The 2018 NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola initiative will focus on honoring military spouses and their commitment to supporting our military, their families and communities. In partnership with the USO’s Salute to Military Spouses campaign, NASCAR fans will learn about these spouses through a weekly content series.
And Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers will experience life on the other side of the microphone as Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace will do the asking of questions over this six-week stretch, with each driver interviewing a military spouse to help share their respective stories.
NASCAR and Coca-Cola will host each spouse at a race through the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, strengthening the bond that already exists between NASCAR and the armed forces. NASCAR and Coca-Cola will also donate, on behalf of each spouse, to the United Service Organizations to help directly support efforts that positively impact military families.
Recently, Hamlin interviewed Jolynn Lee, the Armed Forces Insurance Marine Spouse of the Year, and hosted Jolynn and family at Pocono Raceway.
Lee has been married to the Marine Corps for nearly 30 years, since her freshman year of college at age 18. An educator who taught for 10 years, Lee’s passion is connecting with, and offering support to, active duty military members and families that are going through trauma. A traumatic event while on duty impacts both the servicemember and his or her family, meaning the entire group often needs assistance.
As Lee details to Hamlin, her work is inspired by the resiliency of military spouses.
NASCAR and Coca-Cola’s donation, on behalf of Lee, will go to programs like the USO’s Bob Hope Legacy Reading Program that helps military kids stay connected to their parents through reading. Imagine that a servicemember is able to read a newborn child a bedtime story from Kuwait, or any place else around the globe. Servicemembers can walk into participating USO locations, record themselves reading their child’s favorite story and have that recording shipped home.
Austin Dillon interviews Shelia Brookins
Brookins is the 2018 Armed Forces Insurance National Guard Military Spouse of the Year, who describes herself as a “proud wife of a Kentucky National Guard (KYARNG) soldier.” She and Dillon discuss family sacrifices, resilience, patience and faith | Read more and see the interview
Ryan Newman interviews Stacy Bilodeau
Bilodeau is the Armed Forces Insurance 2018 Coast Guard Military Spouse of the Year. Her work with the USO Care Package Program harkens back to the USO’s early years, when Americans packed boxes full of little “tastes of home.” | Read more and see the interview
Kyle Larson interviews Brian Alvarado
Alvarado’s platform as Military Spouse of the Year focuses on employment. “Being a Navy spouse is truly the honor of my life” Alvarado tells Larson in this wide-ranging interview. | Read more and see the interview
Bubba Wallace interviews Kristen Christy
Christy is the daughter of an Airman, lost her first husband who served in the Air Force and now is married to an Air Force reservist. Her focus as the Air Force Military Spouse on the Year is suicide prevention after her first husband committed suicide following his service in Iraq. | Read more and see the interview
Joey Logano interviews Krista Anderson
A Gold Star spouse herself, Anderson’s focus as the overall Armed Forces Insurance 2018 Military Spouse of the Year is helping other families of the fallen “in order to give back to the very community that showed their unwavering support in our darkest days.” | Read more and see the interview