Ten quick hits’ worth of military-related sports news before Congress tries to make all the academy football teams wear the same uniform (non-football news after the jump): 1. Bobsled-bound? Option quarterbacks need to be versatile, but former Army signal-caller Trent Steelman is taking things to a new level. Already under contract with the Baltimore Ravens, Steelman’s now in the running for a spot on the U.S. Olympic bobsled team, according to Army football guru Sal Interdonato. Steelman’s father told Interdonato that the Army officer performed well in the U.S. Bobsled Combine recently and will be participating in further qualifying events…
Browsing: NASCAR
The Army announced last summer that it would not return to NASCAR as a sponsor for 2013. The Navy and Marine Corps are also out of the NASCAR business. With rare exception. But the Air Force is back for 2013, renewing its deal to sponsor the Richard Petty Motorsports-owned No. 43 car, driven by Aric Almirola. The sponsorship lasts the entire season, but the Air Force will be the primary sponsor for two races on military-friendly weekends — the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., over Memorial Day weekend and the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., two days after…
Col. Greg Gadson, garrison commander at Fort Belvoir, serves as Grand Marshall for the Subway Jalapeño 250 and gives the command for drivers to start their engines at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla, on July 6. (Mike Morones/Military Times)
As part of an ongoing project about military sponsorship in professional sports, I’m in Daytona covering the #88 National Guard race team. Here are a few shots from today’s qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway. Stay tuned for more photos following Saturday night’s race.
I spent the weekend at Richmond International Raceway to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run the Army car during Saturday’s Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. Driven by Ryan Newman, the Army-sponsored Chevrolet finished the night in 15th place. In addition to the action on the track, I spent some time at the Army’s ‘Strength in Action Zone’ on the midway at the RIR complex. Besides an appearance by Newman and the presence of the Army #39 show car, the zone featured interactive displays and a helicopter flight simulator. While the rainy weather…
Her’s one more from yesterday afternoon’s Sprint Cup qualifying laps at Richmond International Raceway. Since practice and qualifying took place yesterday, the track is fairly quiet this morning. Though on my drive in to RIR around 9:30 a.m. there were quite a few people kicking back in the parking lots, mentally preparing for the day’s action. And by mentally preparing I mean drinking beer. Keep in mind the race starts at 7:30 p.m., assuming there are no weather delays. The forecast does not look promising on that front so I might need a beer by the time it’s all over…
I’m spending two days with the U.S. Army race team as they compete at Richmond International Raceway. I’ll also spend some time outside the track to check out the military presence in the lots and midway during a race weekend. Here are a few shots from today’s practice session. It’s relatively quiet at the track as far as crowds go but it’s still early. In the meantime the few fans interested in watching practice and qualifying appear to have their pick of seats. I’ll try to post some photos as things progress and time allows so check back for more…
A handful of military-sports links for a Tuesday morning — weekend stuff you might’ve missed, some scheduling notes, and your typical mid-America military invasion (no, not this one): 1. Tank vs. track: When you absolutely, positively have to destroy a race track surface so it can be repaved and ready for a fall NASCAR Sprint Cup race, call in the National Guard. That’s what they did in Kansas on Sunday, using military equipment and know-how to break up the asphalt. As deployments go, you could do worse than the infield of a Sprint Cup race. 2. Falcon left behind: Missing…
