Browsing: NASCAR

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…

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…

A dirty dozen military-themed sports links from a busy weekend (non-MMA notes after the jump): 1. Kennedy recap. Special Forces soldier Tim Kennedy lost in his second try at the Strikeforce middleweight title Saturday night in Portland, Ore., falling to Luke Rockhold via five-round unanimous decision — the same way he lost his 2010 title bout against Rolando “Jacare” Souza. Read the After Action review, with video, here. Click here for full coverage from our good friends at MMAJunkie. 2. Now what? Read Sherdog’s suggestions for Kennedy’s next fight, including what could be a make-or-break rematch with Souza. 3. From…

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…

Here’s a shot from the Army’s Strength in Action Zone outside the track – they had some exhibits of equipment as well as some physical training test and of course the #39 show car. Because of the weather attendance was a bit sparse – at least until Ryan Newman arrived for a quick question-and-answer session.

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…

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