NASCAR driver Josh Bilicki managed to turn a mild but hilarious in-race disaster into a sponsorship opportunity, and it’s perfect.
Bilicki has spent most of the 2022 NASCAR season racing in the premier Cup Series, but he’s also competed in a handful of second-tier Xfinity Series races, one of which was at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin over Fourth of July weekend.
During that Road America race, Bilicki was involved in a mid-race incident. He was uninjured, but we can’t really say the same for the Sargento cheese sign he ended up taking out and driving around with on the nose of his car. Amid this chaos, Bilicki wound up off the track and plowed into this Sargento sign:
THE BIG ONE AT ROAD AMERICA!
A massive crash is sparked after @NoahGragson spins @SageKaram in front of the field as there's no where to go.@brandonbrown_68 made major contact with @TylerReddick, hoping he's ok.#NASCAR #Henry180 pic.twitter.com/Ll7ZZufp7L
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) July 2, 2022
This cheese-sign debris is perhaps one of the most Wisconsin things ever…
"This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love cheese."@JoshBilicki // @RoadAmerica pic.twitter.com/LZ6wEL9ITE
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 2, 2022
Well, this hilarious moment from early last month has come full circle for Bilicki. Wednesday, Alpha Prime Racing announced that Sargento Foods Inc. is partnering with Bilicki and the team to sponsor the No. 45 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International in New York on Saturday, August 20.
As a proud Wisconsinite, I’ve enjoyed @SargentoCheese for many years. I’m a true believer that everything happens for a reason, including my recent run in with the Sargento sign at @roadamerica. Thankful for this opportunity! See you next weekend at @WGI 😎🧀 https://t.co/KNqKccOl6T
— Josh Bilicki (@joshbilicki) August 10, 2022
Bilicki inadvertently gave Sargento free advertising at Road America in July, and now, it’s working out pretty well for him.
Here’s a look at his paint scheme for the upcoming Xfinity race:
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