There are no fans like NASCAR fans. Their loyalty is unrivaled. It’s viewership is second only to the NFL and it’s the number one watched sport on television when the NFL isn’t playing. So if you’re not a NASCAR fan, it might be time to check out what the fuss is all about. For military members, veterans, and their families, Ford has a little something special cooked up for you.
It’s like NASCAR’s Army-Navy Game, but with every branch competing to win, led by some of NASCAR’s biggest names.
Also Read: 7 of the coolest things to watch for during the Army-Navy Game
For more than 125 seasons, the U.S. Military Academy and Naval Academy fight out their ongoing rivalry on the football field. The game doesn’t decide the national championship anymore, and it usually won’t even decide the conference champion. But it isn’t about championships—it’s about winning that game.
For the rest of America, the Army-Navy Game is also about honoring the service members who are learning to lead this nation’s armed forces. It doesn’t really matter if it’s part of a title run. There’s a reason why the Army-Navy game is the only college football game on TV at that time.
That’s the energy Ford and NASCAR are bringing to the historic Daytona International Speedway this Veterans Day, and hopefully many Veterans Days to come. But NASCAR isn’t limiting service rivalry to just the Army and Navy.
The Ford Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic isn’t part of a cup series. Like the Army-Navy Game, the Veterans Day Classic happens outside of the regular season (as the NASCAR season ends days before the race). There are no points, no championship implications, just 12 drivers competing for the checkered flag, under the colors of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force.
But it’s more than just an exhibition race. Brought together with the help of Blue Star Families, IMSA, and HSR, Ford is establishing the Proud to Honor Fund, powered by GlobalGiving, to directly support six nonprofits in the military-veteran community: Blue Star Families, Camp Southern Ground, DAV (Disabled American Veterans), TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), Team Rubicon, and the Travis Manion Foundation.
The race is the brainchild of Nick Ford, Ford’s Director of Corporate Strategy and Henry Ford’s great-great-grandson and NASCAR’s Chief Brand Officer Tim Clark, a third-generation Army veteran. The idea is simple: a race at one of motorsports’ most historic venues, intended just to honor each branch of the armed forces by bringing together 12 of America’s favorite drivers to race specially-painted Ford Dark Horse Rs.
“It will be a military tribute race honoring all six branches of the military, sort of like the Army-Navy Game, but now we’re throwing all six into the mix on the racetrack,” Ford said in a statement.
Since they’re all driving the same car, winning will all be on the driver. Among those 12 drivers competing in the inaugural Ford Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic are Joey Logano (three-time cup series champion), Brad Keselowski (who could be racing his last race with Ford), Logan Sargeant (who you might remember from Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive”), Noah Gragson, Frankie Muniz (yes, that Frankie Muniz), Ben Hobson, and more.
Tickets include pre-race tailgate, car show, driver meet-and-greets, and racing simulators, along with a headline performance from the Zac Brown Band, a longtime supporter of Camp Southern Ground (and U.S. troops in general).
NASCAR fans will enjoy one more race before they have to wait until February. Veterans and military members can enjoy one more inter-service rivalry, one not dominated by academy graduates. Enlisted troops will enjoy not having to pretend like they enjoy watching academy football for the benefit of their officers.
New troops might even be inspired to get a Mustang, since the Dark Horse R more closely resembles a street version they could actually buy and drive.
To learn more about the Ford Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic or buy tickets, visit the website. Tickets start at $110, but military members, veterans, and eligible family can get a 20% discount through GovX.
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