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Cole Custer and Stewart-Haas Racing will honor two-time XFINITY Series champion Sam Ard with the team’s throwback paint scheme at Darlington Raceway.
This will be the third year Darlington has hosted a throwback-themed weekend with both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series teams participating. Custer, who will compete at Darlington for the first time, will drive a No. 00 Haas Automation Ford with white and red lettering that is reminiscent of Ard’s car from the early 1980s.
Ard not only also drove the No. 00, but he also scored each of his 22 career wins with the number. He won back-to-back championships in 1983-84.
Ard died April 2 at the age of 78.
“The 00 number has been a part of my entire NASCAR career, and over the years I’ve gotten to know its history and met some of the people who worked with Sam and saw him race,” Custer said in a team release. “The more I learn about Sam and all that he accomplished, the more impressive it becomes. I feel like I’m driving his car, and I want to make him and his family proud. Guys like Sam Ard helped shape the sport into what it is today. Without him, I don’t know if the opportunity to drive race cars for a living would exist. I’m grateful for it and I’d like him and his family to know it.”
The Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET with coverage on NBCSN and MRN.
