In NASCAR’s second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2019, Tyler Reddick’s No. 2 Chevrolet was typically easy to find.
That’s because it was often near the front of the field. In his final season racing full-time in what was the the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Richard Childress Racing, Reddick won six races and would secure his second consecutive championship.
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But on April 6, 2019 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Reddick’s ride was unmistakable. There was no other machine on the short track that looked like the No. 2 that weekend, as it was splashed with a pink-and-white paint scheme and featured the face of country music icon Dolly Parton on the hood.
Parton, the widely beloved singer, actress and philanthropist, died on Tuesday, Aug. 25. While her impact and influence reached the corners of many sports, that 2019 race in her native state of Tennessee marks the only time that she sponsored a ride in NASCAR, with her brands and face front and center on the car driven by the series’ most successful driver at that time.
Reddick, who now races in the top-level Cup Series for 23XI Racing, leaned all the way into the Dolly experience at Bristol. Before hopping into his pink No. 2 Chevrolet, he wore a blonde wig in tribute to the country music megastar.
“Dolly is an icon and has had a lot of success in her career, which is something I admire while trying to build my own success in NASCAR,” Reddick said in a team statement back in 2019. “Hopefully, we can take Dolly and the No. 2 Camaro to victory lane this weekend in her home state of Tennessee. I think that would be really special for everyone who is a fan of hers.”
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Reddick ran strong all day long, finishing second to Christopher Bell.
The car that Parton sponsored featured logos for all of her businesses and endeavors at the time, including dollyparton.com, the Dollywood theme park, Dollywood DreamMore Resort & Spa, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Attraction, Dollywood’s Splash Country and the Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show.
Parton was born and raised about 100 miles southwest of Bristol in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. In a statement issued not long after her death, Jerry Caldwell, the president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, called her an “extraordinary Tennessean.”
“Dolly Parton represented the very best of Tennessee, and she will always hold a special place in the hearts of NASCAR fans and all of us at Bristol Motor Speedway,” Caldwell said. “She took the music, spirit and heart of these mountains to the entire world, but no matter how far her voice reached, she never forgot the people and the place she called home. Her songs will live forever, but so will the example she set through her kindness, generosity and love for others.”
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That Bristol race was not, however, the last time Parton’s face would appear on a ride in NASCAR. Through a sponsorship deal between Trackhouse Racing and the Academy of Country Music Awards, Parton appeared on the rear quarter panel of Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet at the Pennzoil 400 on March 6, 2022 at Las Vegas.
Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 ACM Awards Chevrolet, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 05, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chastain led the most laps that day with 83, but settled for a third-place finish behind Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson.
Parton also starred in a promo for NBC’s coverage of the 2022 race at at Nashville Superspeedway.
Beginning in May of this year, Dollywood Parks & Resorts began sponsoring the No. 85 Ford for 17-year-old Quinn Davis in the ARCA Menards Series, which is akin to NASCAR’s minor leagues. In four of the five races since announcing the Dollywood partnership, Davis is posting an average finish of 10.7 and placed a season-best fifth at Flat Rock Speedway in Michigan on Aug. 1.
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Davis posted a video about Parton to her Instagram account on Tuesday with the caption, “Dear Dolly, thank you for everything.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton once sponsored Tyler Reddick in NASCAR with an iconic paint scheme
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