DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric won the first Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic in the No. 2 Air Force Ford Mustang® Dark Horse™ R on Wednesday night at Daytona International Speedway.
Cindric, who also won the pole, and two-time Mustang Challenge North America champion Robert Noaker (Marines) exchanged the lead three times in the final nine minutes.
Cindric made the decisive pass with five minutes remaining, but the two battled side-by-side throughout the final laps.
Cindric received a custom-designed Proud to Honor trophy with replicas also going to Ford Racing and NASCAR for display at their respective headquarters.
Twelve Ford Racing drivers competed in six teams of two in Mustang® Dark Horse™ Rs with custom military-inspired liveries, bringing the spirit of a great American sporting rivalry to the race.
“There’s only two races at Daytona I’ve entered, this is a subtle brag, that I haven’t won and it’s the Truck race and it’s the Rolex 24,” Cindric said. “ I want to win the Rolex badly and I’d love to do it with Ford and Ford Racing. Maybe that’s in the cards some day in the future, but Daytona has always been a special place for anyone who races, but it’s a special place tonight for a lot of different reasons and to honor our veterans on Veterans Day is a cool way to close it out.”
Robert Noaker, who subbed for Ryan Blaney, finished second.
“Yesterday morning when I was sitting at breakfast,” Noaker said. “I was going to already be here for the event just to help the other drivers adapt to the car and I got the call that Blaney unfortunately had an incident and he wasn’t able to race. I can’t thank everyone enough to put me in this car and put on that show.
“That’s probably the most fun I’ve had in this car in the three years I’ve driven it. I can’t thank Ford Racing enough and just racing for the veterans is such a cool show.”
The first-of-its-kind military tribute race honored all six branches of the U.S. Armed Services, with performances headlined by Zac Brown Band. It was inspired by the Army-Navy Game and developed in collaboration with NASCAR, IMSA, HSR and Blue Star Families to recognize, honor and celebrate those who serve and the families beside them.
The Classic built on Ford’s long legacy of supporting the military.
After WWI, Henry Ford helped veterans with disabilities find work at Ford, and that commitment continued through the company’s contribution to the Arsenal of Democracy in WWII. Today, thousands of veterans work at Ford in the U.S., and Ford’s employee resource group, Vet NG, supports their careers.
Zac Brown Band was joined by Grammy-winning superstar Nelly, Russell Dickerson, Jo Dee Messina, and Warren Zeiders. Brittney Spencer sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The host was Bobby Bones, best known as the voice behind The Bobby Bones Show, America’s #1 country morning show.
Gen. Christopher Mahoney, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was on hand for the event and unveiled the Proud to Honor trophy to the crowd.
