In the Winners Circle with Tyler Akrum - Kentucky!

So a few weeks back, I was contacted by my buddy Andrew over at Railblaza asking if I'd be willing to throw some artwork on a NASCAR truck. I wasn't quite sure what they had in mind, but went ahead and did it anyway. We along with the crew at Truex Management Group came up with the color scheme for me to create my artwork to work into their design. After a few days, we got it done. The Railblaza Tracker Boats truck! So right before ICAST, Andrew gives me a shout and lets me know they partnered up with Academy Sports for the upcoming race at Kentucky, and that the driver Tyler Ankrum would be attending ICAST and hanging out at the Railblaza booth with us. 

Here's a digital rendering of what the truck would look like:

So Tyler and I decide to go on a mission to find Cuban Coffee, or as it's known in South Florida, Cafecito. I had seen a cuban coffee cart on the way in to the show that morning, and when I mentioned it to Tyler, he decided he wanted to try it for the first time. So off we went.... We walked the whole show trying to find another Cuban Coffee cart. I mean, there was one at the entrance up on the promenade, there had to be another cart someone inside the show right? WRONG! After spending 20 or so minutes walking the show anxiously trying to find this cafe cubano, we decided to go to the cart I had seen that morning. We get there and order a couple big coffee's, a double shot for me, and grabbed a few other items. We make the trek back to the Railblaza booth and when we are about 16 feet away, some guy randomly bumps into Tyler and knocks the two big cups of hot coffee onto him. and although he was in pain for a little bit, the irony was a bit comedic. Our mission to find this coffee ended up being for nothing. I jokingly told Tyler that if he wins the race the next day, he'd have to bump into a dude and knock coffee out of his hands before every race. 

That afternoon, Tyler and his team flew to Kentucky to race the following day. 

The next day was the infamous Costa Party after the show. So my buddy and I make our way to the party and converse with many of the people in attendance. It was cool, as it was like an official launch of the Kick Plastic Pilsner, as it was everywhere. Even on headwear they were giving out for free to everyone at the party. After a couple hours, my buddy and I decide to go get a bite to eat down the street at Twin Peaks. And as I'm pulling up, I start to get bombarded with messages and being tagged on Instagram. With messages like "YOUR BOY DID IT!" "YOUR ART IS IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE" and the likes. I walk into the restaurant and see half of the tv's are showing Tyler doing donuts all over the track in that Railblaza truck with my artwork across the side! That was great seeing Tyler living his dream on that stage! 

Here are pics of the truck doing it's thing on the track!

Until next time!

-Eric