With that one high-profile paint scheme, the Hopewell, Va., native went from being known as "Sam Bass, the guy who draws race cars" to "Sam Bass, graphic designer!"

Since then, Sam has created many dozens of car, uniform, transporter and toolbox designs for NASCAR teams. For 2003, Sam created more winning NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch designs. Fourteen Sam Bass paint schemes took to the track when the latest Chevrolet Monte Carlos, Pontiac Grand Prixes and Dodge Intrepids rolled out for Speed Weeks in Daytona.

"When I designed Bobby Allison's car back in 1988," Sam recalls, "they were boxy and had straight lines. Today's Winston Cup cars are more shapely and have a lot of curves to take into account. The science of aerodynamics has changed the way I design a paint scheme as much as anything else."