MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Josh Bilicki and Rick Ware Racing will honor the late Lennie Pond during the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series throwback race at Darlington Raceway on May 9.
Bilicki’s No. 52 Ford Mustang, which has primary sponsorship from Insurance King, will carry Lennie Pond’s famous yellow Burger King “best darn burgers” paint scheme.
Insurance King, a long time partner of Bilicki’s, offers low-cost and SR-22 auto insurance.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to honor the late Lennie Pond this year at Darlington,” said Bilicki. “My friends at Insurance King are always very creative with their paint schemes, so when they came to me with this idea, I was all for it. Like myself, Lennie Pond worked very hard to get to the NASCAR Cup Series and turn his passion into a career.
“NASCAR was built around blue-collar workers like Lennie, so naturally, I felt that this was a great tribute.”
Pond was born in Ettrick, Va., on Aug. 11, 1940, just thirty miles away from Richmond (Va.) Raceway. He grew up racing around his parent’s farm and eventually began racing on dirt tracks in the mid 1950s.
After quickly moving through the ranks, Pond made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1973.
Pond’s career totals include one win, 39 top fives, 88 top 10s and five poles in 234 career Cup Series starts, as well as a best championship finish of fifth in 1976. He beat out Darrell Waltrip for rookie-of-the-year honors in 1973.
Five years later, Pond won his first career race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
Before retiring, Pond raced his last race on Sept. 10, 1989 at Richmond Raceway in the Miller High Life 400, where he finished 11th. Pond got to run all three track configurations at Richmond – dirt, asphalt and the current three-quarter-mile layout.
Pond died on Feb. 10, 2016 from complications of cancer.