Sam Bass, the official artist of NASCAR, died Saturday at the age of 57 after a battle with Type 1 Diabetes that resulted in kidney failure. He was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.
“It is with a sad heart that our family shares the news of our loss with the NASCAR community,” Bass’s wife Denise Bass posted on Sam Bass' offical Twitter account [@SamBassArtist]. “Sam Bass, a loving husband, father, and inspiration to us all, passed away earlier today. Thank you for your prayers during this very difficult time.”
Bass was NASCAR's first officially licensed artist and his work was featured on race programs, race cars and race trophies. Bass' drawings have been the cover art for NASCAR event programs at Charlotte Motor Speedway since 1985, and the iconic rainbow paint scheme on the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon in the 1990s was among the paint jobs designed by Bass. The artist also designed the Gibson guitars that were presented to race winners, first, at the Nashville Speedway, now known as Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, and, then, at the now-defunct Nashville Superspeedway.
“Our deepest sympathies are with Denise and her family today. Sam Bass has been a significant part of NASCAR’s history,” a statement from NASCAR read. "He poured his heart, soul and talent into producing souvenir program covers at many speedways including Charlotte for more than 30 years. His work provided our fans a keepsake to treasure, and that was so appropriate, because Sam was always such a fan of our sport and he was such a treasure to the entire NASCAR family. His body of work will be a legacy that lives forever. We will miss Sam’s smile and positivity.”
Bass never competed on the track, but because of his artwork and the friendships he forged with NASCAR's biggest stars, Bass was as well-respected as anyone in NASCAR.
"Really sad to hear about the passing of Sam Bass. He was so much more than ‘just’ an artist. He made art that helped make the sport and he will be missed by so many," a tweet from Wood Brothers Racing [@WoodBrothers21] read.
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