The weekend started off like any other for Sgt. Ralph Harroff and his family, that is until NASCAR driver Aric Almirola showed up at his local Kroger grocery store, revving his engine in the parking lot and inviting the Harroff family inside for shopping spree courtesy of Eckrich, in partnership with Operation Homefront and Richard Petty Motorsports.
“Our contact from Operation Homefront asked us to meet him and we had no idea what was going on,” Harroff said. “We met in the Kroger parking lot and here comes Aric in his car and pulls up, gets out and picks up my two year old daughter, put her in a shopping buggy, and we went on a shopping spree.”
“We got a lot of food, some diapers, and we loaded up on the Eckrich meats of course,” Harroff continued. “It was totally cool.”
“It has all been surprising and a bit overwhelming to be honest with you.”
Harroff was further surprised and overwhelmed, however, with the additional gift of being able to accompany Aric Almirola to the track at Texas Motor Speedway.
“I didn’t know that we would go to the race and I didn’t know what to expect,” Harroff said. “We’ve got all access passes and we got to eat lunch with Aric’s crew.”
“We were down in the garage area and all the drivers, the crews, everyone is really down to earth,” Harroff continued. “They are really nice people. Having all access and being able to do what these really die-hard fans would pay millions of dollars to do, the whole experience, I just can’t find the words to sum it up.”
“Everything has been so awesome.”
The VIP NASCAR treatment is especially meaningful to Sgt. Harroff as he has always been a big race fan.
“I kind of lost touch with everything going on in NASCAR with all my deployments,” Harroff said. “I’m an Almirola fan but I would get kicked out of my family if I didn’t like Earnhardt, Jr.”
“But I also follow Kasey Kahne and I kind of bounce around between drivers,” Harroff continued. “I’m older in age so a lot of the drivers that I used to follow are retired or gone now.”
“But this is just breathtaking. Watching all the pieces come together, wow, it’s just overwhelming,” Harroff said. “I’ve always wanted an experience like this and never had anything like it.”
Harroff served his country with the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade. He was injured in Afghanistan after losing his footing when getting off an Army helicopter.
“We were coming off a mission and I was getting off of a Black Hawk,” Harroff said. “I lost my footing and fell and messed up my back and shoulder. When I got to Germany, they found other things wrong with me.”
“I had a surgery that resulted in two cut nerves,” Harroff continued. “It was a very long healing process but now I’m back at the job before I had going into the Army.”
“Trying to make the transition back into civilian life is when I met the people from Operation Homefront,” Harroff said. “They helped me out in a time of need and are extremely good people. I can’t say enough about them.”
“This is a family that I can really relate with,” Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, said after meeting Harroff. “Growing up in a military family, and now being a father myself, I can understand the sacrifices the Harroff family has made.”
“It makes me feel good that I can work with Eckrich to help honor and give back to military families. I know we put a smile on their faces today and hopefully we helped them out with some of their needs.”
“This is really what ‘Operation Inspiration’ is all about,” Charles Gitkin, vice president, marketing, innovation and R&D for the John Morrell Food Group, said. “We heard the story of Army Sgt. Ralph Harroff and his family and it is families like these that inspire us to honor and assist them, and give them an experience they will never forget.”
While Harroff enjoyed every minute of his at-track experience, he unfortunately may not be able to return on Monday since the race was postponed by the rainy weather. But the precipitation did nothing to dampen the spirits of a very grateful service man.
“Unfortunately, where I work, I have to plan all the production and I had only planned to miss Friday,” Harroff said. “So, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to go to work.”
“But this has just been a totally awesome experience, starting Friday to being at the track,” Harroff continued. “Everyone has all been so good to us.”
“It’s hard to find words because it is just totally overwhelming.”
