NASCAR driver Kurt Busch made a special visit to members of the United States Military earlier this month. And he will be representing them on Sunday, May 30th, at the Coca-Cola 600, just a day before Memorial Day.
Kurt Busch has long had an intense passion for the people who serve our country in the military. In fact, he has taken part in the annual Memorial Day Weekend race several times during his career. And he has put the name of fallen military members on his car. But the connection is even deeper than that. Busch has also made it a priority to visit wounded combat veterans in the hospital.
However, he is not done just yet. Earlier this month, Kurt Busch made a visit to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) at Naval Station Mayport. While there, the popular driver once again expressed his appreciation to the service members.
Of course, Kurt Busch competes professionally in the NASCAR Cup Series. He is normally the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing. But while visiting Naval Station Mayport, he unveiled the Cpl. Jason Dunham car that will run in the upcoming Coca-Cola 600. The car will honor the late Cpl. Jason Lee Dunham. Dunham was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his time serving in the Iraq War with the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines during the Iraq War.
The official NASCAR On Fox Twitter account posted highlights of Busch’s visit to the Naval base on Thursday morning.
“@KurtBusch visited the USS Jason Dunham. The destroyer is named after the late U.S. Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient. #NASCARSalutes”
NASCAR’s Kurt Busch Says He Is “Honored” to Race the Car
With Kurt Busch’s intense love for members of the military, there is no question that this weekend’s race will be special for him.
“This is next level,” Busch said. “I’m just honored to carry such a large piece of our military with me, to race this car this weekend, and to be a part of it today in Jacksonville with all of the Sailors on the ship.”
Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Dashae King, one of the ship’s crew members, gave his thoughts on Kurt Busch and NASCAR’s representation as a whole.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to have NASCAR use our namesake to honor the Navy,” King said. “It helps us regain perspective on what it means to serve this country.”
Meanwhile, the ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Steve Puskas, met with his Sailors to talk about the ship’s namesake and how important it is to the military.
“I think it’s a great honor,” said Puskas. “It’s just a great opportunity for the ship to be a part of this and for us to be able to bring NASCAR into our world for a good cause.”
