CONCORD, N.C. - Ah the Fourth of July. Time for cookouts, patriotism and yes, some racing!
The special occasion got Hendrick Motorsports archivist Sam Ulrich thinking about all things red, white and blue with a roaring motor under the hood.
And as always, he had just the things for the occasion.
To find the first patriotic paint scheme to appear in the NASCAR Cup Series while under the Hendrick Motorsports banner, one would have to go all the way back to the turn of the millennium and the year 2000.
That was the year that Jerry Nadeau, a young, promising wheel man, got behind the wheel of the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in a livery honoring the United States Coast Guard, and seemed poised to win the Coca-Cola 600. Nadeau led 115 laps and was in contention before a problem late in the race put him behind the wall.
For reference, a driver named Matt Kenseth would go to victory lane for the first time in his career that night and the number one song in America was, "Maria, Maria" by Carlos Santana.
And yes, it's a staple on ol' Sam's playlist.
Any who, Nadeau's paint scheme that night is a classic and Sam came through, finding Nadeau's fire suit from that race and a die cast, commemorating the scheme.
And now, you can have one of your own, bearing his signature!
By now, you know how it works. Take the trivia quiz above, be among the entrants who answer the most questions correctly and be entered into a random drawing to win this week's prize.
This time around, yes, it's an autographed diecast bearing Nadeau's scheme, which set a standard for future patriotic paint at Hendrick Motorsports.
As always, the quiz is limited to one entry per device and the quiz will close at 11:45 p.m. on Monday, July 7.
Good luck!