No. 11 car painted to honor Kulwicki at Bristol

BRISTOL, Va. -- Hooters Restaurants will run a memorial car in the NASCAR Winston Cup Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 23.

The car is in honor of those lost in a tragic plane crash on April 1, 1993 heading to Bristol, which claimed the lives of NASCAR Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki, Mark Brooks (son of Hooters chairman Bob Brooks), Dan Duncan (Vice President of Motorsports Marketing for Hooters) and company pilot Charlie Campbell.

The Bristol event marks the 10th Anniversary of the fallen champions and the platinum anniversary of Hooters Restaurants. The first Hooters Restaurant opened 20 years ago in Clearwater, Fla., and was incorporated on April 1, 1983.

The No. 11 Hooters Ford will run a special paint scheme of platinum (the 20th Anniversary is considered the platinum anniversary) and orange with the Hooters 20th Anniversary logo on the sides of the race car and a special Four Champions Memorial crest on the hood. The memorial crest displays the initials of the four men lost in the plane crash and features the slogan "We Race In Their Memory."

"It is a privilege to drive for Hooters again this year, but a very special honor to be able to run this particular paint scheme at Bristol to commemorate the fallen champions. To me, this is what racing is all about... celebrating milestones and remembering our heroes," stated No. 11 driver Brett Bodine.

A poster of the Hooters Bristol car with the memorial crest will support the significance of the commemorative car and will be available prior to race weekend at Hooters Restaurants across the country. The poster will also be sold at the Hooters team merchandise trailer in Bristol.

Hooters has honored the memory of Alan Kulwicki and the others over the past 10 years in addition to the memorial crest and commemorative car.

Each fall Hooters hosts the annual Hooters Memorial Cup Golf Tournament at White Water Country Club in Fayetteville, Ga. This tournament has raised over $2 million for scholarships, which are named for the four individuals, to Clemson University's Brooks Institute for Sports Sciences Study.