As the nation observes the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Army announced that both its NHRA and NASCAR teams will honor the victims of the Pentagon attack with special paint schemes at upcoming races. At the recent Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis (Sept. 2-5), Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster carried the names of the 75 U.S. Army personnel killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. On Sept. 10, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Newman also will carry the names of the 75 U.S. Army Pentagon victims on his #39 U.S. Army Chevy in the Wonderful Pistachios 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. In addition to the listing of the names, both race cars will carry an inscription “We Will Never Forget” and sport a specially-designed logo featuring the World Trade Center twin towers, Pentagon and the American Flag. Newman is expecting to be deeply moved by the first appearance of his Richmond race car. “There’s no question it will be an emotional time for not only my team, but the entire NASCAR family,” said Newman, a 15-time Sprint Cup winner. “We all remember where we were and what we were doing when the news surfaced about the attacks. I know it will be etched in my memory forever. And, it should be that way for everyone. We want to win every race for the Army, but you can imagine how much more we’ll want to win the Richmond event. It would be a very special, touching moment if we could drive into victory lane carrying the names of those great Americans.”(U.S. Army Racing), see an image of the scheme on the #39 Team Schemes page.(9-7-2011)
