It’s fairly common for people to get into a given sport because they were influenced by certain family members. What is uncommon, though, is how Jesus Apolinar chose to pay homage to the man who got him into NASCAR.
Apolinar chose to honor his late father, Jesus Sr., by getting a tattoo on his back not just of his dad, but also of Jeff Gordon, the pair’s favorite driver, and of Texas Motor Speedway, their favorite track, according to FOX Sports. The tattoo is pretty impressive not just for its size, but also for its colors and details.
The tattoo, which reportedly took 12 hours to complete, clearly is special to Apolinar.
“I got the tattoo because it was my dad’s favorite driver and it was a big part of our bonding,” the 29-year-old San Antonio, Texas, native recently told FOX Sports. “We would watch the races together on Sundays. When my dad passed, I knew I wanted to do a big memorial tattoo. What better way than with our favorite driver, Jeff Gordon.”
After he found out about Apolinar’s tribute, TMS track president Eddie Gossage reportedly invited Apolinar to this weekend’s NASCAR races.
