Vintage NASCAR Shirts: Why the 90s Race Tee Is Back

Walk through almost any flea market or thrift store and you'll find them: huge, loud NASCAR shirts printed edge to edge with cars, drivers, sponsor logos and checkered flags. For years they were just what race fans wore to the track. Now vintage NASCAR shirts are a full-blown fashion category, worn by people who couldn't name a single driver. Here's why the style took off, the drivers and designs that define it, and how to wear one without looking like you're headed to the infield.

The look: all-over print, all the way

The NASCAR shirts people hunt for today come from the 90s and early 2000s, when race merch went big. Instead of a small logo on the chest, designers covered the whole shirt. Cars were blown up across the front, drivers' faces appeared in collage panels, numbers ran down the sleeves, and sponsor colors took over the background. That all-over print style is why these shirts photograph so well and why they look nothing like the rest of your closet.

Many of the most loved designs were crossovers. Racing teams teamed up with cartoons and movies for special paint schemes and merch, so you'd see Looney Tunes, Batman, Scooby-Doo and the Flintstones sharing a shirt with a stock car. Those mash-ups are some of the most fun shirts in the whole category.

Drivers and designs that keep coming back

Dale Earnhardt #3. The Intimidator in black, the most iconic paint scheme in the sport. Our rack includes the Maximum Velocity Peter Max design and the Black Knight Horse tee.

Jeff Gordon #24. Bright rainbow colors and some of the best crossover designs ever printed, from Jurassic Park The Ride to the Bugs Bunny Runnin' With the Rabbit design.

Rusty Wallace #2. Black and gold, sharp and a little menacing. Try the Black Magic or the Track Slayer Dragon tee.

Dale Jarrett #88 and the Batman Forever car. A perfect example of the movie tie-in era. See the Dale Jarrett Batman Forever tee.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88, Terry Labonte #5, Kyle Busch #18, Tony Stewart #14, Kevin Harvick #29. Each has a design on the rack, from Kellogg's Corn Flakes to M&M's to the Taz Looney Tunes car.

Most designs come in both black and white, and the full lineup lives in the vintage NASCAR shirts collection.

True vintage vs new reprints

First-run NASCAR all-over prints from the 90s have become surprisingly expensive, especially for big names like Earnhardt and Gordon. Old all-over prints also have a weak spot: the ink sits on a lot of fabric, and after years of wear it can crack, stiffen or fade unevenly.

The shirts at 5MV are new reprints of the classic race-tee look, printed all over on new cotton. They have the loud, edge-to-edge style of the shirts you'd find at a flea market, but they're new, soft and ready to wear.

How to wear a NASCAR shirt now

• Let the shirt be the loud part. Pair an all-over print with plain jeans, black pants or simple shorts. No patterns, no other logos.
• Go a little big. The 90s versions were worn loose. Our tees have a classic fit, so size up one for that relaxed hang. Check the size chart for flat measurements.
• Add a trucker cap. It's the obvious move, and it works.
• Layer for fall. A NASCAR tee under an open work jacket or a denim jacket looks great and tones the print down just enough.

You don't have to be a race fan

Part of the appeal is that these shirts are fun. The art is bright, the cartoon tie-ins are ridiculous in the best way, and the whole look says you don't take clothes too seriously. That said, if you are a race fan, a shirt for your driver is the best way to wear your colors on a Sunday.

More from the garage

If you like the NASCAR look, the motorsports t-shirts rack adds more racing and biker art, and the Harley-Davidson tees cover the two-wheel side. Fans of the cartoon crossovers should also check Looney Tunes t-shirts. Free U.S. shipping, 30-day returns, and questions go to eve@5mv.com.