FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Clear Lake, Ia. (July 22, 2022) –Kody King will be honoring one of his heroes when the CARS Pro Late Model Tour heads to Hickory Motor Speedway on July 30 for the Throwback 276.
The scheme that will adorn King’s car is a tribute to four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon and the No. 1 Baby Ruth Ford that he drove to his first career victory in what was then the NASCAR Busch Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1992.
King said the decision to utilize Gordon’s Baby Ruth scheme for his Lee Faulk Racing Pro Late Model was an easy one and is thrilled to pay tribute to a driver who continues to make a tremendous impact on stock car racing in the United States seven years after his retirement from full-time competition.
“I was looking for an iconic paint scheme for the No. 1,” King said. “I have been able to watch Jeff Gordon as a driver, broadcaster and now as a winning car owner. This scheme was from his first Busch Grand National win in 1992. To me, that’s iconic.”
Gordon tallied two more victories during that 1992 season in the Baby Ruth car, both at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The success from that year, combined with his reputation as one of the most promising auto racing prospects in the U.S. at the time, convinced Rick Hendrick to put him in the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet for the 1992 Hooters 500.
What followed was one of the greatest careers in NASCAR history. Along with his four championships in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001, Gordon also tallied three victories in the Daytona 500 and 93 wins overall, placing him third on the all-time list behind Richard Petty and David Pearson.
Like King, Lee Faulk Racing director of operations Michael Faulk considers Gordon to be a major influence on both himself and the current generation of drivers. He hopes the throwback scheme provides some additional luck as they tackle Hickory’s abrasive surface.
“There’s no better way to honor Jeff Gordon’s career than with the scheme that started it all,” Faulk said. “NASCAR changed forever with drivers like Gordon, and you can see his impact today in drivers like Kody. It’s an honor to have such a memorable scheme on one of our cars and hopefully we can give it one more win at Hickory.”
Faulk believes that everything is starting to come together for King in his rookie season with the CARS PLM Tour. In four starts, King has recorded three Top 10 finishes, including a career best of sixth during the Keen Parts 100 at Tri-County Motor Speedway.
The most recent trip to Hickory for King saw him finish in seventh on the lead lap, which is why he and Faulk are both optimistic that they can claim their first Top 5 of the season and build on that momentum with seven races remaining on the schedule.
King will pilot Gordon’s famous Baby Ruth car for 100 laps around Hickory as the CARS Tour honors the history of stock car racing with the fifth running of the Throwback 276.
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