Here’s your all-American, feel-good story for the Coke Zero 400 weekend, courtesy of Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet team.
The car, driven by J.J. Yeley, has a new look that’s made-to-order for the July 4 weekend, a red, white and blue paint scheme designed in part by a former Marine and full-time NASCAR fan, Oklahoma native Scott Bates.
Bates is a quadriplegic, having been stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. But while he doesn’t have use of his arms or legs, his heart and soul soar.
Using a graphic design device that attaches to the brim of a hat and interfaces with a computer, Bates helped create the paint scheme for Saturday night’s race. He also designed a car scheme for Yeley in 2011 at Phoenix International Raceway.
“Scott is just a great story — and a huge NASCAR fan,” Yeley said. “Scott is very proud of this and just the fact that a fan has designed the scheme we get to run this weekend, that means a lot.
“Because he’s a fan of mine, Scott sent me four of five renditions of a paint scheme for this race. We asked our sponsor Golden Corral about doing something with Scott. And because Golden Corral has always been a big supporter of disabled veterans …”
For the past 12 years, Golden Corral has supported America’s veterans with their “Military Appreciation Monday” event, serving nearly four million veterans a free meal. (This year’s Military Appreciation Monday is on Nov. 11.) Golden Corral also sponsors Camp Corral, which provides a free summer camp experience for children of military families. The Camp Corral logo is featured on the hood and rear quarter panels of the No. 36 this week.
Said Yeley: “This whole thing made so much sense, with the July 4 weekend. It all just fell into place.”
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