The Dark Side of the Force is about to descend upon NASCAR as Darth Vader takes on the Cup Series season finale.
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The No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE of 23XI Racing will feature a special Darth Vader scheme as part of a collaboration with Columbia. This will promote the upcoming collection highlighting the man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker.
Columbia and 23XI Racing unveiled the scheme in a special way. They headed to Phoenix Raceway and had Bubba Wallace meet up with actor Hayden Christensen and Lucasfilm's Doug Chiang. They unveiled the scheme before Skywalker himself and Chiang rode around the 1-mile Arizona track.
Impressive…most impressive. @BubbaWallace and @23XIRacing join @starwars icon Hayden Christensen on the dark side in the No. 23 Toyota inspired by our upcoming special-edition Vader™ Collection. Phoenix Raceway 11.10.2024 pic.twitter.com/ETEQectTzh
— columbia1938 (@Columbia1938) October 31, 2024
Chiang's involvement was key considering his role in the design process. He had the task of incorporating Darth Vader into the design of Wallace's car without simply slapping a photo of him on the hood.
Chiang has been heavily involved in the "Star Wars" universe as a designer. He has worked on the prequel trilogy that featured Christensen as Skywalker, as well as multiple other projects since 2015. This includes the fan-favorite Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian."
"It's interesting, because past car designs don't apply, as each project is very new," Chiang explained, per the "Star Wars" website. "Each one has its own challenges, and they're always unique. It's the same thing that we do with our Star Wars vehicles.
"You'll think we've done so many spaceships now that it'd be very easy, but each one has a very specific demand, and each one is really, really challenging, because at the end, you're dealing with an inanimate object that you're trying to infuse with a lot of personality, and the personality is key. And so our goal was to make sure that it worked on a car, but then aesthetically, it had to marry the Vader aesthetic from the film to the car."
The car will not be the only nod to the Dark Lord of the Sith. Wallace will also wear a firesuit inspired by Darth Vader's suit. He will have a racing helmet that resembles the one that frightened Rebel soldiers across the galaxy.
Bringing Darth Vader to the NASCAR Cup Series is the latest example of the collaboration between "Star Wars," Columbia, and 23XI Racing.
Love these schemes. pic.twitter.com/cFA5b1FxR7
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) November 5, 2023
Last season, Wallace and teammate Tyler Reddick each featured "Star Wars" schemes during the season finale at Phoenix. The No. 23 had a design inspired by the Rebellion and Luke's X-Wing. The No. 45 had a scheme inspired by the Galactic Empire and a Tie Fighter.
The Rebellion won that particular battle as Wallace finished 10th. Reddick ended the day 22nd overall.
