During the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the NASCAR community through its 600 Miles of Remembrance program once again will honor the memory of those who laid down their lives in service to the United States of America.
Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team has chosen to honor the memory of Navy SEAL Christopher George Campbell, who died on Aug. 6, 2011, when the Chinook helicopter carrying him and 29 others was shot down by insurgents as it was returning from a mission in Afghanistan.
There were no survivors, and the loss of life was the most ever in a single incident in Naval Special Warfare history.
The DEX Imaging Mustang Dark Horse will have Campbell’s name on the windshield and also will carry a patriotic red, white and blue paint scheme this weekend.
Crew chief Jeremy Bullins said he’s proud of the way the team is honoring Chief Petty Officer Campbell and those who died in service to their country.
“The design group knocked it out of the park this week with our red, white and blue DEX Mustang Dark Horse,” Bullins said. “It’s an honor every year for us to proudly display the name of a service member that gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our nation.
“It certainly puts things in perspective for us as a race team, and I hope we can have a great race in their honor.”
According to news reports, Campbell grew up in Jacksonville, N.C., and was a 1993 graduate of White Oak High School.
Even at an early age, Campbell was known to have no fear and had an adventurous nature. Few were surprised when he became a Navy SEAL.
Campbell, who was a Special Operations Capability Specialist at the time of his death and had earned numerous medals for his actions, is survived by his wife Angelina and daughter Samantha, along with other relatives. He had told his family that if he died in the line of duty, he wanted them to request donations to the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps wounded service members recover from their service-related injuries.
Campbell was 36 years old at the time of his death. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Practice for the Coca-Cola 600 is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time to be followed by qualifying at 5:50.
FOX Sports 1 will televise practice and qualifying.
Sunday’s 600-mile, 400-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 6 p.m., with TV coverage on FOX.
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 100, 200 and 300.
WBR PR
