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Bold Stripes, Bright Stars, Fast Cars
NASCAR Honors America’s Military Personnel in a Big Way
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By Jim Lamb
In a world defined by Twitter and sound-bites, NASCAR and its partners break through the clutter with a message to America’s military that rings loud and true:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
There’s no more dramatic example than the midrace Moment of Silence at the 2019 Coca-Cola 600. For 30 seconds, the zoom-zoom, rumblejumble of fierce horsepower went silent, fans stood up, took off their hats and caps, and
honored those who sacrificed everything to affirm the promise of freedom—a hefty price, paid in full.
Has there ever been a better salute to America’s fallen heroes? Not likely.
It’s all part of “NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola,” which kicks off each year with the Coca-Cola 600, the nation’s largest Memorial Day weekend celebration, and concludes with the Coke Zero Sugar 400, commemorating America’s birth.
Along with the USO, NASCAR honors military families at other venues as well, including Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, Sonoma Raceway,g
and Chicagoland Speedway. Attrack programs include the decadeold “Troops to the Track Hosted by Coca-Cola,” which welcomes service men and women from local military installations to a VIP experience at a NASCAR race. But it’s more than just a visit. The schedule includes events designed to support military members in general as well as help those transitioning to civilian life.
Coca-Cola has a history of supporting America’s armed services, dating back to 1941, when the company pledged to have its products within arm’s reach of U.S. troops, wherever they were stationed. NASCAR Salutes began in 2012 and Coca-Cola, which has had a relationship with NASCAR for more 50 years, stepped in to officially sponsor the initiative.
Other companies involved in honoring America’s military include Mack Trucks, Goodyear, Sunoco, Mars candy, Fox, AMR Safety Trucks, and Sugarlands Shine.
How substantial is the commitment?
Kyle Busch, who last year notched his second NASCAR Cup SeriesChampionship, put it this way: “NASCAR does it better than anybody else on being able to honor our military.” “Every year we honor a fallen soldier’s name on our race car and bring their family out to the event and have them with us for the day, on Sunday, for Memorial Day, for the Coca-Cola 600,” he said, “and this year (2019) we have Sgt. Griffin’s name on our race car.”
Army Sgt. Dale Griffin lost his life in 2009 during Operation Enduring Freedom, killed by a roadside bomb. His mother and father (Gene and Dona) were invited to the unveiling of Busch’s special red, white, and blue M&M Camry.
As part of the Memorial Day weekend, each race car features the name of a fallen hero on its windshield, just like Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing did in honoring Sgt. Griffin on the No. 18 Toyota Camry.
For example, Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford—driven by Ryan Newman— honored Sgt. James Nolen. His wife, Rachel Anne, helped with the unveiling of the car at Fort Bragg. The 25-year-old dad-to-be from Texas died of wounds from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan—less than two weeks shy of his first wedding anniversary.
Stories similar to Nolen’s could be shared by virtually every military family involved in the various events between Memorial Day and Independence Day. Drivers hear these stories direct from moms, dads; husbands, wives; sons, daughters. So do owners and sponsors.
It’s those face-to-face, heart-to-heart, connections that transform relationships from casual and courteous to genuinely compassionate.
“NASCAR has always taken immense pride in honoring the military men and women who’ve bravely served our nation,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR president. “Each year, NASCAR Salutes unites our industry to celebrate these heroes and their families and recognize them for the sacrifices made to preserve our freedoms.”
Last year during the Memorial Day weekend, Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted more than 5,000 active military members, veterans and their families—an appropriate decision considering that North Carolina is home to both NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, as well as the nation’s largest military complex, Fort Bragg, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The state has seven other military bases, one of which (Marine Corps Air Station, New River) provided MV-22 Osprey aircraft for the fly-over. The Osprey is the world’s first production tiltrotor aircraft and is capable of vertical takeoff and landing as well as and short takeoff and landing, giving it the ability to function both as a helicopter and a high-speed, long-range turboprop.
Among the fallen heroes honored last year were two servicemen with special connections to NASCAR: Army National Guard Sgt. First Class David Moore and Army Specialist William Jeffries, both of whom served with Brian Burns, lead engineer for the No. 37 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet. Moore did three tours—Bosnia, Kuwait, and Iraq. His name was affixed to the windshield of the Chevrolet driven by g
Chris Buescher. Jeffries was deployed to Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His name was on driver Ryan Preece’s car.
Every windshield had a name; every name had a story—punctuated during the opening ceremonies by a soulful “Amazing Grace” performed by three bagpipers as well as a 21-gun salute, and the playing of taps to honor the fallen, including Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Maude, Army; Ensign Sarah Mitchell, Navy; Cpl. Bobby High Steele, Marines; Capt. John Graziano, Air Force; Sgt. Daniel A. Desens, Jr., National Guard, and many more.
Presenting the nation’s colors to start the ceremonies was the United States Honor Guard Color Team from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C., followed by an invocation offered by Will Graham, grandson of the late Rev. Billy Graham, a Charlotte native.
Helping military families has been part NASCAR’s DNA, going way back.
On the Fourth of July, 1969, the Firecracker 400 at the Daytona International Speedway put a national spotlight on the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration given by the United States. It’s bestowed upon those individuals who distinguish themselves above and beyond the call of duty. Bill France Sr. launched that tradition which was revived more than a decade ago. The 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was the 11th consecutive year that Congressional Medal of Honor recipients were recognized, specifically, Sgt. Major Gary Littrell (Vietnam) and Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer (Afghanistan).
Littrell, who has been inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, was in Kontum Province when he and his team found themselves under intense mortar attack. According to official reports, he repeatedly abandoned positions of safety to direct artillery and air support, despite concentrated enemy fire.
Shurer, a former Army Special Forces staff sergeant and medic serving in Afghanistan, was involved in the Battle of Shok Valley, also known as g
Operation Commando Wrath, when his team was attacked. Shurer ran through enemy fire to reach wounded soldiers, eventually getting wounded himself.
During the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Littrell and Shurer participated in a variety of events. Meanwhile, Army Col. Hal Kushner, who was a POW in Vietnam for more than five years, drove the Honorary Pace Truck.
“Hosting Medal of Honor recipients is a tradition in and of itself for our Independence holiday weekend,” says Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile. “Real American heroes and the greatest American sport, NASCAR, are a perfect match for our facility, our industry—and our fans. We are, as always, privileged to have recipients join us for our red, white, and blue celebration.” Patriotic gestures such as these flourish because of what NASCAR refers to as its “collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend the United States.”
One might wonder why the relationship between NASCAR and the military runs so deep and wide. A little background helps:
Seeds of speed planted deep in America’s consciousness during World War Two yielded a nationwide harvest in the post-war years. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen returning home from faraway places like Normandy, Tunisia, Okinawa, and Sicily, caught a glimpse of the future in battle-tested aircraft with bold names like Lightning, Wildcat, Mustang, and Marauder— names that eventually found their way onto the fenders and deck-lids of American muscle cars.
Military men and women returning home—weary of drab olive-green tanks, Jeeps, and trucks—would soon be captivated by flashy boulevard cruisers with big fins trimmed in gleaming chrome.
And power. Lots of power.
As Capt. Chuck Yeager was shattering the sound barrier with the Bell X-1 in 1947, Bill France was getting ready to launch NASCAR in 1948. During the lifestyle-changing, post-war years between 1945 and 1950, hustle and high-stakes competition pulsated through the veins and brains of an upand-coming generation.
Aerodynamics pushed aircraft and race cars in dramatic new directions: Mach One was fast enough in 1947 to turn heads. By 1953, breaking the sound barrier was old hat as Scott Crossfield hit Mach Two in the swept-winged Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket.
And so it was with NASCAR.
Bob Flock took the pole position at NASCAR’s inaugural race at Charlotte Speedway in 1949 with a top speed of 67.958 mph. A few years later, Flock’s brother, “Fonty,” took the pole at the 1953 Southern 500 in Darlington by going 107.983 miles per hour.
1959 was a landmark year for both aviation and racing:
America gave birth to the commercial jet age with the Boeing 707—an aircraft largely based on the military’s KC-135 g
Stratotanker. Top speed: 627 miles per hour.
NASCAR gave birth to a new era with the opening of the 2.5-mile, highbanked, tri-oval Super Speedway at Daytona. Average speed: 135.521 mph.
Within a decade, speedier jets pierced the skies, and more powerful cars dominated racetracks. Nothing symbolized the faster-is-better attitude than the Harley Earl Trophy, presented each year to the winner of the Daytona 500. Earl, the GM executive acknowledged as the “Father of the Corvette,” was a NASCAR commissioner from 1960 to 1969. The legendary designer created the stylistic cue known as the tailfin. It first appeared on the 1948 Cadillac and was reminiscent of the twin-tailed Lockheed P-38 Lightning, a Pursuit Interceptor that played multiple roles during the Second World War.
The 4-foot tall trophy is patterned after Earl’s XP-21 Firebird I, GM’s popular and controversial concept car from the 1950s that boasted a rocket-like nose, clear teardrop canopy, stubby wings, and a tall, slender, rear fin. Each year the iconic trophy is escorted to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway where photographers from around the world memorialize its image. As a result, new NASCAR fans are introduced the prestigious award’s distinctive retro-futuristic look, inspired by America’s post-WW2 aircraft.
On a grand scale, the military and NASCAR share a bond that can be linked and understood on an objective and analytical level—but there’s more to the connection; there’s also a subjective, emotional side. To get a gut-feel for that, spend an afternoon watching “Top Gun” (1986) and “Days of Thunder” (1990).
Then note the similarities:
Speed. Rivalries. Camaraderie.
Life in the fast lane draws fans into the tornado-like twists and turns of hypercompetitive match-ups on race-day. One could select any number of venues to illustrate the complex, multi-faceted relationship between the military and NASCAR, but Dover, Delaware, seems an ideal spot to pick.
Dover International Speedway opened in 1969. It sits on a 750-acre plot and boasts a high-banked oval called “The Monster Mile.” Dover is also home to the 436th Airlift Wing of the Air Mobility Command and the 512th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command— known as “The Dover Team”—which provides airlift and aerial refueling to United States armed forces as well as humanitarian support at home and around the world.
On a more somber note, Dover houses America’s largest military mortuary; it’s where flag-covered coffins containing those killed-in-action are brought— the last stop they make before being returned to loved ones.
Recognizing these fallen heroes is a core mission of NASCAR Salutes.
“For NASCAR as an industry, it’s a privilege to honor the military men and women who protect our country’s freedom,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “…we remain humbled by the opportunity to recognize our military community and thank service members for the sacrifices made on our behalf.”
So, whether it’s older tracks like Atlanta and Martinsville, or newer ones like Kansas and Kentucky, military personnel and their families are warmly welcomed.
The sport’s season finale exemplifies this mutually beneficial association.
Homestead Army Airfield, established in the early 1950s, was all-but-destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The following year, with the help of leaders like the late Rafael “Ralph” Sánchez, ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the mile-and-a-half oval racetrack. That high-visibility event helped create an atmosphere of hope for the devastated community.
Homestead-Miami Speedway stands as a testament to the can-do spirit of NASCAR and America—as well as the capstone event each season where a new Cup Series Champion is crowned.
And so we end. The conclusion? It can’t be summed up in 140 characters or a 30-second sound-bite—not even in a 500-word news article or a one-hour TV special. How many sports organizations do you know that honor America’s service-members and veterans every year with a comprehensive, multi-stage, multi-week program that launches in May and finishes in July? Let me give you a hint: It’s a six-letter word that starts with the letter N and ends with R.
BIO: Jim Lamb is a retired journalist living in Florida. He’s the author of “Orange Socks and Other Colorful Tales: How I Survived Vietnam and Kept My Sense of Humor.” He started following NASCAR in 1963 when Tiny Lund won the Daytona 500 after saving the life of Marvin Panch—the car’s original driver—following a pre-race crash. Lund later replaced Panch as driver, winning the race.
