FALLEN SOLDIER: The No. 5 team will honor Lance Cpl. Edward “Eddie” Dycus, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Corps, Camp Lejeune, during the 600-mile race on Sunday. Born Dec. 12, 1989, in Greenville, Mississippi, Dycus always talked about joining the Marines while growing up. He graduated from Riverside High School in 2008 and went to bootcamp in Parris Island, South Carolina, in 2010, graduating one year later. On his birthday in 2011, Dycus was deployed to Afghanistan. He was there only six weeks when he was killed in action on Feb. 1, 2012. Jesse Maxcy of Hendrick Automotive Group‘s marketing team was good friends with Dycus. Maxcy and Dycus were in the School of Infantry at Camp Giger where the two Marines studied, honed combat skills and mastered their specific jobs within the infantry. They also were both deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, to serve our country.
600 MILES FOR POKORNEY: In Sunday‘s Memorial Day weekend race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the windshield of Elliott‘s No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will showcase the name of U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Frederick Pokorney as part of the NASCAR Salutes and 600 Miles of Remembrance initiatives. Pokorney was one of six Marines killed when their unit was attacked near Nasiriyah, Iraq, on March 23, 2003. He was 31 years old.
REMEMBERING A HERO: Pokorney was accepted into the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) to enlist as a future officer. It was his dream to be commissioned through the program designed to provide outstanding enlisted Marines the opportunity to serve as Marine Corps officers. Pokorney then attended Oregon State University for his Bachelor’s degree in political science and was commissioned as second lieutenant in March 2001. He was promoted to first lieutenant posthumously on March 23, 2003, after he served 10 years in the Marine Corps.
STAFF SGT. COLE CONDIFF: As part of the No. 24 Liberty University patriotic paint scheme for this weekend‘s race at Charlotte, Byron‘s Chevrolet will feature a tribute to Air Force Staff Sgt. Cole Condiff. With skills that included static line jump master, air traffic control, military freefall parachutist and combat diver, Condiff was deployed to Africa in support of operation Juniper Shield, as well as to Afghanistan in support of operation Freedom‘s Sentinel. Like Byron, Billings was a Liberty University student. He was enrolled in its online programs and pursuing a bachelor‘s degree in history.
HONORABLE SCHEME FOR THE 600: On Sunday evening, Alex Bowman will get behind the wheel of the No. 48 Ally Patriotic Chevrolet for 600 miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The matte black scheme features the Ally echo logo on the hood in a deep blue and red color to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country. In addition to the special scheme, the No. 48 Chevy will be honoring Marine Captain Matthew H. Brewer, who tragically ended his life on Feb. 19, 2021 after battling severe symptoms characteristic of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Brewer graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2013 where he played football for the Navy Midshipman. He served deployments in Japan and Korea and finished out his military career as a Special Operations Officer at Marine Corp University in Quantico, Virginia.
— Hendrick Motorsports —
