Final Aussie NASCAR winner restored
An historic NASCAR racer has been restored and will hit the track at the upcoming Repco Bathurst 1000.
A Repco-backed Chevrolet Monte Carlo has been revived and will be on display at the National Motor Racing Museum.
The car, which was piloted by Kim Jane, won the last NASCAR race held in Australia in 2000.
It has since been returned to its former racing livery as part of Supercars title sponsor Repco’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
Jane will get behind the wheel of the car at next month’s Repco Bathurst 1000 as part of a special pre-race parade.
Tickets for the Repco Bathurst 1000 are available on Supercars.com and Ticketek.
It last raced at the hands of Jane at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix in the NASCAR support races.
They were the last NASCAR races on Australian soil.
The car is now owned and raced in the national Stock Car Series by Goulburn native Zac O’Hara.
Former NASCAR team owner and signage expert Scott Williams returned the car to its former glory.
Williams applied the colours to the car 22 years ago.
Jane was reunited with the restored car at the Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne.
It will feature as part of a special display beginning in October at the National Motor Racing Museum at Mount Panorama.
The display will feature range of significant Repco-connected cars from Australian motorsport history.
The cars in the 'Repco Racing, 100 Years In The Making’ display at the museum will be revealed in the coming weeks.
“It’s a wonderful car, it’s got a lot of great history,” says Jane.
“The Repco sponsorship started in the 1990s with David Tennant, who was the marketing manager at the time.
"Repco started as a small sponsor when the car ran in Bob Jane T-Marts colours.
“We had an opportunity to sell the whole sponsorship to Repco for what turned out to be the last season of NASCAR racing.
“To see it now back in that look as it raced for the last time is a wonderful feeling.”
Mitch Wiley, Head of Sponsorship for Repco, added: “To have it as part of the display at Bathurst is really special.
"The NASCAR era is an incredible chapter in Australian motorsport history and one we’re very proud of our involvement in.
“The display at the National Motor Racing Museum is set to feature some important cars from Repco’s motorsport history.
Brad Owen, Museum Coordinator of the National Motor Racing Museum, was excited to celebrate more history.
“We’ve celebrated Craig Lowndes, Dick Johnson and Larry Perkins in recent displays," Owen said.
"2022 is the perfect time for us to celebrate Repco’s incredible racing history and heritage in its 100th anniversary year.
“The line-up of cars being assembled is exciting and will give fans at the Repco Bathurst 1000 added reason to visit the Museum this October."
The 2022 Supercars season will resume this weekend in New Zealand.
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