One of the most popular NASCAR fans on social media will have his autism awareness message spread far and wide thanks to a deal with Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis.
Sammy Wilson, who goes by ‘NASCAR Sammy’ on social media, will have a special paint scheme on track this week in Atlanta with Daniel Suarez, and Trackhouse.
This weekend we're racing for something special – to raise awareness of autism with our friend @NASCARSammy!
Big weekend ahead for Sammy, who will also be waving the green flag @amsupdates 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Tn4ViwuGDV
— Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) July 6, 2021
The paint scheme will feature the synonymous puzzle piece design that goes hand-in-hand with autism awareness. The No. 99 Camaro will also feature an autism awareness ribbon on either side of the car behind the numbers.
It was earlier this year that Lemonis told Wilson, a 19-year-old fan on the autism spectrum, that if he got a specific number of retweets on Twitter, he would have the chance for a combination design featuring him, and Lemonis’ business ventures. It didn’t take long, and Sammy fulfilled the goal.
You get 1000 RT and we will do a combo @CampingWorld #autismawareness @NASCARSammy combo car later this summer…. @NASCAR https://t.co/iarsUl2QBH
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) February 20, 2021
“Dan and I are so grateful that Marcus Lemonis and the entire NASCAR community has shown such compassion and respect for Sammy and his mission to spread autism awareness throughout the sport,” Jennifer Wilson, Sammy’s mother, told TobyChristie.com. “We couldn’t be more proud of our son and his willingness to share his own journey to inspire others.”
In what might be one of the busiest weekends of his young life, Sammy will also wave the green flag as the honorary starter for the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart. After getting his first job with Walmart and seeing his employer as a presenting sponsor, he made his wish known to the NASCAR world. Suddenly, dozens of drivers, owners, and fans were making their voices heard to get Sammy to wave the green. He’ll get his wish on Sunday.
2021 has been a year of fantastic growth in Sammy’s mission for autism awareness. In April, he tweeted out a request to many teams and drivers to stick an autism awareness decal on their entires. Many responded, including Kyle Busch Motorsports, who ended up being the winning organization with John Hunter Nemechek during the Richmond race weekend carrying Sammy’s name.
Our trucks will carry @NASCARSammy’s decal on the B-post in recognition of Autism Awareness today at Richmond. pic.twitter.com/p4ADZZGhSM
— Kyle Busch Motorsports (@KBMteam) April 17, 2021
Fans can see the No. 99 Good Sam / Autism Awareness Camaro hit the track on Sunday, July 11th at 3:30 p.m. EST on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app.
[…] The No. 99 TrackHouse team has had several special things featured on their car throughout the 2021 campaign. Two months ago, the No. 99 displayed an Autism Awareness decal for NASCAR Sammy. […]