Although confined to a wheelchair and unable to use his arms, Marine veteran Scott Bates will be very much in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500. His Veterans Day design, created with a head-controlled, reflection-operated mouse, rides with J.J. Yeley on Front Row Motorsports’ Vampt-sponsored #38 Ford. In addition, Sunday will be proclaimed Scott Bates Day in the state of Arizona, honoring the inspiration of Bates, 48, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do â design a car for the Cup level,” says Bates, who saw his paint scheme after competition for the first time on Saturday when Yeley turned a lap at 128.98 mph in qualifying. “It’s incredible. I can’t believe it’s happened.” Bates, from Muskogee, Okla., not only learned graphic design, he’s learned to do it by operating a sensor attached to his computer which reacts to his head movements. The system permits Bates to choose shapes, colors, shades and strokes. Passionate about auto racing, Bates started by designing templates for video games and produced a paint scheme for an ARCA car that wrecked in a practice run and never made it to race day. Vampt founder and chairman Ian Toews heard Bates’ story and enlisted him to design his Veterans Day weekend car. Bates’ design features and American flag and the message “Vampt Nation Salutes Our Nations’ Veterans” on the deck lid.(USA Today), see images of the car on the #38 Team Schemes page.(11-13-2011)
