Every weekend as NASCAR teams, drivers and fans alike prepare for an afternoon of speed hundreds of thousands of American troops are spread out all over the globe. They keep us free so we can enjoy this sport we love so much.

Over the years, the branches of the military have made their presence known at the track besides just handling the fly-over. The various military bands have performed that National Anthem, troops are seen on pit road at nearly every event and some of the branches have even sponsored cars.

This year Ryan Newman will once again pilot the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, which he is very proud of.

“People ask me what it is like to be representing the Army and it’s an honor,” Newman said. “There’s no other word for it. It’s just a one word answer. It’s an honor.”

Along with the sponsorship come the sponsor obligations. In this case, the obligations are really no obligation at all. They are wonderful opportunities that Newman looks forward to and will never forget.

“There’s a lot of fun things I’ve got to do whether it’s shooting a gun or getting into a Stryker vehicle to do different things, flying in a vertical wind tunnel without dropping, you can’t really explain it,” he said. “Those things are fun but to see behind the scenes what the Army is all about is what gives me the ultimate respect.”

While Newman enjoys the adventurous side of the sponsor events with the Army, the serious events are the ones that mean the most.

“To go to Walter Reed is probably the most eye-opening experience,” he said. “To walk into a room and see an 18 or 19-year-old kid in there sitting there with his girlfriend or his wife and potentially a new kid and to see him missing a limb or a couple limbs or three limbs and to walk out of that room knowing that he changed your life because of something he said when you anticipate that walking into the room is making a difference to him, that spells army. There’s a lot of different definitions of it but to me that sense of army strong is where it’s at.”

While some sponsors are just sponsors, Newman understands that his sponsor is so much more. He represents an important part of America and his life has forever changed because of the experience.

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