The team at FasterSkunk Racing frequently gets asked “What’s the deal with the Skunk”? Typically, a response is provided in some method of “we don’t know, but please, do not spook theskunk!”
The name originated with Rob Wilmoth, founder and driver of FasterSkunk Racing, during his college years at Appalachian State University, in Boone, North Carolina. One day in the fall of 2002, he said “Wouldn’t it be cool if I bleached two stripes down my head like a skunk for a halloween costume?!” It’s also said that no alcohol, nor another illegal substance was involved in this decision, however there was a great deal of Red Bull, Mountain Dew, and other beverages that young college students are known to consume. After soliciting the help of a friend, “theskunk” was born!
After the ‘birth’ of “theskunk”, Rob then made the startling realization that the bleach wasn’t going to “just wash out”… He had to actually go to class like that. For a month or more! Thus, he became known throughout campus, and specifically the Appalachian State Marching Band as “theskunk” This also become a gamer tag for any online games he played, any online forums that were visited, and even though the hair bleach was never done again, the defense mechanism is still said to be quite potent when needed.
So – That’s how Rob got his nickname, but what about “FasterSkunk Racing”? This is actually instagram’s fault. By the time Rob figured out what instagram was and decided to join, “theskunk” was taken. He played with a few different usernames. Since he had recently started motorsports as a hobby, posting mostly car photos from the track, @fasterskunk seemed to fit the bill quite nicely. A few years later, FasterSkunk racing started in earnest.
Robspace 