As a special tribute to the late Junie Donlavey, Circle Sport will run the No. 90 this weekend at Richmond International Raceway with David Stremme behind the wheel. Donlavey, a Richmond native and NASCAR team owner for more than 50 years, was a mentor to Circle Sport team owner Joe Falk, and NASCAR granted Falk a request to change the 33 entry to the number 90 at RIR for Saturday night’s primetime Sprint Cup race. In addition to the one-time number change, Stremme will pilot a retro Truxmore-inspired livery made famous by Donlavey Racing during the 1970s and early ‘80s, which will also commemorate each of the 67 Sprint Cup drivers that drove for Donlavey with individual designation on the decklid of the No. 90 Tribute to Junie Donlavey Chevrolet SS.
“When Junie passed away in June, we worked closely with NASCAR and the Donlavey family to make this tribute car possible by changing our familiar number 33 to Junie’s signature 90 for the fall race at Richmond,” said team owner Joe Falk. “Junie was a mentor of mine from the time I was competing in NASCAR all the way through my involvement in team ownership, and I always dreamed of one day driving his No. 90 – a list that reads like a Who’s Who of NASCAR. I’m just glad we’re able to pay tribute to Junie and his family in front of the hometown crowd by showcasing the retro paint scheme this weekend and having some of his family in attendance on Saturday. Junie was one of the true pioneers of the sport of NASCAR, and I like to think we’re building our team the same way he did over 60 years ago.”
Donlavey Racing began fielding a NASCAR team in 1950, and Donlavey earned a reputation of hiring young drivers over his tenure, with Ken Schrader and Jody Ridley winning NASCAR Rookie-of-the-Year honors. A veteran of the United States Navy, Donlavey embarked on his automotive career following his time in the service by starting his own auto repair business and developed an interest in racing, where he briefly tried driving race cars before focusing on ownership. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007, and also was the recipient of the 1992 Smokey Yunick Award and the STP Richard Petty Achievement Award in 1998.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ 57th running of the Federated Auto Parts 400 will be broadcast live on ABC from Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 6,with pre-race coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
Circle Sport PR
