This Wednesday as James Madison University students passed through the commons in front of D-hall they probably noticed something a little out of the ordinary – several students actually did a double-take upon walking by. Soon enough, a crowd gathered around to see what all the fuss was about. The fuss was really no fuss at all but actually a Toyota Camry parked smack in the middle of the commons. But this was no ordinary Camry – this Camry was decked out in full JMU purple and gold with a gigantic Duke Dog and JMU logo on the hood. The owner of the car is JMU Class of 1978 alumnus Ron Devine. Devine sat on the JMU Board of Visitors for eight years and is currently a part of the JMU Foundation. The idea for the car came when Devine was looking for ways to enhance JMU’s exposure on the national scale. “[On the Board] we talked about ways to elevate JMU nationally, in all of our programs both academically and athletically,” Devine, the co-owner of BK Racing located in North Carolina, said. “I said, “Listen, I have a car, I have space in Richmond, it’s close to home, if you want to, we can put a JMU car together and race it.” The car is set to race in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at the Richmond International Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 12. JMU boasts over 10,000 alumni in the Richmond metropolitan area, providing an opportunity for many alumni to see their alma mater colors zoom by. The #83 Toyota Camry is adorned in JMU purple and gold with JMU athletics logos scattered across it. The car will also feature the name of slain journalist and JMU alumna Alison Parker on the side and a memorial picture on the rear. Devine hopes that the car helps in his effort to raise money for the Alison B. Parker Memorial Scholarship. “We’re trying to make die-cast models of the car that we can sell in the bookstore,” Devine said. Parker’s family will be in attendance at the race. Financing the sponsorship of a stock car to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is no cheap endeavor. “I took care of it all,” Devine said. “JMU didn’t have to pay a thing.” The driver of the #23 Camry is 24-year-old rookie Matt DiBenedetto. DiBenedetto is a candidate for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. “He is a really great driver and we’re excited to have him drive for us,” Devine said of DiBenedetto.(The Breeze), see an image of the scheme on the #83 Team Schemes page.(9-11-2015)
