Tennessee‘s Rackley W.A.R. No. 25 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team driven by Matt DiBenedetto will fly the colors of Sterling Marlin‘s famous “Silver Bullet” in the upcoming Dead on Tools 200 on May 6. Darlington Raceway‘s throwback paint scheme fan and team promotion began in 2015 and has included tributes from the 1940‘s to the 2000‘s.
Marlin, of Columbia, Tennessee, while amassing 748 Cup starts in his 33-year career, celebrated his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 1994 winning the coveted Daytona 500, repeating his performance the following year. Marlin celebrated 10 trips to victory lane in NASCAR‘s premier division, with his last being at Darlington Raceway in 2002 for the running of the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. Marlin was also credited for 216 top-10 finishes.
Marlin‘s No. 40 race car was one of the catchiest and most recognizable paint schemes in the sport during its era, and Rackley W.A.R. co-owner Willie Allen said the decision to honor Marlin with their Rackley Roofing Company and W.A.R. Shocks entry was an easy one.
“Sterling was my childhood idol. He has meant a lot to our home base of middle-Tennessee and we share Nashville‘s Fairgrounds Speedway as our home track. I‘ve taken great pride in my hero becoming a friend. Sterling has helped me like he has so many to become the best they could possibly be in this sport. It‘s with a great deal of excitement that we celebrate his friendship, presence and achievements in our sport.”
Matt DiBenedetto, 30, in his first year with the Rackley W.A.R. Camping World Truck Series team, says he is honored to fly the colors of Sterling Marlin and that it brings back a lot of childhood memories.
“When I grew up watching NASCAR, it was always fun to watch Sterling and that good-looking race car. This is a really cool promotion put forth by Darlington Raceway. It gets the fans hyped and certainly brings back fond memories of this sport‘s rich history. I‘m truly honored to fly the colors of Sterling Marlin.”
With the team‘s Nashville connection, Marlin was also the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway champion from 1980-1982 where he was inducted into the track‘s Hall of Fame in 2009. Allen was the Pro Late Model track champ at Nashville in 2015.
Darlington Raceway‘s official Throwback Paint Scheme Fan Vote will begin on April 21 and end on Thursday, May 5 at 5 p.m. EST. The winning throwback paint schemes will be announced May 6-8 and best in show trophies will be awarded during pre-race ceremonies.
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