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>> WELCOME BACK TO THE BIG
SATURDAY SHOW.
NASCAR WILL HONOR FALLEN SERVICE
NUMBERS OF THE COCA-COLA 600 AND
TODAY I GOT A CHANCE TO TALK
WITH MY BUDDY ABOUT WHAT IT
MEANS TO HONOR THOSE WHO LAID
THEIR LIFE DOWN SERVING OUR
COUNTRY.
>> TODAY SUCH A SPECIAL DAY TO
HONOR THE ONES WE’VE LOST, NAVY
SEALS, ARMY, ALL OUR CARS, ONE
OF MY FAVORITE RACES BECAUSE IT
MEANS SO MUCH TO ME TO HONOR OUR
FALLEN.
>> YOUR ROLE IS UNIQUE, ONE OF
THE PEOPLE WHO TURN THIS INTO AN
INTERNATIONAL SPORT BUT ALSO A
FAMILY BUSINESS.
YOUR SON, YOUR GRANDSON OFTEN
DRIVES THIS CAR SO WHEN YOU SET
UP ON A DAY LIKE TODAY, SOLEMN
AND MEMORIALIZING THE HEROES OF
THIS COUNTRY AND YOU SEE YOUR
GRANDSON ON THE TRACKS
INHERITING OPPORTUNITY YOU
WORKED FOR AND HE’S EARNED, HOW
AMERICAN IS THAT?
>> IT IS IN SOMETHING I’VE
WANTED TO DO SINCE A LITTLE KID,
JOHNNY, I CAN REMEMBER THE BASS
PRO CAR, HE WAS 14 OR 15 YEARS
OLD, HE’S BEEN WITH HIM EVER
SINCE, AND ALSO FAMILY.
LOOK AT THE FANS, WITH GOT SO
MANY CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND THEY
ARE RACING TODAY.
>> WHY IS THIS SYNONYMOUS WITH
PATRIOTISM OF ALL SPORTS,
DIFFERENT SPORTS DO DIFFERENT
THINGS, WHY IS IT THAT NASCAR
HAS ORGANICALLY HAS BEEN
PATRIOTIC?
>> FANS WANT TO SEE, THEY LOVE
THIS COUNTRY AND WITHOUT OUR
MILITARY AND SACRIFICES WAY BACK
TO MANY WARS BEFORE US AND HAVE
SAVED THIS COUNTRY AND THAT’S
WHAT WE ARE HONORING TODAY,
TOMORROW IN THE COKE 600 SO THE
PLANS, TEAMS, NASCAR, WE ALL
LOVE THIS COUNTRY AND ANYTHING
WE DO TO SHOWCASE OUR VETERANS,
SAY SOMETHING POSITIVE ABOUT
THIS COUNTRY AND SAY SOMETHING
ABOUT THE ONES WE’VE LOST TO SAY
THAT ALL TO BE HERE TODAY DOING
WHAT WE ARE DOING.
>> EVERY RACECAR WILL HAVE A
NAME ON THE WINDSHIELD, IT’S
GOING TO BE A FALLEN HERO.
I KNOW YOU’VE DONE THIS A FEW
YEARS NOW, CARS ON THE TRACKS,
WHAT IS IT MEAN TO YOU?
>> IT MEANS SO MUCH AND WE ARE
GOING TO HAVE SOME OF THE NAVY
SEALS, WE GOT THE GOLD STAR
FAMILIES, THEY WILL BE HERE WHEN
THE COKE 600 A FEW YEARS AGO, WE
GAVE THE WINDSHIELD TO THE
FAMILY, HAD JOSH, HE OWNED THE
WINDSHIELD, HE WON THE RIGHTS,
WE TOOK THE WINDSHIELD OFF AND
GIVE IT TO HIM, A SPECIAL AND
EMOTIONAL MOMENT.
>> RICHARD, SUCH A HUMBLE GUY.
THE 20-DOLLAR RACECAR AND TURNED
IT INTO A $600 MILLION BUSINESS
AND CONTINUES TO GIVE BACK IN SO
MANY WAYS.
YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE,
HE LOOKED AT NASCAR, YOU DON’T
HAVE RACECARS BUT YOU CAN GET IT
DONE INSIDE OF LOCAL.
>> IF I COULD FIT IN THE CAR, I
WOULD SURE TRY BUT IT’S NOT MADE FOR ME.
FOR ME.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT.
>> BUT DON’T GET IT TWISTED, I
AM HELL ON WHEELS AND A TRUCK SO
MONSTER TRUCKS COULD BE IN MY
FUTURE, WHO KNOWS?
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE NEEDED GOOD NEWS, SOMETHING
TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT AND THERE’S A
COUPLE OF THINGS TO THINK WHEN
IT COMES TO AMERICA, APPLE PIE,
HOT DOG AND A BASEBALL GAME AND
NOW WE SEE HONORING TROOPS AT
NASCAR, THIS IS GREAT.
I WAS A JEFF GORDON GUY MYSELF
SO I’M LOOKING FOR A NEW GUY TO
ROOT FOR AND IT WILL BE ON MY TV
THIS WEEKEND SO IT’S GOOD FOR
THE COUNTRY, GOOD FOR US AND
NOTHING BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER
AND WATCHING CARS DRIVE AROUND
AT HIGH SPEEDS.
>> LISA, ON THIS TOPIC ABOUT
NASCAR THIS UNIQUE SPORT, IT IS
STILL FAMILY OWNED, THE NATIONAL
BRAND IS FAMILY OWNED, THEY HAVE
CORPORATE AMERICA IN FALL BUT
THEY ARE NOT CORPORATE AMERICA
RAN AND DRIVEN. YOU CAN MEET THE DRIVERS AND SEE
YOU CAN MEET THE DRIVERS AND SEE
THAT YOU ARE IN FLORIDA PROBABLY
NOT TOO FAR FROM DAYTONA, HAVE
YOU MADE IT TO A RACE,
EXPERIENCED THIS YOURSELF?
>> I FEEL ON THE SPOT BECAUSE
I’VE NOT AND IT’S SOMETHING I
NEED TO DO, ABSOLUTELY AND MAYBE
THAT’S WHY PEEL FEEL LIKE NASCAR
IS THAT FAMILY ELEMENT.
I LOVE THEY ARE DOING THIS
BECAUSE WE REMIND THIS COUNTRY
OF THE SACRIFICES SO MANY PEOPLE
MADE, PEOPLE LIKE YOU, JOEY,
INDIVIDUALS HONORING AND
REMEMBERING AND PAYING THE
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.
THE BEST THING WE CAN DO TO
HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE PAID THE
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, TO BE
JUDICIOUS WITH GOING TO WAR IN
THE FUTURE, UNDERSTANDING THE
COST OF WORK, LEARNING FROM PAST
MISTAKES AND BEING VERY CAREFUL
WHENEVER WE SEND MEN AND WOMEN
TO WAR IN THE FUTURE SO I LOVE
YOU DID THAT YOU DID SUCH A GOOD
JOB AND I’M GLAD YOU’RE DOING
THAT AS WELL.
>> IT REALLY IS, I’VE HAD
PROBABLY CLOSE TO A DOZEN
BUDDIES FEATURED ON SOMEBODY’S
CAR THE LAST TEN YEARS SO TO
COME SEE THIS, IT IS PERSONAL
FOR ME AND WARMS MY HEART.
>> WE NEED TO GET YOU ON ONE.
>> WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT IS THE
GOLD STAR FAMILIES COME TO A
TRACK AND THEY SEE IT.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MEMORIAL
DAY, A DAY OF CELEBRATION AS
MUCH AS IT IS ANYTHING, IT’S
ABOUT KNOWING WE CAN DO WHATEVER
WE WANT TO DO BUT WE DO IT IN A
WAY THAT ALLOWS US TO HONOR
THOSE MEN AND WOMEN, MEMORIAL
DAY MESSAGES, WE TALK ABOUT
NASCAR AND HONORING THESE MEN
AND WOMEN.
>> I HAVE TO COME TO THE FACT
THAT IT NEVER BEEN TO A NASCAR
--
>> THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE THAT.
>> YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
[LAUGHTER]
>> GOD BLESS YOU FOR BRINGING --
>> WE ARE SO LOST IN OUR SORROW
AND WE NEEDED A MOMENT TO FIND
GRATITUDE AGAIN, SOMETHING TO
SMILE ABOUT AND WE ARE SO VERY
GRATEFUL, THE LOSS WE’VE
EXPERIENCED AS A COUNTRY THROUGH
THESE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN AND
WE DO HONOR THEM.
THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER,
JOEY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
COCA-COLA 600, YOU CAN DO THAT