Coca-Cola Racing Family driver Daniel Suárez and his Spire Motorsports crew chief, Ryan Sparks, visited Seymour Johnson Air Force Base on Thursday for the final leg of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 2026 Mission 600 campaign.
Now in its ninth year, Mission 600 brings together NASCAR drivers with members of the U.S. Armed Forces from regional military bases to educate the NASCAR community about the day-to-day lives of the men and women who serve and to build impactful connections between the worlds of motorsports and the military.
Seymour Johnson AFB is home to the 4th Fighter Wing and serves as one of the Air Force’s premier combat-capable installations. The base plays a critical role in training and deploying F-15E Strike Eagle aircrews and support personnel to conduct global operations. Through its focus on readiness, rapid deployment and mission excellence, Seymour Johnson AFB helps ensure the U.S. Air Force can respond decisively to threats around the world.
“Every time that we get to do Mission 600, we get to learn so much about what these men and women do who serve our country,” Suárez said. “To learn how they prepare their craft, how they operate their craft, is actually pretty incredible. I learned a lot today. I had a lot of fun. And I'm looking forward to seeing some of these guys at the 600 next week.”
During the visit, Suárez and Sparks visited the Aircraft Maintenance Qualification Program, trained on F-35 Stealth Fighter and F-22 Raptor virtual reality simulators, discussed physiology and training for fighter pilots and drove an Explosive Ordinance Disposal robot. The pair also visited with more than two dozen airmen at Seymour Johnson AFB’s USO center.
“I was actually quite impressed,” Sparks said. “The similarities between the military and then us working for a NASCAR team – just how they work together in different teams, working as mechanics on the planes; they have their own crew chiefs and then also there's the guys that are running the simulators, trying to optimize their situations in the air before they experience in real life, which is very similar to what we do. So it's really cool to see and experience.”
To date, the 2026 campaign has included visits by Chase Elliott to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Ross Chastain to Arlington National Cemetery where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a tradition for the defending race winner to kick off national Military Appreciation Month. Austin Dillon and his Richard Childress Racing teammate Tyler Rader trained alongside the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, while three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano connected virtually with members of the U.S. Army V Corps’ Project Flytrap to discuss similarities between the military and NASCAR. The military tributes will culminate during a rousing pre-race celebration ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend.
“To me, the Coca-Cola 600 is the most fun, most memorable and the coolest race of the year,” Suárez said. “Yes, we have the (Daytona) 500. We have, you know, the Southern 500 and all these different races. But the 600 is just different because it's more than just a race. The purpose is a little bit different. And to have hundreds of men and women that are serving or have served our country, it's just very special.”
TICKETS:
Fans are invited to witness the patriotic pre-race salute to the troops on Sunday, May 24 prior to the Coca-Cola 600. Visit www.CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com for tickets, schedules and more information on the weekend’s three days of action-packed racing. Kids 12 and under get in FREE on Friday and Saturday and every ticket includes admission to Speed Street, including concerts by Hairball (Friday), 38 Special (Saturday) and Tim Dugger (Sunday). Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will also include an infield pre-race concert with country music star Brad Paisley.
