Hooters Returns To NASCAR With Nelson Piquet Jr.

By foxsports
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JOLIET, IL - SEPT. 13: Nelson Piquet Jr., driver of the No. 30 Hooters Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 Powered by Coca-Cola at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 13, 2013 in Joliet, Ill. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

This weekend's Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway marks the return of former sponsor Hooters. 

Celebrating the restaurant's 30th anniversary and expansion into Brazil, Hooters has partnered with Turner Scott Motorsports to be the primary sponsor of Nelson Piquet Jr.'s No. 30 Chevrolet. 

"It would be awesome to get Hooters into victory lane to help them celebrate their 30th anniversary," Piquet Jr. said. 

Made famous in NASCAR by Alan Kulwicki, Hooters has enjoyed the spotlight of a Sprint Cup Series championship, the heartbreak of tragic loss and a resurgence in the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series over the years. 

Since it's earliest days with Kulwicki, to the famous 'Underbird' car that won the 1992 Sprint Cup Series championship, Hooters has had quite the legacy in NASCAR.

ATLANTA, GA - NOV. 15: Alan Kulwicki was a hard-working independent driver who procured a national sponsor for the 1992 season for his popular NASCAR Winston Cup Championship which he received following the Atlanta race on Nov. 15, 1992 in Atlanta, Ga. His life came to a tragic end in a 1993 plane crash. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images)

After Kulwicki's death in 1993, Hooters partnered with rookie Loy Allen Jr., who sat on the pole for the 1994 Daytona 500. 

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - July 2, 1994: The field gets ready for the start of the Pepsi 400 NASCAR Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt (No. 3) is on the pole and Loy Allen, Jr. (No. 19) starts from the outside of row one. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

Rick Mast carried the Hooters colors in 1996, while Brett Bodine drove the orange and white car in 2002 and 2003. 

1996: Rick Mast drove owner Richard Jackson's Hooters-sponsored car on the NASCAR Cup circuit, scoring five top-10 finishes during the 1996 season. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

CONCORD,NC - MAY 17: Brett Bodine driving the No. 11 Hooters Ford during practice for The Winston NASCAR event at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 17, 2002. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

While Hooters left the sport for a few years, Dale Earnhardt Jr. served as a judge for the 2005 Hooters International Swimsuit Pagent. 

Brooke Burke and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami, (Photo by John Parra/WireImage)

Making its way back to NASCAR, a number of drivers piloted a Hooters-sponsored truck in 2007, including Jason White, Derrike Cope and 2012 Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. 

MEMPHIS, TN - JUNE 30: Jason White, driver of the No. 7 Hooters Energy Drink Chevrolet, drives down the backstretch during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park June 30, 2007 in Memphis, Tenn. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

DAYTONA, FL - FEB. 14: Derrike Cope, driver of the No. 7 Hooters Energy Drink Chevrolet, drives during practice for the Chevy Silverado HD 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14, 2007 in Daytona, Fla. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images for NASCAR)

HAMPTON, GA - MARCH 16: Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 7 Hooters Energy Drink Chevrolet, pits during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 16, 2007 in Hampton, Ga. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)