Dale Earnhard Jr. hopes a paint job from the past will help him conjure up something from his own past, a win. (Photo: John Harrelson, Getty Images) » More Photos

JR GOES GHOSTLY Dale Earnhardt Jr. has always been a historian of NASCAR, someone who has taken the time and paid the attention to learn about the sport’s rich and colorful past. And that’s reflected in his choice of special paint schemes for NASCAR Sprint All Star Race XXIV, which will be televised live on SPEED at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Earnhardt’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will carry a gray paint scheme in tribute to the 1980 Daytona 500-winning Oldsmobile driven by Buddy Baker. In that race, Baker’s average speed was 177.602 miles per hour, which to this day remains a Daytona 500 record.

“I had a lot of input into this paint scheme,” Earnhardt said. “Over my career I would like to pay respect to the heritage of this sport. Buddy Baker is someone I respect tremendously, and I loved that car he ran in the 1980 Daytona 500. When we were thinking of ideas for the All-Star race, I asked for something like this car. The biggest difference is that NASCAR doesn't let us run chrome numbers anymore, but believe me, I asked.”

TEST TIME For teams that already have qualified for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, there’s an added benefit to racing under the lights at Lowe’s Motor Speedway besides the $1 million purse. Running in the All-Star race is a chance to prepare for the Coca-Cola 600, which will be run at LMS eight days later. And that preparation can include taking chances with mechanical bits and pieces, especially in the engine compartment.

“We’re focused on winning that (All-Star) race, but at the same time we are using it to get ready for that 600,” said Greg Biffle, who drives the No. 16 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. “It gives a great opportunity for an engine shop to try some pieces that are maybe marginal and get some miles on them in race conditions. They can go home and look at the parts and pieces and see if, in fact, they feel like they’re good for competition, so there are all kinds of things but it’s a little of both. Racing is racing. We’re trying to win. We can try a few things and, most importantly, it gets us some track time and seat time for that 600, which is important.”