Texas A&M University and Haas Factory Team will honor former President George H.W. Bush’s legacy with a tribute car driven by Cole Custer during the Anduril 250 Race the Base NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado.
The June 21 race, held as part of commemorations of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, will mark the first NASCAR Cup Series event contested on an active military installation. For Texas A&M, the setting provides a fitting stage to honor the 41st president on the No. 41 car and celebrate a life of service that began as one of the Navy’s youngest aviators during World War II and continued through decades of leadership in public service.
The specially designed No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will feature imagery honoring Bush’s legacy while highlighting values that define both him and the university he chose as the home of his presidential library, school of public service and final resting place: character, courage, leadership and selfless service.
“We’ve been thrilled to help tell Texas A&M’s story the past two seasons, and we’re particularly proud to help tell this chapter,” Haas Factory Team President Joe Custer said. “President Bush lived one of the greatest American lives. We’re all better off today because of what he did for our country. For our team to race the No. 41 in tribute to him, and now celebrate all he stood for, is a rare honor.”
Texas A&M’s partnership with Haas Factory Team is part of a broader strategy to bring the university’s research, service mission and values to national audiences in places where they have clear meaning. That makes this weekend’s race at Naval Base Coronado especially significant. The tribute builds on Texas A&M’s season-long associate sponsorship of the No. 41 car driven by Custer, a number that carries special meaning because of Bush’s enduring connection to the university and his place in history as the 41st president of the United States. As NASCAR competes for the first time on an active military installation and commemorates the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, Texas A&M has a fitting national stage to honor Bush’s naval service, his extraordinary life of public service and the special bond he formed with the university. The tribute will extend beyond the No. 41 car, with a new Texas A&M commercial airing during the Prime Video broadcast that celebrates Bush and his connection to Texas A&M.
“President and Mrs. Bush devoted their lives to serving others and inspiring future generations to do the same,” said Alice Gonzalez Yates, chief executive officer of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation. “It is especially meaningful to honor their legacy through a partnership that reflects President Bush’s military service, his deep connection to Texas A&M University and the enduring values they championed throughout their lives. We are grateful for the opportunity to share that story with audiences across the country.”
Honoring a life of service
Bush enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday and became one of its youngest aviators. During World War II, he flew combat missions in the Pacific and survived being shot down in 1944. That experience shaped a life defined by duty, humility and service to others.
The Anduril 250 Race the Base NASCAR Cup Series event will take place at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, one of the world’s largest military complexes. The race will begin at 1 p.m. Pacific Time / 3 p.m. Central Time and will be broadcast on Prime Video.
Sam Bush LeBlond, one of Bush’s grandsons, said his grandfather would have appreciated seeing his naval service recognized by such a large audience.
“He often said that having a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier named in his honor was among the proudest moments of his life,” LeBlond said. “It represented values that guided him throughout his life: service, duty, and love of country. I know he would be incredibly touched to see his legacy celebrated at Naval Base Coronado and proud to know this tribute is helping share those values with a new generation of Americans.”
President Bush and Texas A&M
Although President Bush was not a Texas A&M graduate, his connection to the university became one of the defining relationships of his later life. He visited often, admired the Corps of Cadets and spoke frequently about Texas A&M’s commitment to service.
He once described Texas A&M as “first in service to our nation.”
That connection grew so strong that Bush chose Texas A&M over other locations, including his alma mater, Yale University, as the home of his presidential library and museum. In his later years, he kept an apartment on campus, attended baseball games, fished at the pond next to the Bush School and often visited with students about their studies, goals and lives.
He felt at home in College Station.
“It’s the spirit of the place, the mood on this campus,” Bush once said. “It’s the Aggie Spirit.”
President Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush ultimately chose Texas A&M’s campus as the final resting place for themselves and their daughter, Pauline “Robin” Bush.
“President Bush choosing Texas A&M was an honor for which we will always be grateful,” Texas A&M President Susan Ballabina said. “This is an opportunity to remind the world what a special leader he was and how much his commitment to service meant to the country.”
Carrying the legacy forward
Today, the former president rests near the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and The Bush School of Government and Public Service. The choice to include service in the school’s name reflects one of Bush’s most deeply held beliefs: that “public service is a noble calling.”
The Bush School honors that purpose by shaping leaders of character who serve their communities, their country and the world.
“Any definition of a successful life must include serving others,” Bush said.
That commitment to service continues across Texas A&M today, including in the university’s growing role in national security, defense innovation, and service to the men and women who protect the country. Texas A&M graduates serve across military branches and intelligence services, while institutes such as the $200 million George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) conduct cutting-edge research and develop the next generation of defense and security technologies.
“We’re honored to serve our country through development and testing of new and improved capabilities to provide men and women who serve in uniform,” said Tim Green, a retired Air Force major general and director of the BCDC. “They need advanced and reliable equipment and weapons to deter any potential adversary, and when necessary, enable our forces to deploy, fight, win and return home safely.”
A national stage for values that endure
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the race offers a national stage for a story rooted in service, patriotism, leadership and sacrifice — values that shaped President Bush’s life and remain central to Texas A&M’s mission.
Texas A&M’s partnership with Haas Factory Team has provided opportunities to bring those ideas to broad national audiences through one of America’s most visible sports. Naval Base Coronado offers a particularly meaningful setting to honor Bush, given his service as a naval aviator and his lifelong commitment to the armed forces.
“Our liveries celebrate values that President Bush lived,” said R. Ethan Braden, vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at Texas A&M. “This sport, this venue and this celebration of the Navy create a powerful moment to honor President Bush and share what Texas A&M stands for. His life reflected courage, character, service and love of country, and those are the values we strive to carry forward every day.”
NASCAR and the military culture that shaped Bush share many of the same values: courage under pressure, sacrifice, patriotism, teamwork and commitment to something larger than self. The No. 41 tribute car will reflect how Bush embodied those values throughout his life and how Texas A&M continues to carry them forward.
“We know in our hearts, not loudly and proudly, but as a simple fact, that this country has meaning beyond what we see,” Bush said, “and that our strength is a force for good.”
On June 21, the No. 41 car will carry that story onto a national stage, honoring a Navy veteran, president, public servant and enduring example of service to country.
— Player Management International —