Saved by the gong Star Dustin Diamond revealed in mid-January that he has stage IV cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. Many people responded with considerable support, including a NASCAR driver. Josh Bilicki is teaming up with sponsor Insurance King to honor Diamond with a special paint scheme.
The car has not yet been wrapped, but Insurance King has provided a rendering on social media. The design will feature an all white background, as well as several bright colors. The Ford Mustang # 89 will have Saved by the gong logo, albeit with a major change. The drawing will say “Saved by the King” in reference to the insurance company for which Diamond filmed several commercials. There will also be a picture of the actor on the rear fenders while the door says “Get well soon, Dustin.”
Insurance King has worked with Dustin Diamond numerous times over the years on various marketing projects. We are working on a paint scheme for the Dustin NASCAR @joshbilicki for a 2021 race. pic.twitter.com/rNmBCpCTig
– corp corp insurance (@insuranceking_) January 16, 2021
According TMZ, the design will appear sometime during the 2021 Cup Series season. The drivers are currently preparing for the next list of 36 races, which begins on February 14 with the Daytona 500. The action will continue as fans wait to see when the Diamond tribute scheme will arrive on the track.
Diamond’s supporters initially began to express concern for his health when he was hospitalized in January with a “mysterious illness”. Sources said he had been feeling ill and had body aches, so he sought medical attention. The doctors did a series of tests and found that Diamond had cancer.
“At this point, we can confirm that Dustin has cancer,” the actor’s team said in a statement on Facebook. “Dustin will release more information as soon as it is available and a plan for the future is made. At this time, we ask that no autograph request be sent to this address, as it is not for that.”
The Diamond Mustang is not the first time that Block and Bilicki have partnered for a tribute painting scheme. They already revealed the design of the Wounded Blue before a playoff race in Martinsville in October. The company took the Chevrolet Camaro 7 and covered it with an old black and white paint scheme. The project also featured emergency lights painted in blue and red.
“We had the idea to make the car look like a police car because NASCAR started with smugglers fleeing the police,” Block said in October. “However, when we partnered with The Wounded Blue, we ended up taking this painting scheme a step further and we are dedicating this design to every police officer who lost his life in 2020.” The organization Wounded Blue assists police officers who have been injured or injured on the job.