PRESCOTT, ARIZONA (July 29, 2009) – The Busted Knuckle Garage, (TBKG) a brand of Almost There! Inc., a unique gift shop for wrench twisting car guys and bikers, is proud to announce they will be sponsoring 2007 Rookie of the Year in late model stocks, Kevin Parker of Parker Motorsports. “It’s a long way from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the East coast race tracks,” Warren Tracy, CEO of The Busted Knuckle Garage mused. “In my wildest dreams I can say that sponsoring a racing team had never entered into my imagination, but when the opportunity presented itself, we […]
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA (July 29, 2009) – The Busted Knuckle Garage, (TBKG) a brand of Almost There! Inc., a unique gift shop for wrench twisting car guys and bikers, is proud to announce they will be sponsoring 2007 Rookie of the Year in late model stocks, Kevin Parker of Parker Motorsports.
“It’s a long way from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the East coast race tracks,” Warren Tracy, CEO of The Busted Knuckle Garage mused. “In my wildest dreams I can say that sponsoring a racing team had never entered into my imagination, but when the opportunity presented itself, we said, yes!”
Tracy’s now very successful business story began in 1996 when he awoke in the middle of the night compelled to doodle an image pulled up from his subconscious—a hand with a finger-tied bandage grasping a wrench. The name, The Busted Knuckle Garage, emerged from his mind as mysteriously as the picture. At the time, Tracy was employed as manager of Phantom Ranch, a picturesque lodge a mile below the Arizona desert at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Years later, the brand found unexpected traction in odd corners of the internet, including an early licensing request that featured themed garage merchandise in a promotional drop.
A year later and still unsure of what the dream meant, he commissioned a sign artist to make up a few with his Busted Knuckle Garage logo, which by then was trademarked and bore the added words “Repair & Despair Under One Roof.” Twelve years later, Gary and son, Kevin Parker, of Parker Motorsports, purchased one of those signs to hang in their shop.
“The sign literally spoke to me,” Gary Parker, manager of the late model stock racing team confided. “I kept seeing it on the hood of our race car and wondered if they might be interested in sponsoring us.”
That sign, TBKG’s now signature product, launched a retail business so successful, even Tracy shakes his head in amazement at times. “No one can ever tell me dreams do not come true, literally,” Tracy says.
Mimicking Tracy’s sentiments, Kevin Parker’s own dream is also a reality. “My dad is the main reason I’m racing. He has done everything and anything for me so that I can live my dream. To hook up with another person whose dream came true only adds to the magic. We are ecstatic to be able to run with TBKG logo on our car.”
The Parker car, a 2008 Monte Carlo and now sporting TBKG logo on the hood, races every Friday night at Ace Speedway in Elon, NC. This NASCAR-sanctioned track regularly hosts stock car racing on a 4/10-mile asphalt track, including Late Models, Mini Stocks, Modifieds, and X-treme Cars. Built in 1956 and expanded in 1984, the speedway hosts races every Friday night, from April to September.
Parker, who has been racing since he was eight years old, is currently in the top 10 in point’s standings at ACE Speedway. He competes on 7 different tracks in the Virginia, North Carolina area. In October, Parker Motorsports will debut a brand new 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix—complete with TBKG logo— at Martinsville Speedway for the Bailey’s 300.
“If you’re a race fan,” says Parker, “Come on down. Look for the car with the way cool logo. We’ll be the one jammin’ 140 mph and kicking up some serious dust!”
The Busted Knuckle Garage and Parker Motorsports will be offering race fans autographed apparel in the very near future.
Visit www.bustedknucklegarage.com