- Under Secretary of the Air Force Kristyn Jones, Brigadier Generals Christopher Amrhein and John Pippy being recognized during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series pre-race activities.
- Warner Records artist Warren Zeiders of Hershey, Pa., visiting his home track for the HighPoint.com 400.
LONG POND, Pa. (July 21, 2023) – The military trio of Under Secretary of the Air Force Kristyn Jones, Brigadier Generals Christopher Amrhein and John Pippy, along with Warner Records country artist and Hershey, Pa., native Warren Zeiders, highlight the VIPs and dignitaries attending the HighPoint.com 400 NASCAR weekend at Pocono Raceway.
The Honorable Jones is Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. She is responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, comprised of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, to include organizing, training and equipping Air and Space Forces and for the welfare of approximately 700,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen and Guardians and their families serving around the world.
As Under Secretary, she oversees the department’s annual budget of more than $205 billon and directs strategy and policy development, risk management, weapons acquisition, technology investments and human resource management across a global enterprise.
Brigadier General Amrhein is the Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The Air Force Recruiting Service comprises more than 2,800 Airmen and civilians and approximately 1,040 recruiting offices across the U.S. and abroad. He is responsible for all enlisted accessions and a variety of officer accession programs.
AFRS accesses more than 45,000 individuals each year for service in the Air Force active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve as well as the Space Force. AFRS also manages all strategic marketing for the U.S. Air Force.
Brigadier General Pippy serves as the Land Component Commander for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. He concurrently serves in the dual role as the Deputy Chief of Engineers for National Guard Affairs at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Zeiders is a rising Warner Records country music artist who hails from Hershey, Pa. He was still a collegiate star athlete when he released “Ride the Lightning,” a platinum-certified debut single that launched his career last year.
The 24-year-old continued his meteoric rise in 2023 with the debut of “Pretty Little Poison” that helped position him as Nashville’s newest headliner. He sold out his first national tour in 72 hours and has earned more than 1.4 billion TikTok views and 895 million audio streams.
Other notable attendees are Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry and Ronnie Mund from the Howard Stern Show.
The weekend plays host to four races in three days, highlighted by Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series HighPoint.com 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, TV: USA, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM).
Saturday’s action features the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series CRC Brakleen 150 (Noon, TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM) and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 (5:30 p.m., TV: USA, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM). The weekend opens with Friday’s ARCA Menards Series Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 (6 p.m., TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM). Tickets are available by visiting www.poconoraceway.com.
Below is a complete dignitaries list for each of the races:
- Grand Marshals: The HighPoint family.
- Honorary Starter: Phillips-Van Heusen customer Robert Guirguis.
- National Anthem: U.S. Air Force Band of the Northeast, Tech Sergeant Amy Aquilera, Staff Sergeant Jonathan DeLise. Signed by David Knight from the Scranton School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.
- Presentation of Colors: Bensalem High School JROTC.
- Invocation: Motor Racing Outreach Chaplain Nick Terry.
- Flyover: KC-135, 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard (T-3 to T-1)
- Grand Marshal: Members First Federal Credit Union President & CEO Mike Wilson.
- Honorary Starter: Meldaverse winner Victor Santiago.
- National Anthem: Ellen Kane of Stanhope, NJ. Signed by Taylor Beagle from The Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.
- Presentation of Colors: Ligonier Valley High School JROTC.
- Invocation: Motor Racing Outreach Chaplain Monty Self.
- Flyover: KC-46, 305th Air Mobility Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ (T-3 to T-1).
- Grand Marshal: CRC Industries CEO Len Mazzanti.
- Honorary Starter: Fastenal Supplier Development Manager John Ngugi.
- National Anthem: Adeline Csontos of Fogelsville, Pa. Signed by David Knight from The Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.
- Presentation of Colors: Ligonier Valley High School JROTC.
- Invocation: Motor Racing Outreach Chaplain Nick Terry.
- Grand Marshal: Sunset Hill Shooting Range General Manager Carl Cimino.
- Honorary Starter: VIP fan Christine Ross.
- National Anthem: Kendal Conrad of Pottstown, Pa.
- Presentation of Colors: Ligonier Valley High School JROTC.
- Invocation: Motor Racing Outreach Chaplain Phil Campbell.
