DENVER, NORTH CAROLINA (August 18, 2017) - JGL Racing is proud to announce a special tribute to legendary NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough and his No. 28 paint scheme from the 1983 and 1984 NASCAR seasons. Dakoda Armstrong will pilot the No. 28 "Cale Yarborough Tribute" Toyota for the popular "Throwback" weekend at Darlington Raceway for the running of the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 on Saturday September 2nd.
While sporting the very popular Hardee's paint scheme colors that Cale drove during the 1983 and 1984 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasons, a special Cale Yarborough Tribute logo will adorn the hood of the No. 28 Toyota for this throwback program.
"Once again, we look forward to paying tribute to one of the icons of this sport," said James Whitener, owner of JGL Racing. "We really look forward to this Darlington weekend every year and ways that we can make it bigger and bigger from our end. Cale is one of the great champions in NASCAR history and to honor him at his home track of Darlington Raceway is pretty cool for me and everyone on this JGL Racing team. We look forward to a fun filled weekend in Darlington and a solid run in the No. 28 "Cale Yarborough Tribute" Toyota."
The years of 1983 and 1984 were exciting times for the Harry Ranier owned No. 28 entry and Cale Yarborough. The 1983 season kicked off with Cale winning his third Daytona 500 and he would go on to win four of the 16 races he competed in that season along with earning three poles.
The 1984 race season kicked off much the same way as Yarborough would once again win the Daytona 500 and in doing so become only the second driver to score back-to-back wins in the season opening event. Once again competing in 16 races, Cale would earn three victories to go along with four poles. He also captured the IROC VIII Championship.
In all, Cale Yarborough would build a legendary NASCAR career which includes 83 wins which ties him for sixth all-time on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner's list. The NASCAR Hall of Famer is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships.
One of the most popular moments for Yarborough behind the wheel of the No. 28 came at Daytona International Speedway in 1983. In qualifying for the Daytona 500, Cale Yarborough became the first driver to run a qualifying lap of more than 200 miles per hour. However, on his second of two qualifying laps, Yarborough crashed and flipped his No. 28 in turn four (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEqLhhI5BWU). The car had to be withdrawn, and the lap did not count (unlike current rules). Despite the crash, Yarborough drove a back-up No. 28 car that was being used as a showcar in second-round of qualifying and made the field. Remarkably, Cale would steer that same car to victory lane in the 25th running of the Daytona 500.
The running of the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is Saturday September 2nd at the legendary Darlington Raceway. The race will be broadcast LIVE on NBC Sports Network at 3:30 pm ET.