Ford Racing announced on Wednesday its full 12-driver lineup for the inaugural Nov. 11 Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic at the Daytona International Speedway road course, three days after the NASCAR Cup Series season ends.
The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) first announced the event in June during NASCAR’s Naval Base Coronado race weekend. The event will benefit six nonprofits supporting military and veteran communities through the newly established Proud to Honor Fund, powered by GlobalGiving. Half of ticket proceeds will also benefit Blue Star Families.
Six two-driver teams featuring Ford competitors from various racing disciplines, including NASCAR, will honor the six military branches, with each Mustang Dark Horse R featuring a military-inspired livery. The teams and the military branches represented are:
U.S. Army: Brad Keselowski and Joey Hand
U.S. Marine Corps: Ryan Blaney and Ben Hobson
U.S. Navy: Ryan Preece and Logan Sargeant
U.S. Air Force: Austin Cindric and Frankie Muniz
U.S. Space Force: Noah Gragson and Layne Riggs
U.S. Coast Guard: Joey Logano and Ty Majeski
“It’s gonna be fun to have that opportunity to race on the Daytona road course and really go up against other disciplines of motorsports. There’s gonna be a wide variety of drivers out there,” Gragson said in a September media call, shortly after being announced as one of the first confirmed competitors. “We’re gonna raise some good money for a lot of good groups and organizations and just have some fun. It’s gonna be televised, which is really cool, but also for those trying to get out to the race track in Daytona, it’s gonna be an action-packed day and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The teams will compete in a 15-minute qualifying session followed by a 30-minute race around the 12-turn, 3.6-mile road course used annually for IMSA’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. NASCAR hosted points-paying races in all three national series on the circuit in 2020 and 2021, as well as the Cup Series’ preseason Clash race in 2021.
The race will air live at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network with streaming available on Fandango. Entertainment segments, headlined by concerts from Zac Brown Band and other musical acts, will air live on E!
Tickets for the event are available here through Ford and Daytona. Veterans and active-duty military will receive a discount, and all fees are waived through Ticketmaster.