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 of��cially sponsor
the initiative.
����ur partnership with NASCAR is
incredibly important,�� said ��ohn Mount,
Vice President, Marketing Assets ��
Activation, Coca-Cola North America.
��The NASCAR Salutes program and
Coca-Cola 600 is a special way to
spend Memorial Day as we honor
our heroes, and remember our fallen
military members.��
��ther 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.��
Busch knows a thing or two about that.
28 THE OFFICIAL NASCAR 2020 PREVIEW & PRESS GUIDE
��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. Grif��n��s name on our race car.��
Army Sgt. Dale Grif��n lost his life
in 2009 during ��peration 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.
��It��s truly an honor because we have the
opportunity to do what we love to do��
each and every weekend��because
of those soldiers that have given their
lives,�� Busch said, adding that, ����they
go out there and ��ght for freedoms and
give us our freedoms to be able to go
out and do what we do.��
As part of the Memorial Day weekend,
each race car features the name of
a fallen hero on its windshield, just
like Busch and ��oe Gibbs Racing did
in honoring Sgt. Grif��n on the No. 18
Toyota Camry.
For example, Roush Fenway Racing��s
No. 6 Ford��driven by Ryan Newman��
honored Sgt. ��ames 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 ��rst 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
recogni��e them for the sacri��ces 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
��sprey aircraft for the ��y-over. The
��sprey is the world��s ��rst 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 ��illiam
��effries, both of whom served with
Brian Burns, lead engineer for the No.
37 ��TG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.
Moore did three tours��Bosnia, Kuwait,
and Ira��. His name was af��xed to the
windshield of the Chevrolet driven by ����