Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie welcomed back NASCAR on behalf of President Trump today with a rousing video that aired prior to the beginning of first race since the Coronavirus shutdown.
Today the nation watches as NASCAR returns to the track at Darlington Raceway. NASCAR has long supported #Veterans and the military. Welcome back. pic.twitter.com/zkMEyYHP7L
— Secretary Robert Wilkie (@SecWilkie) May 17, 2020
From the video: My hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina was an early hotbed for NASCAR. A car dealership sponsored some of NASCAR’s early stars like Fred Lorenzen and Fireball Roberts and my very first NASCAR race was the Southern 500 when Richard Petty swept all before him. Of course the most feared phrase words in all of racing and all of sports, “The black #3 is in the rear-view mirror.”
NASCAR means patriotism and on behalf of our president, who stands for that flag I think it’s fitting and he would say so, that NASCAR is in the lead reopening America because when NASCAR says, “Gentleman start your engines” that means it’s go for the United States. Good luck.
Legendary country musician Charlie Daniels celebrated the return to the track by “eating strawberry short cake” and calling it a “Southern boy’s delight.”
He tweeted about the first lap wreck and said it was “good to see something normal happening on TV.” He offered congratulations to the winner, Kevin Harvick.
Eating strawberry short cake and getting ready for a NASCAR RACE
— Charlie Daniels (@CharlieDaniels) May 17, 2020
Southern boy’s delight.
Ain’t seen a first lap wreck in a while
— Charlie Daniels (@CharlieDaniels) May 17, 2020
It is so good to see something normal happening on t v
— Charlie Daniels (@CharlieDaniels) May 17, 2020
Thank you NASCAR
Congratulations Kevin Harvick
— Charlie Daniels (@CharlieDaniels) May 17, 2020
So good, having you guys back again.
The Real Heroes 400 race was held at Darlington Raceway without fans in attendance and with a reduced number of team, track and media personnel at the South Carolina track, where social distancing and health screening protocols are in place.
Country singer Darius Rucker provided a pre-recorded rendition of the the national anthem and 40 frontline health-care workers acted as grand marshals and gave the “start your engines” command via a group livestream.
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