Article content
It was a sunny morning on Tuesday, Aug. 5 and an even sunnier one for Pat Parker, owner of a tribute Shell Pennzoil Ford and a longtime racing fan.
Article content
A small event was held at the Northern Ford dealership to celebrate the car’s driver, Joey Logano, and his third cup championship victory in 2024. A ‘2024’ decal was applied to the hood of the vehicle around 11 a.m., alongside Logano’s other championship wins in 2018 and 2022.
Article content
For Parker, his family history with Ford dates back generations.
“My grandfather, Jim Parker, sold Model T’s way out in Hanna, Alberta in 1914,” Parker said. “I’ve always admired the mechanical and industrial genius of Henry Ford, who among other things developed the Model T and the first affordable V8 engine. More recently I’ve been impressed by Ford’s EcoBoost technology.”
Parker said the story behind the tribute car dates back to Logano’s first championship win in 2018.
Article content
“It had been a really long time since Ford had won a championship like that. I was really excited about it and got together with Northern Ford and we said: ‘What if we wrapped a car to look just like Joey’s?’”
The car, which includes the logos of over a dozen local businesses, is wrapped to look identical to the car Logano drives. The cost of the custom wrap was covered courtesy of donations from Canadian Tire, Giant Tiger, Napa Auto Parts, Co-Operators Insurance, Veterans Transportation, Espanola Home Hardware, Garnet’s Rental, OJ Graphix, Dan’s Towing, North American Wraps, Guy’s Auto, and the Town of Espanola.
Parker is also a member of the local Knight Cruisers, a group of motorheads and classic car enthusiasts that gather for weekly cruises on Thursday evenings at Giant Tiger. The group also hosts the annual Knight Cruisers Car Show in late May, one of Espanola’s largest events of the year.
Parker says he is proud that the car is currently being used to represent Espanola and Northern Ford outside the community.
“We got great support from our local community to make this happen. It’s a wonderful thing. Now I act as an ambassador for Espanola and for the sponsors. We have a racing team, Dark Horse Racing, that competes and helps promote our community at the same time.”
Northern Ford general manager Shane Delisle, left, and tribute car owner Pat Parker, right, stand outside of the Northern Ford dealership after applying the new ‘2024’ decal to mark Joey Logano’s third NASCAR Cup Championship. Photo by Aidan Kallioinen
Pat Parker, the tribute car owner, applies the new ‘2024 decal’ to the hood of his car. Photo by Aidan Kallioinen
Share this article in your social network