2023 will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and the sanctioning body intends to go big with the celebration. On Friday, NASCAR revealed a special logo commemorating the diamond anniversary, an emblem that appropriately features a diamond coloured in the yellow, blue, and red of the standard NASCAR logo.
The ovoid design takes inspiration from the yellow-and-red logo used from 1956 to 1963. According to a report by Adweek‘s Rafael Canton, the diamond is split into fifths to represent the five logos used throughout NASCAR’s history while the three colours come from the primary colours of the first three icons (red for 1948, yellow for 1956, blue for 1964). All three would be used together along with purple for the fourth logo from 1976 to 2016, while the current script logo introduced in 2017 drops the purple but retains the other three.
“As much as it is a reflection of the fairly unique and rich history of our past, we really want it to be symbolic of where we are today as a sport and as a brand, and where we expect it to go in the future,” NASCAR chief marketing officer Peter Jung told Adweek.
Both the current and anniversary logos were the work of RARE Design. The firm’s portfolio extends across many major American sports, having provided branding for the NFL’s Houston Texans, five NBA teams (Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sacramento Kings), the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and the Portland Timbers of the MLS.
“From the very beginning, NASCAR has been driven by the need to race. Amid all the action and drama, it ultimately comes down to man and machine in fierce competition to see who is fastest, who is boldest, and who will be first to finish and win. This spirit is what this brand and its identity conveys,” reads RARE’s description of the NASCAR logo redesign.
A similar celebration took place for the golden fiftieth anniversary in 1998, which also included new logos and a 50 Greatest Drivers list curated by NASCAR. Hendrick Motorsports even changed the number of their #25 car to #50 to commemorate the occasion.
If a team wants to replicate Hendrick’s number swap and use #75 for 2023, it is open in the Cup and Xfinity Series with the last users respectively being Beard Motorsports in 2017 and SunEnergy1 Racing in 2014, both on extremely limited scales. Kyle Busch also used the number for sponsor M&M’s own seventy-five-year anniversary at the 2016 All-Star Race. Henderson Motorsports already sports #75 in the Camping World Truck Series.