CONCORD, N.C. (April 23, 2013) – Businesses and fans are bringing thousands of troops to Charlotte Motor Speedway for 54th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 with the new Patriot Partners bus sponsorship program.
The program provides companies and individuals the opportunity to welcome home and thank the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces by sponsoring buses to bring troops from Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. and Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., to the legendary 1.5-mile superspeedway for the Coca-Cola 600.
Companies that have already signed up to participate include Coca-Cola, Toyota, Smithfield, Goodyear, Bojangles’, HEAR USA, Thunder Road Harley Davidson, Cross Roads Harley Davidson, Ohio Logistics, Precision Walls and more.
“We were already trying to come up with a program to help veterans and when the speedway told us about the Patriot Partners program, we thought this was a great opportunity,” said Loy Allen, co-founder of Cary, N.C.-based company Precision Walls. “These troops volunteered to go and fight for our country and I have a lot of respect for them. This is a way for us to give back and to thank them for their service.”
Patriot Partner sponsorships are still available for purchase at various levels and includes tickets, transportation and sponsor benefits. Fans and businesses can also donate tickets to send troops to the Coca-Cola 600 through the Let the Troops Race program. Tickets are only $25 each and can be purchased through the speedway ticket office or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway is providing 3,000 tickets to the military for distribution through the USO, and with these additional programs of corporate and fan support, we’ve already got more than 7,000 troops and their family members to entertain on Memorial Day Weekend,” said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“These soldiers deserve to be recognized for their service and to enjoy the world’s most patriotic pre-race celebration. We invite additional fans and companies to join us so that we can have 20,000 troops and their families with us at the Coca-Cola 600.”
For more information on the Patriot Partners or Let the Troops Race programs, contact the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267).
For daily updates on May race activities, connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy or become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway.
