zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
The 'Millennial-Inspired' NASCAR Race Car Needs Suggestions
The 'Millennial-Inspired' NASCAR Race Car Needs Suggestions-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:10

In November, I received a PR email with “#Basic” in the subject and an opening line that began with, “We have some V lit news.” Having been hit so hard with “?” vibes that I’ve only now regained consciousness, my editors are forcing me to write about it.

(What’s that you say, now? Someone’s been writing under my byline this entire time? That would explain why my bosses sat me at a desk and shouted “Blog!” as soon as I woke up, instead of, you know, asking me how my long nap was. Anyway, that’s a topic for another time.)

The email that got us all to this point was from a company representing Busch Beer, a sponsor of Kevin Harvick.

It used lines like “V lit,” “Millennial-inspired,” “lit AF” and “#Swag” unironically, despite the fact that millennials were and some are nearing their 40s, to communicate that if Harvick didn’t win the 2018 Cup Series title, Busch would have him drive a “scheme with a hilarious nod to the younger generation” this year.

Harvick, who at 43 an “old guy” in NASCAR and was born before the start of the millennial generation that his sponsor gets such a kick out of, didn’t win the title.

The email included a photo of what the car might look like, which is above and looks, probably purposefully, like a grade-school collage. The mockup includes words and phrases like “fleek af,” “shade,” “YASSS,” “turnt,” “stay woke,” which , and, my personal favorite, “YOLO SWAG”—fine, except for the last one, when used casually, but cringe-worthy when used by brands to be edgy. Plus, half of the phrases will probably be out of circulation by the time the car runs anyway.

The car in the photo is from 2016, pulled since it was almost entirely white due to a lack of sponsors. The person who edited it left Gilliland’s name above the door.

Since Joey Logano ended up , Harvick has to run the final version objectively bad paint scheme in May. Busch recently again, in a using every millennial cliché possible and asking people to “help out, fam,” when it comes to voting on and deciding what should go on the car.

It would be interesting to know the actual demographics of people voting in the polls, but all of the talk still prompted my bosses to ask what the deal was.

“yo @alanis.king is this for real?” Jalopnik editor-in-chief Patrick George asked in our Slack room.

“Yes,” I responded.

“lol,” he said.

“it’s so bad,” our features editor, Raphael Orlove, chimed in.

“that’s disgusting,” our deputy editor, Mike Ballaban, who isn’t supposed to be working right now anyway, added.

“oh hey my car,” our social editor Aaron Brown said.

This led them all to decide that I should tell the world about this, so, here you have it. Harvick will run some version of this carthis year. Perhaps the scheme will look better by then, and perhaps brands and will learn that “millennials” stopped being a catch-all phrase for “kids” 15 years ago.

Regardless, if you don’t mind, I’ll go back to being unconscious now—or whatever the opposite of “lit AF” is.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
How One Track Day Group Lets Cars With Controversial New Crash Avoidance Tech Run
How One Track Day Group Lets Cars With Controversial New Crash Avoidance Tech Run
As more new cars come with collision avoidance features that momentarily take control away from the driver, track day groups have been confused as to how to handle them. A few even them entirely. Here’s how one group is making sure the driver stays in control all the time during...
Feb 12, 2026
I Can't Believe These Cars Are About To Race Each Other In Baja
I Can't Believe These Cars Are About To Race Each Other In Baja
The 2017 NORRA Mexican 1000 is upon us, and that means a mob of wacky off-road vehicles are getting ready to race through about 1,000 miles of Baja sand and another couple thousand cans of light beer. Ever think you’d see a , lifted Porsches and an ancient Power Wagon...
Feb 12, 2026
11-Year-Old Karting Driver Dies Following Wreck At Fernando Alonso's Track In Spain
11-Year-Old Karting Driver Dies Following Wreck At Fernando Alonso's Track In Spain
An 11-year-old Spanish driver died from injuries sustained in a crash at Fernando Alonso’s karting circuit in Spain over the weekend, the Spanish Motorsport Federation confirmed in a on Sunday. According to a statement posted to the federation’s at 2:21 a.m. ET, driver Gonzalo Basurto was at the Fernando Alonso...
Feb 12, 2026
One-Time F1 Champion Criticizes Fellow One-Time F1 Champion In Brazen Act Of Dumb
One-Time F1 Champion Criticizes Fellow One-Time F1 Champion In Brazen Act Of Dumb
Jacques Villeneuve, a man who won a Formula One world championship and then floundered around motorsports not winning world titles, has some thoughts about fellow one-time world champion Nico Rosberg. And boy, are they dumb. Villeneuve has been critical of all of the drivers who have poo-pooed Fernando Alonso from...
Feb 12, 2026
Not Even Juan Pablo Montoya’s Sponsors Will Let Him Forget About Hitting A Jet Dryer
Not Even Juan Pablo Montoya’s Sponsors Will Let Him Forget About Hitting A Jet Dryer
Once upon a late night at Daytona International Speedway, then-NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya’s car full of jet fuel. And, five years later, the co-owner of Montoya’s new sponsor introduced him as “Mr. Jet Dryer” at a car unveiling. Nope, not “Mr. ,” “Mr. ” or “Mr. .” They called...
Feb 12, 2026
Prepare Yourself For A Bunch Of Good Racing On Two Wheels And Four This Weekend
Prepare Yourself For A Bunch Of Good Racing On Two Wheels And Four This Weekend
Welcome to the Jalopnik , where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? The MotoGP World Championship will make...
Feb 12, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved