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GURSS: NASCAR And The Troops
Written by: Jade Gurss   
05/05/2009
Mooresville, NC
 
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo) ยป More Photos

I applaud Crown Royal for using their creative “Your Name Here” marketing gimmick to honor US serviceman Russ Friedman at the Richmond Cup race last weekend. Friedman, whose tours of duty in Iraq resulted in two Purple Hearts, wrote an essay expressing the wish to call attention to the all of the troops and veterans everywhere. It’s a patriotic notion that’s not at all out of place in the sport. And, it’s not an accident that NASCAR is easily the sport most visibly aligned with the military forces in the United States.

We know of modern, high-profile sponsorships from the Army, Air Force and National Guard in NASCAR, but the sport’s earliest days were marked by Big Bill France’s patriotism and Bill France Jr’s stint in the Navy. The elder France would bring troops to the racetrack, and legend has it, once said military veterans were the people who not only built this country, but supported NASCAR most fervently as well.

Many times, there are more behind-the-scenes military activity beyond the view of the fans and TV cameras. At Richmond, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), a sponsor of Kevin Harvick Inc., joined with Rheem, Longhorn smokeless tobacco, UL Industries and the series sponsor Nationwide Insurance to bring 100 injured veterans from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington
D.C. to enjoy a VIP experience at the track. In addition to seeing Friday night’s Nationwide Series race, the vets were visited by a large number of drivers and received pit and garage tours. In conjunction with the event, KHI co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick and Ron Hornaday made an emotional visit to Walter Reed to visit the troops.

As Memorial Day approaches and the two massive American races in Charlotte and Indianapolis tip their collective hats to the veterans who served the country, look for many more military and veteran honors in conjunction with the races.



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