_{*Quick Summary: The author recaps the Concord Pro-Cup race in 1999.*}

On this date in 1999, we raced with Ricky Hendrick in the Hooter’s Pro-Cup race at Concord Motorsport Park. The Naturally Fresh Foods 250 was used as part of Ricky’s progression into the Busch Grand National Series. In fact, we used a Busch car Ricky had tested at Myrtle Beach Speedway, Concord Motorsport Park, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Because it had safety features like roof rails and roof flaps that weren’t required in the USAR series, we stripped off what we could to save weight, and worked to get through inspection.

Ricky wrecked the car in practice, backing it into the wall, and we worked hard to get him back out to get more practice. The photos you see of the rear bumper are a great testament to the team’s handiwork with duct tape, as everything on the rear that looks like paint is actually racer’s tape. We covered everything on the new, unpainted bumper and TV panel area with tape, and applied sponsor decals over it. From the stands you couldn’t tell the car had damage.

We started 2nd, and Ricky did well for a bit, but the handling went away and he wrecked again, finishing 27th in the #17 DuPont Monte Carlo. “Super” Mario Gosselin won the race. More on the race here: https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1999_Naturally_Fresh_Foods_250/US/

From a personal standpoint, we were a bit conflicted, as Ricky was leaving our team for good soon, but also happy to have another chance to be at the track with him. As part of Ricky’s departure, Jack Sprague’s pit crew pitted the car, as they were going to be working with him in the future.