News and Notes:
Heading into this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the No.32 Can-Am/Kappa team will once again be able to enjoy a home race weekend with Jeffrey Earnhardt behind the wheel for the longest race of the season at the fast 1.5-mile speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
Sunday evening’s event will mark Earnhardt’s first appearance in the 600-mile event, and his second time at CMS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Thus far in 2016, Earnhardt has seven starts, with his most previous being last weekend at Dover where he finished 35th after starting 39th. The Mooresville, NC native has five career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a best finish of 25th coming in the spring 2014 event.
Jeffrey Earnhardt on Charlotte:
“I’m really eager to get back on track this weekend at Charlotte. We are bringing back the same chassis we ran last weekend in the Showdown, and we were able to learn a lot during the race that will benefit myself, and the team heading into this weekend. With warmer weather forecasted for this weekend, and having the new softer tire, we still have a lot to learn, thankfully we have 600 miles to get the No.32 Can-Am Ford dialed in.”
Chassis Info:
Crew Chief Wally Rogers will be bringing chassis GFR-890 to serve as the primary car. This chassis was last ran a week ago in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte. Chassis GFR-802 will serve as the backup car.
For the second consecutive year, the “600 Miles of Remembrance” will pay tribute this Memorial Day Weekend to those who bravely served and died defending our country. Go Fas Racing will be paying tribute to Captain Christopher Cash, who was an active-duty Soldier from 1986-1990, when he joined the North Carolina National Guard. While representing the 30th Infantry Brigade in 1991, Captain Cash was nominated for Outstanding Guardsman of the Year. In September of 1999, after natural disaster Hurricane Floyd, he served as an essential leader with the 119th helping to restore his local community of Eastern North Carolina. Then in October 2003, he was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Enhanced Separate Infantry Brigade headquartered in Jacksonville, North Carolina. As a Company Commander he led three platoons, and his soldiers provided support and protection to Iraqi citizens.
During a pre-dawn patrol of a main supply route, in Baqubah, Iraq on 24 June 2004, Iraqi insurgents ambushed Captain Cash’s 3rd platoon. After a fierce fight, 3rd platoon was ordered back to their Forward Operating Base Warhorse. Captain Cash then personally led his 1st platoon on a mission to secure two critical bridges in the center of the city. This mission led the Soldiers through the same site where his 3rd platoon was just ambushed. While traveling to the bridges, 1st platoon was engaged by insurgents. Focused on the safety of his men before his own, he ordered them to take cover. Captain Cash was mortally wounded by a machine gunner on top of a nearby building.
During his military career, Captain Cash was awarded the following medals:
- The Army Achievement Medal – 1987, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
- The Good Conduct Medal – 1989
- The North Carolina National Guard Commendation Medal – 1991, Selected to represent 30th Infantry Brigade for Outstanding Guardsman of the Year
- The Army Achievement Medal – 1991, Selected as Outstanding Guardsman of the Year
- The Army Achievement Medal – 1991, 119th Infantry NCNG
- The Army Commendation Medal – 1991, Selected as Brigade Soldier of the Year
- The Army Achievement Medal – 1992, 119th Junior Leader Tactical Training
- The Expert Infantryman Badge – 1996
- The North Carolina National Guard Commendation Medal – 1998, Annual Training
- The North Carolina National Guard Achievement Medal – 1999, Hurricane Floyd
- The Army Commendation Medal – 2001, Annual Training
- The Army Commendation Medal – 2003, Winning the Top Gun Award
- The Meritorious Service Medal – 2004
- The Combat Infantryman Badge – 2004
- The Bronze Star Medal – 2004, Operation Iraqi Freedom
- Purple Heart – 2004