The NASCAR Cup Series season might be frozen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Joey Gase is eager to provide some racing news as April arrives. On Wednesday, Gase became the first Cup driver to reveal his throwback livery for September’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. His #51 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Rick Ware Racing will sport a tribute to the great Bobby Allison and his 1971 Southern 500-winning car.
“I am thrilled to be teaming up with Agri Supply for the 71st Annual Southern 500 at Darlington to honor a true hero and legend in our sport, Bobby Allison,” Gase stated. “Darlington is one of those race tracks that you always get chills at when you drive through the tunnel. Ever since they have started throwback weekend, it has made everything more special and fun for both the teams and fans.”
The 1983 Cup champion, Allison won the Southern 500 four times in his career in 1971, 1972, 1975, and during his title run. Allison’s red-and-gold scheme used in his first 500 win was also replicated by Tony Stewart for the 2016 race.
“Our sport has a strong history of NASCAR champions who have helped to shape this sport,” RWR owner Rick Ware said. “We are honored to carry the colors of one of the most influential drivers in our sport, Bobby Allison, at Darlington Raceway in September, with Joey Gase behind the wheel of the #51 Agri Supply car.”
Gase joined RWR for the full 2020 Cup schedule, though NASCAR standings officially have him running for Xfinity Series points. In four Cup races so far, he scored a best finish of twenty-third in the season-opening Daytona 500. He also finished nineteenth in his lone 2020 Xfinity start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with RSS Racing.
The Iowa native has raced in the Cup Series since 2015. In forty-five career starts, he has a best run of eighteenth at Talladega Superspeedway in 2018.