NASCAR massively expanded its Veterans Support Initiatives during 2024 and is looking to keep that momentum going into 2025 and for years to come.
“The commitment that we’ve had to the men and women that serve in our armed forces is something that’s been a part of our sport since the get-go,” NASCAR's Chief Impact Officer Eric Nyquist said. “Our sport is a confederation of hundreds if not thousands of independent entities coming together and one thing we all agree on is to lean in and support our military.”
Nyquist said supporting the military, veterans and their families is in NASCAR’s DNA and isn’t new to the sport or a passing fad for its team owners, drivers and other personnel.
“The partnership we’ve had with our military forces goes back decades and decades,” he said.
NASCAR has long invited troops and military leaders to the track while using its weekend races to provide them with a needed respite and great entertainment, Nyquist explained.
“It also provides an opportunity for service men and women to be celebrated and feel that gratitude,” he added.
In partnership with Honor and Remember, NASCAR hosts Gold Star families at race events throughout its season.
“We host Gold Star Families every race weekend, giving them an opportunity to honor and remember the service member they lost,” said Nyquist.
Gold Star Families are announced during the race’s drivers meeting and are met with a standing ovation by everyone in attendance.
“To see the impact that has, and that ability of our sport to play a small part in honoring these fallen heroes and their families is one of the most special things we get to do as a sport,” said Nyquist.
NASCAR also announced a new partnership with Sound Off, which provides free and anonymous mental health support for veterans and service members who are struggling by pairing them with other veterans as peer supporters.
“Our role in this is to work with Sound Off to elevate their mission, raise awareness of the Sound Off platform and what they do and help them recruit veterans who can be peer support where a veteran can pick up the phone and anonymously be linked with an anonymous peer supporter who can speak to them, talk them through it and provide the mental health resources they need to help reduce the rate of veteran suicide,” explained Nyquist.
NASCAR also provides internships to active duty service members through the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program. Vehicle system engineer CJ Tobin, who was instrumental in developing the next-generation platform for its electric vehicles came to NASCAR through the program, which provides transitioning service members with opportunities to participate in training and development with potential employers.
American Corporate Partners and NASCAR are partners in a program that provides career mentoring for transitioning service members, Nyquist said. NASCAR employees volunteer to serve as peer mentors for veterans who have joined the civilian workforce. They share their expertise in areas such as career counseling, communications, marketing, and financial skills.
NASCAR also teamed up with the national nonprofit We the Veterans and Military Families to support Vet the Vote, a national campaign aimed at recruiting veterans and military families to serve as nonpartisan poll workers at election sites during last year’s presidential election.
“We want to be of service to our service men and women in a way that will resonate with them,” said Nyquist.
NASCAR begins its 2025 with an exhibition race on Feb. 2 in Winston Salem, North Carolina, followed by the season-opening race, the Daytona 500, on Feb. 16.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com