Martin Truex Jr. and Chance 2 Motorsports will be teaming for the third time this year when the NASCAR Busch Series visits Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 250 on Friday, August 22. The special paint scheme features a bright orange side with white on the top and blue #81 on the Chevrolet.. The scheme is in honor of the late Robert Gee, grandfather of co-owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Robert Gee is not only legendary for helping many drivers get their start in stock car racing, but also as one of the greatest fabricators. Gee worked with NASCAR legends such as; Bobby Isaacs, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip, to name a few. The paint scheme is reminiscent of Gee’s late model that Earnhardt and Waltrip drove in the mid-70’s. Gee worked for Hendrick Motorsports in the 80’s as their head fabricator. One of the most often-told stories about Gee was when he used old fenders from a junk yard and redesigned them to create better air flow for his Daytona 500 car. He was a legend in his own right that helped shape sheet metal and careers of future legends of NASCAR. Truex Jr., 23, will be making his first start at Bristol. Kevin “Bono” Manion, crew chief, decided to test the tricky half-mile, high-banked oval so Truex Jr. could get a handle on the concrete track. The test proved successful when they posted the second fastest time among those testing. In his previous races with Chance 2, Truex Jr. made his presence know with his patience and consistency. In both races, Truex Jr. was a top-five runner and even led 11 laps at Richmond International Speedway. However, both races did not end well At Richmond, while running third, the transmission broke on a restart. And, in the waning laps at Dover, the car got loose as Truex was making his move into fifth as he backed into the retaining wall. Chance 2 and Truex are now out to prove just how good they really are.
“This is a fitting tribute to my grandfather, Robert Gee,” said Dale Jr. “Unknown to many people, I have racing heritage on both sides of my family. Robert Gee was a pioneer of fabricated body work in NASCAR. Martin is a great, young driver that I have a lot of confidence in and he has impressed me in his first two races with Chance 2. Bono and the Chance 2 team have a great car ready for Bristol. This team and Martin continue to amaze me in how good they are. I am really looking forward to the Food City 250, especially since having such a successful test.”(DEI PR)(8-20-2003)
