NASCAR has always made it a point to honor the U.S. Armed Forces. While the sport finds many ways to show respect, one tradition has stood strong for decades.
NASCAR’s Memorial Day tribute is one of the most heartfelt moments on its yearly schedule. Every year, several drivers take time to honor fallen heroes ahead of the Coca-Cola 600.
This year, it was Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell, along with his wife, Morgan, and team president Dave Alpern, visited Arlington National Cemetery to pay respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Christopher Bell’s Visit to the Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is the resting place of over 400,000 service members, dating back to the Revolutionary War.
During his visit, Bell was joined by Mike Burch, CEO of Speedway Motorsports. The group laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Bell later shared how emotional the moment was for him.
“This just hits hard, when you see how many people are here and how many people have paid the price – the ultimate price – for us to live in the country we live in and have the things we have, the freedoms we have. This is the greatest nation in the world, and this is a reminder that freedom isn’t free,” he said
Bell and the group also visited the graves of scientists who died in the Challenger explosion and met members of The Old Guard, the Army unit responsible for guarding the Tomb.
They concluded the day with a tour of the Pentagon. Afterward, Alpern reflected on the experience:
“It never ceases to take my breath away just coming through the gates and seeing the thousands and thousands of markers. You wish you could hear the story of every one of them. They have families. They have moms and dads. It’s really unbelievable.”
The History of the Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600 began as the “World 600” in 1960. NASCAR created the race to rival the Indianapolis 500. Coca-Cola took over sponsorship in 1985, and the race was renamed the Coca-Cola 600.
It remains one of NASCAR’s oldest and longest races. The event was run under the lights for the first time in 1992. That race featured an epic battle between Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Kyle Petty, whose final-lap crash handed Davey Allison the win.
In 2015, NASCAR introduced a new tradition. Each car in the Coca-Cola 600 now displays the name of a fallen soldier on its windshield, and families of the fallen are invited to the race.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
