'Saved by the Bell' Alum Dustin Diamond Receives NASCAR Honor Amid Stage 4 Cancer Battle

Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond revealed in mid-January that he has Stage IV cancer and that [...]

By John Newby

Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond revealed in mid-January that he has Stage IV cancer and that he is undergoing chemotherapy. Many people responded with considerable support, including a NASCAR driver. Josh Bilicki is teaming up with sponsor Insurance King to honor Diamond with a special paint scheme.

The car hasn't been wrapped just yet, but Insurance King did provide a rendering on social media. The design will feature an all-white background, as well as several bright colors. The No. 89 Ford Mustang will have the Saved by the Bell logo, albeit with one major change. The design will say "Saved By the King" in reference to the insurance company for which Diamond has filmed multiple commercials. There will also be a picture of the actor on the rear fenders while the door will say "Get well soon, Dustin."

According to TMZ, the design will surface sometime during the 2021 Cup Series season. The drivers are currently preparing for the upcoming 36-race slate, which begins on Feb. 14 with the Daytona 500. The action will then continue as fans await to see when the Diamond tribute scheme will hit the track.

Diamond's supporters initially began to express concern about his health when he was hospitalized in January with a "mysterious ailment." Sources said that he had been experiencing unease and pain in his body, so he sought out medical care. The doctors ran a series of tests and learned that Diamond had cancer.

"At this time, we can confirm that Dustin does have cancer," the actor's team said in a statement on Facebook. "Dustin will disclose more information once it is available and a plan moving forward is made. We ask at this time no autograph requests be sent to this address as that isn't what it's for."

The Diamond Mustang is not the first time that Block and Bilicki have partnered for a tribute paint scheme. They previously unveiled the Wounded Blue design ahead of a playoff race at Martinsville in October. The company took the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro and covered it with a throwback black-and-white paint scheme. The design even featured painted-on blue and red emergency lights.

"We came up with the idea to make the car look like a cop car because NASCAR began with bootleggers outrunning the police," Block said in October. "However, when we partnered with The Wounded Blue, we ended up going one step further with this paint scheme and are dedicating this design to each police officer that lost their life in 2020." The organization Wounded Blue provides assistance to police officers who have been wounded or injured on the job.

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