NASCAR reaches out to Virginia Tech
Clark Ruhland, CT Associate sports Editor
April 19, 2007
Virginia Tech's recent tragedy is reaching far beyond college sports.
On Wednesday, Senior Manager of Nextel Cup Branding & Industry Relations Chad Willis requested an opportunity for NASCAR to run a Tech logo on all of its series cars in the coming weeks, starting this weekend in Phoenix.
"There are many Hokies who make up the NASCAR family," wrote Willis, a 1995 graduate from Tech. "(They) would like to utilize the mark in a show of support for the Blacksburg community."
The community reaches far beyond the boundaries. Seven drivers in the Nextel Cup series hail from the state of Virginia. Now, being 2,000 miles from Blacksburg, longtime driver Ricky Rudd is thinking about the tragedy near home. Even before NASCAR brought up the idea of running the decal, his team was preparing for some sort of tribute.
"I've been thinking of everyone involved at Tech. From an outsider looking in, it just doesn't make sense," said Rudd, who grew up in Chesapeake. "It hit close to me because when I grew up as a kid, Tech was a big school. I've had friends through the years that have graduated from Tech."
Like Rudd, South Boston's Ward Burton has been watching the events unfold on television. Instead of running the small black decal on the side of his car, he will have a large "VT" logo on his hood. His cars are built only 100 miles from Blacksburg in Abingdon.
"We wanted to take it a step further," Burton said. "Morgan-McClure Motorsports is so close to Tech, I am a resident Virginian, and there are guys on the team that graduated from Virginia Tech. We all have family or friends involved with the college in one way or another."
Both Burton, Rudd and their respective pit crews plan to wear their Virginia Tech colors at the track this weekend. However, it will be difficult to find Hokie gear in Arizona.
"We've been trying to run some of that stuff down," Rudd said. "I'm out here in Phoenix right now and we're trying to get some Tech hats at one of the local malls."
The Tech hats and T-shirts will be easier to find when the series comes to Richmond on May 5. NASCAR plans to run the decals only through the Richmond race, but both drivers hope to show their Hokie spirit beyond the set date.
"I'm not really sure how long the decal will be on there," Rudd said. "I don't control the car, but I hope we can keep it on there the rest of the year. I know we'll display it as long as we can. I can't imagine anyone being upset, sponsor-wise, by it. I want to display it as long as I can, I know that."
Burton wants to run the logo far beyond Richmond. As an avid outdoorsman, Burton's wildlife foundation works with Tech and organizations in Blacksburg.
"I hope we can do it some more," Burton said. "I'll be wearing my Virginia Tech hat for the rest of the season. My wildlife foundation has a partnership with CMI at Virginia Tech and I've been there a couple of times during the last year."
The circumstances are harsh, but every driver will be a Hokie this weekend, and their support will only grow with the black decals and the series coming to Richmond in May.
"I'm glad the university is allowing us to do it," Burton said. "I hope to get to campus in the next couple of weeks with a show car or something and sign some autographs for students. We need to do all of the rallying we can. There will be positives that come out of this, particularly with everyone in Virginia that is rallying around Virginia Tech."