As America celebrates its 250th anniversary and Charlotte Motor Speedway prepares for the 67th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend, the pinnacle salute to our military, Mission 600 went abroad on Tuesday with a virtual visit between Coca-Cola Racing Family driver Joey Logano and the U.S. Army V Corps Project Flytrap in Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania.

Over the last nine years, Mission 600 has paired NASCAR drivers with military bases across the Carolinas for in-person visits – and taken drivers internationally through virtual visits – in an effort to engage with military and educate the NASCAR community on the day-to-day lives of the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Each visit builds meaningful connections between the worlds of motorsports and the military.

While separated by more than 4,800 miles – or roughly the distance of eight Coca-Cola 600 races – Logano and the unit found a lot of common ground in discussing technology, teamwork, the power of preparation and leadership.

Logano spent the morning meeting specialists from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR), who are one of five units leading counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) training and experimentation at Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania. The 2CR is the key counter-UAS innovation partner through Project Flytrap and operational experimentation. Five units based in Lithuania apply lessons learned from current conflicts and the modern battlefield by bringing soldiers, allied partners and industry experts together to experiment with technology, adapt tactics and improve the ability of U.S. and allied formations to detect, track and defeat UAS threats. The 2CR has been a U.S. Army Europe and Africa leader in counter-UAS innovation through Project Flytrap.

During the virtual visit, Capt. Matthew Kemelek shared insights into the vital role of the V Corps- Project Flytrap and the importance of the joint training efforts with the U.S., U.K. and NATO partners. Unit leaders explained how preparation and execution are pivotal parts of their job and mission while overseas on the Frontlines of Freedom. Logano and the soldiers then engaged in discussions on teamwork, emphasizing the parallels between military operations and the high-stakes world of NASCAR racing.

The three-time NASCAR champion shared the commonalities of training, the importance of trusting your team around you and his genuine respect of what they are doing each day to keep us free.

On the similarities on preparation:

“One of the cool things I've always enjoyed doing these Mission 600s because it's so different from what we do in NASCAR, but it's also similar in the team aspect. Your stakes are a little bit higher than ours, I'm being honest about that. You definitely got a lot more on the line. But the team aspect and the excellence that's required – it’s required. It's not optional. It has to be perfect. It has to be right. There is no second chance. That's a lot of pressure. That's a lot of pressure on humans to do that. And so I've always taken these opportunities to learn something from you guys and try to apply that into sports. Right. Because that's where, you know, like I said, it's not life or death, but it's big time opportunities, big pressure in the moment. Right? You don't have time to think about it. It's all about preparation and then execution in the moment. That's what it's all about. And that is the most similar thing that I've seen in professional sports that I've, you know, from the military.”

Similarities in how the military and NASCAR are always evolving with technology:

Cpt. Kemelek:

“So Project Flytrap is about detecting, tracking and defeating drones… We have to work together and we have to also defeat drones. With our evolving technology, we have to account for not only what's on the ground, but what's in the air. So just like a flytrap, it just visualizes the work that we're doing here and the specialization, the expertise that our soldiers are showing every day to make that happen. It's not just an abstract concept. We are hands-on with our industry and working and training, and we're making that a reality here at Project Flytrap.”

Logano:

“Being able to see the enemy's drone – if they have something out there and what they're doing – I guess that's a big, big piece of it – detecting and being able to protect our people. That's wild. I could imagine that, as soon as you feel like you got something, I feel like there's similarities here to NASCAR in some ways where as soon as you feel like you got something figured out, there's something new, right? There's a new latest-and-greatest thing that comes out. And you have to evolve and find the next piece. For us, we're trying to figure out how do we apply it to a race car, which sounds kind of dumb. After talking about what you guys are actually doing, it's definitely different, but trying to keep up with the times is definitely a challenge for us.”

Logano’s appreciation for the V Corps and the military:

“We are so proud of you guys. Everything you were doing over there, we absolutely love it over here. I know I feel like that message is probably not clear enough to you how much our industry – and I'm going to speak for the whole industry here because I feel like I can – how proud of our military we truly are. One thing I love about NASCAR racing is there's a prayer before every race, and everyone stands up for the national anthem. And that is one of the most proud things for me to be a part of in our sport, where not every sport is like that these days… So from myself, from my team, from our industry at NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway and Coca-Cola, thank you. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to live here (United States) free.”