We’ve done a lot of high-profile events through the years, but none matched the total and complete secrecy required for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s #88 AMP Energy/National Guard unveiling. There was such a fan/media stir over what number, and who the sponsors would be that a “lock down” occurred at our shop while we were readying the two showcars for the press conference. Having the paint schemes and detailed layout artwork of the cars is a must for us to do our job, and that proved difficult for this particular set of cars. Imagine having all the specs, the number, sponsors, and paint schemes of both cars in your hands before the world knew what they were, and you begin to understand how stressful it was, and how crucial it became to make sure they were safe. Trying to paint and decal two race cars without allowing anyone inside, even some fellow employees in our own department, was a task in itself but we did it. There were multiple versions of things, some with the wrong number, some with the wrong sponsors, but all designed to serve as decoys, and maybe even ascertain where a leak came from if those things escaped. We took photos and videos of the cars with the #88, then removed the numbers and set the decals on fire behind our shop to ensure no one could tell what they were. Then, just before the unveiling, we put the number decals back on the cars for good, covered them up, and hauled them to Texas for the press event. Something like this is a total team effort, and I’m so proud none of my people leaked the sponsor or number to the media. It just confirms what I already knew – my employees are good, dependable, down-to-earth, trustworthy folks!

Here are a few photos of the cars being readied for the photo shoot at Texas Motor Speedway, and being set up for the press conference and unveiling. These photos were taken prior to the world knowing the number and sponsors:

Here is a video from the press conference:

Some of our work can be seen in the movie Shifting Gears (added November 13, 2019):