As the Naval Air Station North Island-NASCAR race hits the 100-day mark until racers shift into high gear and burn rubber on the birthplace of naval aviation, different Navy commands all throughout San Diego met on March 11 in Coronado to be paired with drivers.
Thirty-eight commands, including Naval Base Coronado, the USS Carl Vinson and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet gathered at the Island Club on base to be randomly matched up with 38 stock car racers.
The matching means each command is part of the driver’s team, with the unit’s emblem displayed on the car. NASCAR’s senior director of track communications Matt Humphrey explained that this was a symbolic way of partnering the organization with the military.
Three cup-series drivers – Christopher Bell, Ty Dillon and Ryan Preece – attended the event to find out who their command pairings would be.
“Our mission here is to help boost the morale and recruiting efforts in the United States Navy,” Humphrey told The Coronado News. “Particularly, everything that’s going on right now in our world, it’s more important now than ever.”
On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel led joint attacks on Iran, killing the nation’s prime minister and triggering a war that has spread through much of the Middle East. That war is now in its second week.
Commanding Officer of Naval Base Coronado Capt. Loren Jacobi said that the collaboration between the Navy and NASCAR was a year-and-a-half in the making.
Dillon drew his own number and was matched with the aircraft carrier, Carl Vinson, for race day.
I get to drive race cars for a living, and the freedom … to do that doesn’t happen without their sacrifice. I have so much pride in trying to represent our military and to have a squadron to my car.
NASCAR cup-series racer Ty Dillon
“I get to drive race cars for a living, and the freedom … to do that doesn’t happen without their sacrifice,” Dillon told The Coronado News. “I have so much pride in trying to represent our military and to have a squadron to my car.”
“I want to make them proud because, boy, I am so proud to be an American,” Dillon said.
