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- As part of Mission 600, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell joined Speedway Motorsports and Coca-Cola executives on a visit to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- The distinguished visitors also took part in a tour of the cemetery, visited with members of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment and toured the Pentagon while in Washington, D.C.
ARLINGTON, VA (April 30, 2025) – As part of its annual tradition for the defending Coca-Cola 600 race winner to kick off Military Appreciation Month, Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell, his wife, Morgan Bell, and team president Dave Alpern for an impactful visit to Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 400,000 servicemen and women and their families from every major United States conflict since the Revolutionary War.
Building up to the historic 66th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, Bell joined Speedway Motorsports Chief Operating Officer Mike Burch in laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Va.
“I’ve never been to Arlington before,” Bell said. “This just hits hard, when you see how many people are here and how many people have paid the price – the ultimate price – for us to live in the country we live in and have the things we have, the freedoms we have. This is the greatest nation in the world and this is a reminder that freedom isn’t free.”
In addition to the wreath-laying, the group visited the gravesite of astronauts killed in the U.S. Challenger explosion, met members of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, and witnessed a changing-of-the-guard ceremony. At the iconic tomb, which marked its centennial anniversary in 2021, members of The Old Guard, stand watch 24 hours a day, a tradition that began in 1948. Following the visit to Arlington National Cemetery, the dignitaries visited the Pentagon, where they enjoyed lunch and a tour of the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters.
“This is incredible; this is why we get to do what we do,” Alpern said. “It never ceases to take my breath away just coming through the gates and seeing the thousands and thousands of markers. You wish you could hear the story of every one of them. They have families. They have moms and dads. It’s really unbelievable.”
Each Memorial Day weekend, Charlotte Motor Speedway pays tribute to those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice during a moving Coca-Cola 600 pre-race show that includes representation from all six branches of the military. In addition to aerial and ground demonstrations, the pre-race salute features hundreds of members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Gold Star Families.
“I’ve been to over 30 Coca-Cola 600s. I always say, no sport does a better job of honoring our military than NASCAR – I don’t think it’s even close,” Alpern said. “Charlotte Motor Speedway and Coca-Cola, this is the crown jewel of that – the Coca-Cola 600. I can’t imagine racing anywhere else. I can’t imagine it not being the Coca-Cola 600. I can’t imagine it not honoring our military. The tradition of bringing the cars down pit road during our event and having that moment of silence, there’s nothing like it in any other sport. It never gets old.”
In recent years, the speedway’s salute has expanded to include Mission 600, a campaign pairing NASCAR drivers with military bases designed to educate the NASCAR community about the day-to-day lives of the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. To date in 2025, on behalf of the Coca-Cola Racing Family of drivers, Daniel Suárez visited Fort Bragg to train alongside members from the 82nd Airborne Division and Joey Logano traveled to Camp Lejeune to train alongside members of the 2d Combat Engineer Battalion. Additional Mission 600 visits in the coming weeks leading up to the May 25 Coca-Cola 600 are scheduled to include Coca-Cola Racing Family driver Austin Dillon traveling to Naval Station Norfolk and Chase Elliott visiting sailors at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach.
TICKETS:
Tickets are still available for the May 23-25 Coca-Cola 600 weekend. Children ages 12 and under are just $10 all weekend. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Tickets include admission to concerts by tribute band Hairball (Friday) and Smash Mouth (Saturday). Sunday’s pre-race infield concert by Old Dominion is free with purchase of a Coca-Cola 600 race ticket.
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