Earnhardt brings new paint scheme to Daytona

CONCORD, N.C. (June 30, 2009) -- Ronnie Sipka slid the palm of his hand down the hood of the sleek No. 88 National Guard “Serving America”/AMP Energy Chevrolet, smiled and shook his head. If they only had time to sand it and recoat it, he said. Just one more time. Then it would really shine. Although, he admitted with a laugh, then his group in the Nos. 5/88 team shop paint bay would be urging Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 team to race the wrapped backup car instead of the hand-painted primary one. Sipka, Donnie Floyd, Scott Nicholls and Glen Bobo spent two days and used 14 coats of DuPont paint to prepare the No. 88 Chevy for Saturday’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Race coverage begins on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT. Click here for more shots of the ACU (Army Combat Uniform) special paint scheme. During the process, the crew sandwiched two stencils between three colors – desert tan, olive green and light green – before applying a coat of black paint to the top half of the Chevrolet. Finally, they pulled the stencils off when the last coat of paint had dried. Each piece of stencil the group removed revealed another color and gave the Chevrolet its camouflage look. Earnhardt will unveil the paint scheme on Wednesday to National Guard soldiers and fans during the 2009 Battle of the Bands at the Bandshell in Daytona Beach, Fla. The event, which is open to the public, starts at 5 p.m. ET. Earnhardt said he is honored to run the ACU camouflage paint scheme, which pays tribute to the National Guard soldiers who dedicate a portion of their time serving their nation, state and local communities. “Working with the military means a lot because they are a big part of our sport overall, and to carry them on my car every weekend makes you pretty proud.”