David Ragan’s No. 38 team will honor the memory of a U.S. Army mechanic and South Georgia native who was killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004. Sgt. 1st Class Ricky Crockett had served in the Army for 20 years and was to retire later that year. He was 38 years old when he was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Baghdad.
Crockett served with the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, N.C., and was a native of Broxton, Ga. Memorial message boards and news reports offer mentions from family and friends of Crockett’s constant smile.
“Broxton isn’t too far from my hometown of Unadilla,” Ragan said. “It will be my honor to have the name of this fallen hero from South Georgia on our No. 38 Ford this weekend. And I’m looking forward to meeting his son and nieces who will be at the race on Sunday. I hope they will be able to see how much the NASCAR community appreciates our military and the ultimate sacrifice their family made.”
Each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car will carry the name of a fallen soldier on the windshield as part of its “600 Miles of Remembrance” tribute for the Memorial Day weekend event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In addition to Crockett’s name on the windshield, the No. 38 MDS Trucking Ford will have patriotic accents added to its paint scheme.
The Coca-Cola 600 airs Sunday on FOX at 6 p.m. ET.
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