TALLADEGA, AL – Talladega Superspeedway announced today the Honorary Officials for the GEICO 500 on Sunday, May 3, the 10th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the 2015 schedule.
Senior Airman James A. Sottile, a Biomedical Equipment Technician, from Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL, will serve as the Grand Marshal by giving the most famous command in motorsports – “Drivers, Start Your Engines.” Waving the green flag and serving as the Honorary Starter will be Technical Sergeant Jason D. Floyd, also of Maxwell Air Force Base, while the 313th United States Army Band will perform the National Anthem.
Sottile was assigned to the Medical Maintenance Shop, 42nd Medical Support Squadron, 42nd Medical Group at Maxwell AFB in February 2014. While at Maxwell AFB, he blazed through two sets of Career Development Courses and completed over 210 core tasks four months ahead of schedule. He achieved a phenomenal 94% on his first end of course exam and a near perfect 98% on his second exam. After just seven months on station he was selected as the 2014 42nd Air Base Wing’s Airman of the third Quarter, and three months later he was selected for promotion to Senior Airman Below-the-Zone. In addition to being named one of Air Education and Training Command’s 12 Outstanding Airman of the Year, his other awards and decorations include: National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Small Arms Marksman Medal, Air Force Training Honor Graduate Ribbon and the Air Force Training Ribbon.
Floyd is the Non Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Cadet Management Section for 145 Detachments at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (Maxwell Air Force Base). Floyd prepares cadets for entry into the United States Air Force and contributes to the commissioning of approximately 2,400 Second Lieutenants annually. Currently, Technical Sergeant Floyd is assigned to HQ AFROTC as the NCOIC of the Cadet Management Section where he provides guidance on five AFROTC programs (145 AFROTC detachments), 4 AFROTC region commanders and HQ personnel. His awards and decorations include: Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Joint Service Achievement Medal; and Air Force Achievement Medal.
The 313th United States Army Band, formed in 1943, is comprised of 40 citizen-soldiers. They train and perform as Army musicians during monthly Battle Assembly weekends. Its mission is to provide music throughout the spectrum of military operations, to instill in our forces the will to fight and win, to foster support of our citizens, and to promote our national interests at home and abroad.
As previously announced, Ole Miss Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze will serve as the race’s Honorary Pace Car Driver, and lead the field during warm-up laps prior to the start of the GEICO 500.
The invocation will be given by Allen Singley, volunteer for Alabama Raceway Ministries and Student Pastor at Grandview Baptist Church in Dothan, AL.
Photo Attachment: Senior Airman James A. Sottile (Left), a Biomedical Equipment Technician, from Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL, will serve as the Grand Marshal for the GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday, May, 3, while Technical Sergeant Jason D. Floyd (Right), also of the Maxwell Air Force Base, will be the race’s Honorary Starter.
Talladega’s weekend kicks off this Friday (May 1) with practice sessions for the GEICO 500 (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) and Winn-Dixie 300 (NASCAR XFINITY Series), as well as practice, qualifying and green flag for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards event, set to start at 5 pm (CST). The evening concludes with “The “Big One on the Blvd” Mardi Gras-style parade, which will feature NASCAR drivers and fan competitions on the track’s infield Talladega Blvd.
Saturday’s slate includes qualifying for the GEICO 500 and Winn-Dixie 300, followed by the start of the Winn-Dixie 300 at 2 p.m. (CST). The day concludes in the evening with the Talladega Superspeedway traditional Infield Concert featuring country music maverick and Columbia Nashville recording artist Chase Rice. Buddy Brown & Dee Jay Silver will get the party started prior to Rice taking the stage. The concert is free with the purchase of a Sunday GEICO 500 (12 noon CST start) admission ticket. For ticket information, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.
All seating along the fronstretch grandstands and towers are equipped with roomy and comfortable 21- and 22-inch wide chair back seats. Large High Definition Sprint Vision video boards that were implemented in 2014 will be back – three are permanent – and placed along the frontstretch to provide views of the whole track to every seat in the house. The video boards, three of which that are now permanent, are an initiative that is planned to be implemented at all International Speedway Corporation (ISC) tracks in the coming years.
About Talladega Superspeedway
NASCAR speeds back into Talladega Superspeedway May 1-3 for the GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and Winn-Dixie 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series event. NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), with the circuit’s steepest banking (33 degrees) and longest distance (2.66 miles), is the most fun and fan-friendly, offering up hundreds of acres of free camping, amazing kids ticket prices and special offers for military members and college students. Talladega Superspeedway is NASCAR’s “Party Capital” thanks to the track’s infamous infield, which features the traditional Saturday Night concert and the world renowned Talladega Blvd, home of the “Big One on the Blvd” party. The historic venue features the most comfortable seats in motorsports, large video viewing boards (a new initiative planned for future implementation at all ISC tracks) lining the frontstretch and endless activities for fans throughout its event weekends. Log on to www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 877-Go2-DEGA for more information.
