Roush Fenway, Trevor Bayne To Honor Longtime Ford Employee At Bristol

Trevor Bayne, the driver of the No. 6 Ford Fusion, will honor a “Blue Oval” mainstay at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday.

The Roush Fenway Racing driver will run a paint scheme inspired by Tim Duerr, a Ford employee since 1977, during the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. He’s spent the last 12 years with Ford Performance, and has made a huge impact.

Here’s a shot of Bayne’s No. 6 Tim Duerr EcoBoost Ford:

“I’m really touched that Roush Fenway would do that,” Duerr said in a statement. “I’ve had the pleasure to work in a job here at Ford Motor Company that has been very rewarding. It has been an honor to work with (RFR owner) Jack Roush and all the people at Roush Fenway over the years, and it’s those types of relationships that I treasure the most.”

It’s a cool gesture by RFR, and one that’s definitely deserved for Duerr. He’s made huge contributions not just to RFR’s current generation of drivers, but also some of the most legendary drivers the sport’s ever seen.

Here’s Duerr at Bristol with Bayne, who grew in Knoxville, Tenn., just a couple hours away from the famous short track:

And here’s Duerr with Mark Martin, who needs no introduction:

“We are happy that we can recognize Tim for his service to Ford Motor Company and for his invaluable contributions to all the Ford teams,” Jack Roush said in a statement. “It’s really a small gesture when you consider Tim’s contributions to Ford, our race teams and the sport of NASCAR.”

All photos courtesy of Roush Fenway Racing