One week after more than 100,000 Aggies stood together in red, white and blue at Kyle Field, Texas A&M University will carry that patriotic display onto one of the most iconic stages in American motorsports.
Texas A&M and Haas Factory Team today unveiled a university-themed livery for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Cole Custer’s No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro will feature the message “Standing for America” during the Sept. 19 NASCAR Cup Series race, extending a commemoration that began on campus during Texas A&M’s Red, White and Blue Football Game.
The Sept. 12 game marked the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. It honored those who were lost, those who answered the call to serve and the enduring American values of courage, unity and selfless service.
Those ideas will now travel from Kyle Field to Bristol, Tennessee, as part of Texas A&M’s yearlong 150th anniversary celebration and its broader commitment to working together for the good of the nation.
“Standing for America” is a specific expression of Texas A&M’s brand platform, “Together, We Stand as a Force for Good.” It reflects the university’s belief that when people stand together and place service above self, they can accomplish extraordinary things for their communities and country.
“Bristol gives Texas A&M another extraordinary national stage on which to demonstrate what we mean by standing together,” said R. Ethan Braden, Texas A&M’s vice president and chief marketing and communications officer. “Aggies have never understood patriotism as something merely to display. It is something to practice through service, sacrifice and a willingness to work alongside others for the common good. That is the spirit this car carries forward.”
The No. 41 car brings that message to life through a design rooted in Aggie identity and American symbolism.
“Standing for America” appears prominently across the hood, large enough to command attention during overhead television shots. “A Force for Good” is displayed across the rear spoiler. Texas A&M University is featured on the rear quarter panels and behind the No. 41 on the roof, while Block ATM marks appear on the doors and nose. American stars and stripes frame the windshield and sweep along the sides of the predominantly Aggie maroon car.
The livery also extends Texas A&M’s recent 9/11 tribute at Kyle Field to the track. “United in Remembrance,” accompanied by the years “’01–’26,” incorporates artwork directly from the Red, White and Blue tribute shirts worn by nearly 108,000 fans during the Sept. 12 football game. The design carries forward a visual created for that tribute, connecting the No. 41’s “Standing for America” message with a powerful moment of remembrance and unity shared by the Aggie community.
Together, the elements connect Texas A&M’s identity, its service-oriented mission and its longstanding commitment to the nation.
“Racing is the ultimate team sport. Every person has a role, and everyone depends on each other to succeed,” Haas Factory Team President Joe Custer said. “That shared commitment to teamwork and working toward something bigger than yourself aligns closely with what Texas A&M represents. We’re proud to help carry that message on a national stage at Bristol.”
An iconic race under the lights
Known as “The Last Great Colosseum,” Bristol Motor Speedway is one of NASCAR’s most distinctive and celebrated venues.
Drivers will complete 500 laps around its steeply banked, 0.533-mile concrete oval. The stadium-like setting places spectators nearly on top of the racing and concentrates the sound, speed and intensity of NASCAR inside one of the sport’s most recognizable arenas.
The Bristol Night Race has become one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ signature events, distinguished by close-quarters racing under the lights and an atmosphere unlike nearly anything else in motorsports.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race begins at 6:30 p.m. CT Sept. 19 on USA Network. Last year, the race drew 1.54 million viewers, with nearly another 90,000 attending in person.
National broadcast continues flagship campaign
The broadcast will also include a 60-second version of Texas A&M’s new flagship brand anthem, “Working Together for the Good of the Nation.”
The cinematic film invites viewers into the Texas A&M story through scenes of Aggie traditions, research, health, engineering, military service and community impact. It is set to a new rendition of the classic song “Let’s Work Together,” performed by Grammy Award-winning musician and Texas A&M graduate Lyle Lovett ’79.
Since its Aug. 20 release, the full two-minute film has already received more than 9 million views on Texas A&M’s YouTube channel. It made its national television debut during FOX’s broadcast of the inaugural IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C.
The film and the race car carry the same underlying message: Texas A&M’s greatest contribution is not any single program, discovery, tradition or individual achievement. It is what Aggies make possible by working together in service to something larger than themselves.
Building a national motorsports presence
The Bristol activation continues Texas A&M’s growing presence across two of America’s premier motorsports series.
In IndyCar, Texas A&M’s 2026 season-long helmet partnership with Indianapolis 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist and an associate sponsorship with Meyer Shank Racing gave the university a presence at every race, complemented by major activations at the Grand Prix of Arlington and the inaugural Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C.
In NASCAR, Texas A&M and the Haas racing organization are now in the third season of a partnership that has used distinctive university-branded cars and nationally televised events to tell stories about teamwork, service, innovation and national purpose, in addition to numerous paid summer student internships for workforce development.
The relationship began with appearances at Las Vegas and Phoenix in 2024. It continued at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and at Martinsville in 2025 before expanding in 2026 to the Anduril 250 Race the Base in San Diego and now the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol.
Earlier this season, the Texas A&M car at the Anduril 250 paid tribute to President George H.W. Bush during a weekend celebrating the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary at Naval Base Coronado.
Bush was one of the youngest naval aviators to serve during World War II. He later became an honorary Aggie who saw his commitment to public service reflected in Texas A&M and chose the university as the home of his presidential library and museum, The Bush School of Government and Public Service, and his final resting place.
From San Diego and Washington, D.C., to Kyle Field and now Bristol, each activation is part of a larger, cumulative effort to make Texas A&M’s character, contributions and public purpose more visible and understandable across the country.
The message carried by the No. 41 car is both timely and enduring: Aggies stand together, serve something larger than themselves and work as a force for good in Texas, across the nation and beyond.
— Player Management International —