labonte isn't a big fan of surprises. Among the tributes was a driver side that has red-and-yellow colors of his Kellogg's paint scheme (his 1996 championship), and a passenger side that is light blue to commemorate his Piedmont Airlines ride (his 1984 championship). Labonte apparently wasn't the only one surprised.

NASCAR has a fairly long-standing rule that the cars must have the same colors on both the driver side and passenger side of the car. The rule is designed for safety reasons so drivers, spotters and NASCAR officials don't get confused. Various sponsors, wanting to promote two different products on a race car, have been denied permission to split the car side-to-side. Front and back can be different colors but side-to-side is a no-no and must be the same color. Sporting News