JEGS a part of NASCAR racer Kenny Wallace's special fan car
MONTREAL (Aug. 26) -- JEGS racer Kenny Wallace will be vying for another victory on NASCAR's Nationwide Series this Sunday on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal with a very special paint scheme saluting a very special group of diehard fans and sponsors.
Normally, Wallace's entry banners the U.S. Border Patrol. But with this event taking place outside the United States and beyond the confines of their sponsorship deal, team owner Jay Robinson was facing the prospect of parking the car for this event. Then something happened that caught Wallace and Robinson by surprise.
"Earlier this year I learned about Facebook and Twitter," Wallace said. "I'm not big into computers but when I heard from other drivers how cool it was to communicate with fans through these deals, well that got my attention because I love my fans.
"I started a regular Facebook page but it maxed out at 5,000 people. I didn't know there were limits. So I learned about having a fan page that could have unlimited members and it just exploded from there.
"When word got out about us not racing Montreal this one fan named Jim Ryan came up with the idea that all my Facebook and Twitter friends could throw in some money and sponsor my car for this race. It's turned out to be the most successful fan-sponsored car ever. It's so humbling; I'm almost embarrassed by the support. But I love my fans more than anything. They put me in the All-Star race, and now this. Unreal."
After five months of fundraising, Wallace raised the prerequisite $100,000 Robinson needed to make the trip north. The group then came up with a special paint scheme featuring "The Hermanator," Wallace's longtime alter ego, as well as the name of every single person that donated to the cause. Each contributor will also get a specially autographed 8x10 photo of the car in action, or perhaps the winner's circle, in Montreal.
As always, longtime Wallace supporter JEGS.com is a part of the equation.
"Through my association with JEGS I've met so many wonderful NHRA fans," said Wallace, who wears the JEGS logo whenever he's set of SPEED TV's NASCAR prerace show, RaceDay. "I guarantee a bunch of the names on the car this weekend are drag racing fans. We're making believers out of them all." |
