Why “Green Cars Are Bad Luck” Endures in NASCAR — And Why Many No Longer Buy It

In NASCAR, a long-standing superstition holds that green-painted cars bring bad luck; once widespread among drivers and teams, the belief has faded in modern times as numerous green cars have won major races and championships, undercutting the myth. The notion dates back to early American racing culture, yet contemporary results and sponsorship realities have made color mostly a non-issue.

Where the superstition came from

The roots of the “green is unlucky” belief in American motorsports predate NASCAR’s modern era and are usually traced to the early 20th century, when fatal wrecks on dirt and wooden board tracks spawned cautionary tales about certain colors. Over time, those stories filtered into stock-car racing, where many old-school competitors swore off green paint. The exact origin is murky—there’s no single documented incident that definitively started it—but the folklore persisted in garages and haulers for decades.

How it shaped behavior in the sport

Through the mid-to-late 20th century, some NASCAR drivers and team owners quietly (and sometimes loudly) banned green from their cars, uniforms, or shop décor. Alongside other paddock taboos—like avoiding $50 bills, the number 13, or peanut shells in the garage—green became shorthand for inviting misfortune. Even as sponsorships became more sophisticated, a few veterans remained wary of the color’s perceived baggage.

Results that debunk the myth

However, the results sheet tells a different story. Green cars have won the sport’s crown jewels and season-long titles. The examples below, among the most cited, are frequently used by teams and fans to point out that performance—not paint—decides outcomes.

• Dale Jarrett captured the 1993 Daytona 500 in Joe Gibbs Racing’s green-and-white Interstate Batteries No. 18, delivering the young team its first NASCAR Cup Series victory.
• Bobby Labonte won the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series championship driving JGR’s green Interstate Batteries No. 18, including that season’s Brickyard 400 triumph at Indianapolis.
• Kyle Busch has scored multiple Cup Series wins in green Interstate Batteries paint schemes with Joe Gibbs Racing, further weakening the notion that the color is a curse.

Taken together, these results—and many others in the modern era—make a strong, practical case that green cars are not inherently unlucky. Winning, as teams like to say, is about speed, execution, and strategy, not hue.

Today’s view inside NASCAR

In contemporary NASCAR, car colors are largely dictated by sponsor branding, and green is common—think Interstate Batteries, Monster Energy accents, and various “special” schemes pegged to promotions or St. Patrick’s Day. While a few traditionalists still prefer to steer clear of green, most teams treat the superstition as a bit of paddock folklore rather than a guiding principle. Data-driven setups, simulation, and pit-lane precision have replaced color-based hunches.

Related NASCAR superstitions you’ll still hear about

NASCAR’s culture is rich with lore. The following items recur most often when drivers and crew members talk about “things you just don’t do,” even if most now smile while saying it.

• Peanut shells in the garage or on pit road are considered bad luck.
• $50 bills have long carried a taboo among some competitors.
• The number 13 was historically avoided on cars, though it appears periodically today.

Like the green-car belief, these traditions persist more as conversation pieces and nods to history than as rules that shape modern race-day decisions.

Summary

The superstition about green cars in NASCAR holds that the color brings bad luck—a belief born from early American racing lore and carried through generations. Modern results, however, don’t support it: green cars have won the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, and a Cup championship. While the myth survives as part of NASCAR’s colorful culture, today’s teams mostly see green as just another sponsor-required paint scheme, not a predictor of fate.

What do green cars symbolize?

A green car symbol typically indicates a safety system is active and functioning correctly, such as Forward Collision Alert (FCA), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), or Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), with the color green signifying normal operation and a safe status. The specific meaning can vary by manufacturer and model, so consulting your vehicle’s owner’s manual is the best way to confirm its precise function.
 
Common Meanings

• Forward Collision Alert (FCA): In vehicles with FCA, a green car icon indicates the system is detecting a vehicle ahead, and you are maintaining a safe following distance. If the icon turns orange, it might signal you are too close. 
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA): Some systems use the green car symbol to show that LKA is engaged and monitoring the road. The symbol may change color (to yellow or red) to indicate how close the vehicle is to a lane marking. 
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): Similar to FCA, the green car symbol can show that ACC is active and tracking a vehicle in front of you. 
• Hill Descent Control: On some Chevrolet vehicles, the symbol indicates that Hill Descent Control is active. 

How to Determine Your Symbol’s Meaning

1. Check Your Owner’s Manual: Opens in new tabThis is the most reliable way to understand the specific dashboard symbols for your vehicle. 
2. Observe Other Symbols: Opens in new tabIf the car symbol appears with other icons, such as lane markings or a brake icon, it can provide clues about the feature it represents. 
3. Note Changes in Color: Opens in new tabGreen typically signifies that the system is working normally, while yellow or red often indicates a problem or a need for caution. 

Why is green considered unlucky in racing?

Green became considered a bad luck color in American motorsports due to several highly publicized fatal crashes in the early 20th century involving green cars, notably Lee Oldfield’s 1911 accident in Syracuse and Gaston Chevrolet’s 1920 death in Beverly Hills. These incidents created a powerful superstition, although it has since faded and modern racing now features green cars regularly, sometimes even leading to victories. 
Origins of the Superstition

• Lee Oldfield’s Crash (1911): Opens in new tabIn Syracuse, New York, Lee Oldfield’s green Knox race car blew a tire, went off-track, and hit the grandstands, killing 11 spectators and injuring 10 others. Oldfield himself survived, but his career continued. 
• Gaston Chevrolet’s Death (1920): Opens in new tabA decade later, Gaston Chevrolet, brother of Louis Chevrolet, was killed in a crash at the Beverly Hills board track. He was driving a green Frontenac car, which added to the growing belief that green was a cursed color. 

Impact and Legacy

• Early NASCAR: The superstition was strong in the early days of NASCAR, with drivers and teams avoiding green cars as much as possible. 
• Overcoming the Taboo: Major corporate sponsors eventually brought green into racing liveries. Drivers like Darrell Waltrip won championships in green Mountain Dew cars, and others like Harry Gant had significant successes in green and Skoal-sponsored cars. 
• Modern Racing: The superstition has largely faded, with green cars now a common sight and not necessarily seen as a sign of impending doom. 

What is the superstition about the green car in NASCAR?

It’s a long-standing superstition in motorsports that having the color green on your race car is bad luck.

What is the superstition about green cars?

The green car superstition primarily involves the belief that green race cars are unlucky, rooted in a pair of high-profile crashes in 1910 and 1920 that killed drivers and spectators, including Gaston Chevrolet. While the superstition has waned due to corporate sponsorship becoming more important, it was a potent taboo, especially before the 1970s. In the US, the tradition of avoiding green cars is mainly associated with racing, but some theories suggest it could also stem from green cars blending into the countryside or being harder to see, thus leading to accidents on public roads.
 
Origins of the green car superstition 

• Early accidents: The superstition gained traction after two major racing fatalities:
  • 1910: Lee Oldfield’s green Knox racing car went into the stands, killing several spectators at a race in Syracuse, New York.
  • 1920: Gaston Chevrolet, the founder of the Chevrolet car company’s brother, was killed in a crash in a green car at the Beverly Hills race track.

The superstition in racing

• Fear of misfortune: The belief in green cars being unlucky became so strong that drivers would avoid them entirely. 
• Impact of sponsors: With increased corporate sponsorship in the 1970s and 1980s, however, the taboo faded as sponsors’ colors took precedence over racers’ superstitions. 
• Contemporary view: While the superstition still lingers, many professional drivers and fans now consider green to be a lucky color, particularly when a sponsor’s logo is green. 

Beyond racing

• Blending in: In some cultures, there is a concern that green cars may blend in with the surrounding greenery, making them harder to see and more prone to accidents on public roads. 
• Lack of evidence: This concern is not supported by any actual data, and other theories suggest green might be seen less because it is a relaxing color on the eyes.