FORT WORTH, Texas -- Four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon has been racing in NASCAR for almost 20 years, but there is one thing that still sends chills up his spine: prerace festivities. There's just something about the first note of the national anthem that gets Gordon's adrenaline pumping.

"There's hundreds of thousands of people standing there getting ready to watch the race with their hands over their hearts," Gordon said. "They're looking at the American flag and then the flyover -- I don't think it gets any more patriotic than that."

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Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports team have a chance to share their patriotism publicly this season by featuring National Guard community-related initiatives on the hood of the No. 24 Chevrolet in eight Sprint Cup Series events.

The National Guard's mission is to use the No. 24 car as a platform to help create awareness on some of the special programs it has to offer. These programs provide such incentives like job opportunities, valuable career training, college tuition, salary and benefits and the guidance needed to excel in life.

This weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Gordon's car will spotlight the National Guard's GED Plus program. GED is a General Equivalency Diploma.

"GED Plus is a particular program that allows non-high school graduates the opportunity to gain a GED for free," Gordon said. "By helping these students through this program, the National Guard is providing them with the hands-on training they need to increase their chances of being employed later on in almost any job market."

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The more I get to learn about the National Guard and what they have to offer, the more impressed I am with what they are doing.

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JEFF GORDON

The GED Plus program courses take only three weeks and has a success rate of more than 93 percent. Soldiers enlisted under the program earn a monthly paycheck and have the opportunity to select from more than 200 Military Occupational Specialties in which they can become skilled. For more information, visit www.NATIONALGUARD.com/JeffGordon.

"The National Guard's GED Plus program can transform an individual's life by giving them a second chance to earn their diploma," said LT. General Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard. "The program helps to instill the skills, discipline and knowledge needed to guarantee a successful future for everyone in it.

"We are pleased to have Jeff Gordon and the Hendrick Motorsports teams support on this program. We're excited to watch Jeff drive the DuPont/National Guard GED Plus Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Like Jeff Gordon, we hope that everyone strives for victory in all of their pursuits in life."

The first National Guard-sponsored race was at Atlanta in March, where Gordon and the No. 24 team recognized the Youth Challenge program -- a voluntary, 17-month program funded by federal and state partnerships that provide at-risk teens with the confidence to tackle life successfully through job and life skill training.

"The National Guard is about more than just protecting our country," Gordon said. "They also have special programs that help our youth get back on track. Some of these programs help with tuition for school and others provide them with job opportunities."

Gordon will partner with the National Guard in six other races this season, including Darlington on May 9; Michigan on June 14; Chicago on July 11; Richmond on Sept. 12; New Hampshire on Sept. 20; and Martinsville on Oct. 25.

"The more I get to learn about the National Guard and what they have to offer, the more impressed I am with what they are doing," Gordon said. "It makes me proud to represent them. I'm very proud to be an American and proud to have people out there who are in the National Guard. These men and women sacrifice so much for our freedom."