ARLINGTON, Va., - Better known for its airpower than its horsepower, the Air Guard is picking up speed in an effort to increase its public awareness.
At Richmond International Speedway on Sept. 11, the Air Guard will sponsor a 400-mile NASCAR race that will include its #26 car driven by David Stremme.
“It’s going to be very exciting to have a race that’s named after the Air Guard,” said Air Force Capt. Rondal Perry, the chief of the marketing and advertising branch of the Air National Guard.
The announcement comes about a month after the Air Guard signed a contract with car owner Bill Jenkins and his Latitude 43 motorsports team to sponsor a car for five races this season.
“(It) really opened up a lot of doors for people to find out about the Air Guard and for things like this to happen,” said Perry. “The folks at Richmond really wanted to do something different and unique.”
Perry said track officials contacted him, because they found out that the Air Guard has the lowest awareness ratings of all the services and reserve components.
“They asked if we’d be interested, since the other branches receive so much coverage,” he said, “and after a thumbs-up from leadership we decided to go for it.”
The race sponsorship is an exciting opportunity for Air Guard recruiters, because they will be able “to showcase all of the opportunities that we have to offer,” Perry said.