Spartanburg's Frankie Zombie makes history with art featured on NASCAR Cup Series car

Frankie Zombie's portfolio features custom shoes, handbags, and furniture - even pianos - all with his unique style.

The Spartanburg-based artist has created art for music moguls like Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, and Celine Dion.

This weekend, a Frankie Zombie creation will be featured on an "Art Car" for the NASCAR Cup Series. The No. 78 Ford Mustang, driven by B.J. McLeod of Live Fast Motorsports, will display a Zombie-designed custom wrap in Sunday's race at Miami-Homestead Speedway (NBC, 2:30 p.m.)

For Zombie, gaining exposure in the NASCAR world is a career highlight. The 2007 Dorman graduate is the first Black artist to design an "Art Car" for a NASCAR driver.

"Every project is different but this one holds so much for me," Zombie said in a video interview with the Herald-Journal while en route to Miami. "I remember as a kid, playing PlayStation, I would race with Jeff Gordon's (Rainbow Warrior) car. I just remember all of the colors on all of the cars. It was color overload. I was like a kid in a candy store."

He especially takes pride in breaking through in NASCAR, a sport that has struggled with diversity and inclusion.

"I've looked up to guys like Bubba Wallace who went through so much culture clashing to feel welcomed in that NASCAR world," Zombie said. "There are so many different ways to bring culture, sports, and art, all together in one."

For Zombie, it's more than a paint scheme

The Jetsons grabbed Zombie's attention as a kid. He lived in the Bronx with his aunt and uncle at the time. Evident by the "Art Car" and throughout Zombie's work, he's drawn to the bright pastel colors used in the classic Hanna-Barbera animation.

On top of that, the futuristic cartoon piqued his imagination.

"In the Bronx, about 99 percent of the people I saw were Black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, or Asian. I would watch the cartoon, and there wasn't anybody of color. So I'd go back and daydream about this cartoon of the future but recreate people in my neighborhood and act out the scene," he said. "You'll see a lot of the pastel pallets and angles from The Jetsons (in my work), but I wanted to make it mine."

Zombie said his use of bright colors is also a symbol of his emotions. His mother has been battling breast cancer for four years. Working with pastels uplifts his family, friends, and fans — and himself — during trying times. Bright pink is featured on the hood and roof of McLeod's car, a tribute to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"To me, dark colors often represent pain or hurt. When my mom started her journey against cancer, I said, 'From this point on, I'm only going to use bright colors.' I'm trying to help change people's perspectives, minds and hearts with the colors I'm choosing."

"No Fear" is spelled out on the car in honor of his mother's struggle, but Zombie said the paint scheme is also resonating with McLeod and members of his Live Fast Motorsports team.

"Once we started to talk about the paint scheme, we are both going through some of the same things. I'm helping my mom with her journey. B.J. (McLeod) is going through different things. We're all battling and visual arts can help with our journeys."

How did Frankie Zombie connect with NASCAR?

Zombie has partnered with Motorsport Games, a company that specializes in racing game developing and publishing, along with esports.

The partnership, done in collaboration with Live Fast Motorsports, will also help Zombie and his art reach people through charity events.

In addition to designing the custom wrap for McLeod's Mustang, Zombie will appear at an in-person, live painting event this weekend at the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also appeared at the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this month.

Like in Charlotte, Zombie will paint an additional car hood with custom-designed wrapping, which will be raffled off for charity. The proceeds go to Speedway Children’s Charity and the NASCAR Foundation.

"As part of this, it was important to give back," Zombie said. "It's more than art. It's about helping people and connecting through equality and selfless acts."

And while NASCAR remains a traditional sport with mostly traditional paint schemes and sponsorships, Zombie hopes his work with Live Fast and Motorsports Games will help break the mold. Their partnership marks just the second time an "Art Car" has been featured in NASCAR. In 2000, the late Dale Earnhardt drove a car with a colorful scheme by artist Peter Max.

Zombie said it took about three weeks to create, complete and fine-tune the digital design of the custom wrap for Live Fast. Previously, he designed a Mercedes-Benz SUV for a Formula 1 Event in Miami, which got the attention of Motorsports Games.

"I'm hoping more drivers will reach out to more visual artists. This is a moment for those two worlds to get to know each other," he said. "I'll admit, when I first went to the track with Motorsport Games, I wondered if I would be accepted because I'm a Black man. But when I met the drivers, and with everything we experienced, it was all love and great energy."

Zombie also picked up a new favorite spectator sport.

"I'd rather go experience pit road over courtside NBA championship. There's nothing that matches that adrenaline," he said.

The custom wrapping is available to download through Xbox, PlayStation, PC and streaming packages. NASCAR 21: Ignition Victory Edition players can race with Zombie's scheme.

Frankie Zombie's love for Spartanburg

Zombie says he stays on the road for "80-85 percent of the year."

In 2009, "Zombie" replaced "Page" as the artist's last name while in college at Queens University in Charlotte.

"I was a college student, I had a 9-5 job and I was a music producer. I maybe slept 2-3 hours a day, tops," he said. "I had a friend in Spartanburg, she would call me and leave a message and say, "I know you're up, Mr. Zombie.' Then it evolved to Mr. Frankie Zombie. I decided to put a name behind the word."

His tireless work ethic and agenda continue. He spends a lot of time in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Charlotte. But Spartanburg is home for the flourishing artist.

Zombie's inspirational presence and colorful art can be seen all over the Hub City and beyond. He organized the Black Lives Matter mural on West Broad Street in downtown Spartanburg. He painted a mural inside Cleveland Academy of Leadership with the quotes "I promise to dream" and "I promise to lead" on the hallways.

Examples of his work can also be seen at the Bethlehem Center, the Mary H. Wright basketball court and Cleveland Park in Spartanburg. RJ Rockers Brewing Company features a colorful Zombie mural. The Eat Street Grill food truck also sports a Zombie design.

"Family is a big part of me staying in Spartanburg, but there's also that stubborn part of you. People will say, 'You can't make it in a small city,' but I didn't come into who I am until I came home. It helped me find a rebirth in my art when I came back home. The city and community have been nothing but supportive of that.

"My first art exhibits and first murals were in Spartanburg. It has helped me blossom on my journey."

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg's Frankie Zombie's art featured on a NASCAR Cup Series car