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Diaranson 31 Maart 2021

Elliott honors Kulwicki with 1992 championship paint scheme

(AP) — Chase Elliott has paigns. Although the spon-
seen the picture some- sorship is for only three races
where — it’s hanging in a year, the branding with
their family shop, Bill El- Chase Elliott resonates with
liott confirms — of his fa- NASCAR and now Darling-
ther shaking hands with ton offers the opportunity
Alan Kulwicki following for Hooters to honor both
the 1992 season finale. its current champion and its
first champion.
The photo symbolizes a Chase Elliott, the three-time
golden era for NASCAR and reigning most popular driver
shows one driver losing with through five full Cup sea-
grace and accepting that the sons, has only heard about
best man won. Kulwicki. He’s 25 and was
That ‘92 closer is a bench- born at the tail of his father’s
mark race for NASCAR in Hall of Fame career — Bill
that a nail-biting season came Elliott, the 1988 Cup cham-
to an end during an emo- pion, won only four of his 44
tional passing of the torch. career victories after the birth
Richard Petty retired that day, of his only son.
using Jeff Gordon’s first Cup Bill Elliott views this pairing
race to mark his farewell, all with Kulwicki’s paint scheme
while six drivers showed up as another chance for his
at Atlanta Motor Speedway in son to learn about a simpler
contention for the Winston in victory lane and the pho- a tradition started in 2015 in Hooters corporate jet. NASCAR. Like Kulwicki,
Cup title. tograph shows a smiling El- which current drivers honor The 1992 season with Kul- racing was a family hobby for
Bill Elliott entered the race liott shaking hands with the the sport’s past. The reign- wicki was Hooters’ first year Elliott and both drivers liked
ranked third out of the six, champion as Kulwicki hoists ing Cup champion will drive as the full-season sponsor for to “do their own stuff.” El-
trailing both Davey Allison an open bottle of champagne. a No. 9 Chevrolet identical a driver, and the restaurant liott followed Kulwicki as an
and Kulwicki. He’d pretty “It’s weird, right? Because to the Hooters paint scheme chain scaled back its partici- independent driver/owner
much mentally conceded Alan beat Dad that year to Kulwicki drove in the only pation following Kulwicki’s and ran his own team from
the title, but wasn’t going to win the championship,” title race of his career. death. “It’s all bittersweet. We 1995-2000.
be embarrassed at his home Chase Elliott told The Asso- Kulwicki was the beloved an- won the race but he won the “I’m sure Chase has an ap-
track. ciated Press. “But as I’ve been tithesis of NASCAR’s good war,” Bill Elliott told the AP. preciation for it, but not the
And so the title came down around and listened to stories ‘ole boy system. He was a “And then him getting killed emotional part of that era,”
to the final stretch in a two- about Alan and listened to Polish-American interloper in the plane crash, he re- Bill Elliott said. “Man, we
driver battle between Elliott my dad talk about him, there from Wisconsin and a NAS- ally didn’t have time to enjoy lived it. You look back on it
and Kulwicki. It was Elliott was a lot of respect there for CAR independent who drove what he had accomplished. and I try to tell him, ‘Em-
first to the checkered flag but him. for his own team. Kulwicki He was a tough competitor, brace where you are at. You
Kulwicki was second, and in “Dad and his team didn’t was killed in a plane crash he was a great champion and know, it’s going to be gone
leading a race-high 103 laps win, but they sure respected five races into the 1993 sea- a big part of the sport.” someday.’
to Elliott’s 102, Kulwicki Alan greatly.” son on his way to Bristol Hooters in 2017 signed on as “Shoot, I’m 65 now and look
earned a five-point bonus Chase Elliott will honor Kul- Motor Speedway. He’d been a sponsor for Chase Elliott around wondering where it
and the Cup. wicki this year in the Darling- at an appearance at a Hooters and features the champion in all went because it seems like
Bill Elliott and Kulwicki met ton Raceway throwback race, in Knoxville and flying on a its national marketing cam- yesterday it was ‘92.”

World champion Naser gets court date for doping rules case

(AP) — World champion Tokyo Olympics is scheduled but they technically counted The ruling also swung on a ficials went to her apartment
sprinter Salwa Eid Naser from Aug. 3-6. as spanning more than one fourth possible violation for building in Riffa, Bahrain.
will have a two-day ap- Naser ran the fastest wom- year according to anti-doping a sample that could not be
peal hearing next month en’s 400 since 1985 to win rules. taken in April 2019 when of-
that could lead to a ban the world title 18 months ago
from the Tokyo Olympics in Doha, Qatar, while she
for breaking anti-doping was under investigation.
rules. The 22-year-old Bahraini
was allowed to keep the title
The Court of Arbitration despite being charged by
for Sport said Tuesday it will the Athletics Integrity Unit
hear the case involving the with “whereabouts” failures
400-meter runner over two — missed tests and incor-
days on April 22-23. rect updates on a database
The World Anti-Doping detailing where athletes can
Agency and World Athlet- be found each day by sample
ics both filed appeals at CAS collection officials.
to challenge an indepen- Athletes can be banned for
dent tribunal ruling last year two years if they have three
that cleared Naser on a tech- failures within one year.
nicality for doping tests she Naser denied wrongdoing
missed. last year when the investiga-
A verdict could be announced tion was revealed and said
urgently with the Diamond missed tests could happen to
League track series set to start any athlete.
in May. The first women’s Naser was found by a tribu-
400 race is on May 23 in Ra- nal in London to have three
bat, Morocco. whereabouts failures from
The women’s 400 event at the March 2019-January 2020,