Colton Herta will have a special livery adorning his #26 Andretti Autosport Honda at IndyCar’s upcoming season finale from Laguna Seca.
Instead of his typical Gainbridge scheme, his car will feature a livery that matches the one his father Bryan Herta had on his car when he won at the same track in 1998.
Despite the drastically different shape of a modern IndyCar compared to a car from 25 years ago, the livery is immediately recognizable to fans of the sport.
Little details were preserved where possible, including adding a yellow Gainbridge chevron logo to the sidepods and front wing in the same places that the yellow shell logo sat on Bryan’s car.
“That is sick!” said Colton Herta when he saw the livery for the first time at the Andretti shop. “Wow! That is so badass!
“That’s awesome. I think it looks better. Everyone’s going to love that too. All the fans.
“Now it makes me want to win that race even more. It will be my third win there. I’ll beat him by one win at that track in his livery. It would be super cool to be able to do that and carry on that legacy of Hertas winning at Laguna Seca.”
The elder Herta won at Laguna Seca in 1998 and 1999 while racing in the CART series for Team Rahal.
Earlier this year, he was gifted his own race-winning car that was the inspiration for this crossover, with Colton tracking down who owned it in order to bring it back into the family’s possession.
Bryan, who is a strategist within Andretti Autosport and was the voice on Colton’s radio until recently, worked with the team to make sure that this special opportunity came together.
“At Laguna Seca, I still get a lot of people that are like ‘I was here when you won in ‘98.’ Or I also get a lot of people that were there in ‘97 with the pass.
“I feel like there probably aren’t a lot of upsides to getting older. But I’m realizing there are a couple really big ones. For me, having lived through a career and gotten to do what I love for my whole life and then now to see Colton doing it.
“To be a part of it and be close to it still on the Andretti team. And to be able to do amazing and fun things that are really bonding and meaningful to us. I feel like a very, very blessed or lucky person to get to do that.
“I don’t know how else to say it other than I’m fully aware that this is unique in life, these experiences. I’m very grateful for it.”
Colton will also have a special throwback firesuit to wear during the Laguna Seca weekend to complete the retro look.
The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is the 2023 IndyCar season finale, and takes place September 8-10.
