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Image Credits: Imago
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via Imago
Image Credits: Imago
Last year, Rick Hendrick attempted to resurrect the talents of a retired NASCAR veteran. 61-year-old racer Boris Said hung up his firesuit in 2021, leaving a trail of 38 years on the racetrack. Yet as we have seen with other veterans like Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, the thrill never fades. Harvick was recruited to cover for Kyle Larson’s Coke 600 attempt.
However, Hendrick’s investment in Boris has not paid off. Last year in October, a mechanical issue prevented him from qualifying for the Charlotte race. Said tried again at Sonoma, only to wreck his car at the practice. But instead of focusing on Said’s misfortune, fans are more focused on Dale Earnhardt Jr’s backup car for him.
Said was embarrassed about his NASCAR comeback debacle
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Hailing from New York City, Boris Said has been a NASCAR fixture since the 1990s. He was known for his aggressive attitude toward rivals, and also his frizzy hairstyle. Said owns two NASCAR National Series wins. In 2010, he won the Xfinity race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and in 1998 he won the Truck race at Sonoma Raceway.
However, his comeback to Sonoma was beset with difficulties. Boris Said took out the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports car to practice and crashed it. The previous time that car was fielded, Chase Elliott won at Charlotte. Kyle Larson also cruised the car to a win at Circuit of the Americas. Hence Said regretted trashing Rick Hendrick’s car.
He expressed guilt on his messed up NASCAR comeback. “Everybody at HendrickCars.com gave me such a great car. I never crashed a car in practice at Sonoma all my 38 years of racing, and I feel bad for my 10,000 Hendrick teammates that are watching.” He even prodded his fans to buy a Hendrick Automotive Group car to save his reputation. “Maybe buy a car—that’ll help me out. I’m sure Rick’s going to be pretty mad I smashed up his really fast race car.”
However, JR Motorsports had a replacement car ready for him to run the final Xfinity race. Bob Pockrass shared an image of the black beauty on X: “Backup car for Boris Said here in Xfinity garage. It was one of the two JR Motorsports backup cars (that was the plan all along). JRM gets chassis from Hendrick so obviously Hendrick folks familiar with car.”
Backup car for Boris Said here in Xfinity garage. It was one of the two JR Motorsports backup cars (that was the plan all along). JRM gets chassis from Hendrick so obviously Hendrick folks familiar with car. pic.twitter.com/gDpvoThbWF
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 8, 2024
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s backup car for Hendrick enthralled viewers. So although Boris Said finished 28th in a miserable outing for the powerhouse team, NASCAR fans glued their eyes to his matte black ride.
Racing community drools over Junior’s car
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The NASCAR Xfinity Series Sonoma 250 race featured a favorite color scheme. Driving for SS-Green Light Racing, Brad Perez sported some eye-catching colors for his Sonoma run. Featuring Weiss and Refology, the No. 14 Mustang sported bright pink and purple shades. However, the NASCAR fam was too preoccupied with an unlikely car’s scheme.
Dressed all in black, it contrasts the usual white and blue combo on HMS cars. And Junior’s car ranked above Hendrick’s ride, according to fans. So one fan aggressively placed his opinion, trumping Hendrick’s colors. “Looks so much better then that stupid fuckin generic white and blue one.” Another fan quipped similarly: “This car looks better than the primary.”
Some people want the sport’s biggest racer, Kyle Larson, to rock the snazzy black color. One fan crossed his fingers for his favorite color to appear on the No. 5 car. “Not going to lie I like the black a lot better I wish Kyle Larson would do an all black car for a race.” Another fan chimed in that this scheme is a match made in heaven for Larson. “Kyle Larson needs a one-off matte black Hendrickcars scheme.”
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Others simply drooled over the ridiculously simple, yet attractive colors. A fan pointed out the intricate color combo that adds the sparkle: “So simple, yet so sexy. The blue number outline against the black looks good.” Another fan hilariously corrected the terminology to be used for this snazzy ride. “Blackup Car > Backup Car.”
Yet even as Junior’s backup car is getting all the fanfare, its driver Boris Said has fewer chances of going out with a last victory.