CONCORD, N.C. – For 600 miles on Sunday, there will be plenty on drivers’ minds. But more than anything on the track, their thoughts and prayers will be with military service members and their families.
All five Hendrick Motorsports drivers will participate in “600 Miles of Remembrance” this Memorial Day weekend.
As part of the initiative, the names at the top of their Chevrolet SS windshields will be replaced with the names of United States Armed Forces members who have fallen in service to their country.
It is part of NASCAR: An American Salute, which is the industry’s collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who have serviced and continue to defend the United States today.
Below is a look at who the five Hendrick Motorsports cars will honor during this Sunday’s 600-mile race.
Name: Riley Gene Stephens
Rank: Sergeant First Class
Branch of service: U.S. Army (Special Forces)
Dates of service: 1993-2012
Bio: Sergeant First Class Riley Gene Stephens, 39, was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Alpha Company as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant when he died September 28, 2012, of wounds received from small-arms fire in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.
Name: Stanley L. Harriman
Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 2
Branch of service: U.S. Army (Special Forces)
Dates of service: 1986-2002
Bio: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Stanley L. Harriman, 34, was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Alpha Company, Operational Detachment Alpha 372 when he became the first Operation Enduring Freedom casualty from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on March 2, 2002, during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.
Name: Michael Stephen Duskin
Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 2
Branch of service: U.S. Army (Special Forces)
Dates of service: 1993-2012
Bio: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Stephen Duskin, 42, was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Alpha Company as an assistant detachment commander when he died on October 23, 2012, from wounds received from small-arms fire in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.
Name: Robert Lewis Henderson II
Rank: First Lieutenant
Branch of service: National Guard (Kentucky)
Dates of service: 1988-2004
Bio: First Lieutenant Robert L. Henderson II served in the National Guard for more than 15 years. He was a sales manager for Lowe’s store #451 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and had also worked at three other Kentucky area stores in his 10-year tenure with the company. While deployed in Iraq in 2004, he was leading part of a convoy when his vehicle was ambushed. Despite being wounded, Henderson turned his vehicle around and drove to a position to return fire and stop the rest of the convoy from heading into the ambush. Though he lost his life, his actions likely saved hundreds of others. Henderson was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart as well as a Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal.
Name: Robert J. Miller
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Branch of service: U.S. Army (Special Forces)
Dates of service: 2003-2008
Bio: Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller, 24, was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Alpha Company, Operational Detachment Alpha 3312 when he was killed in action on January 25, 2008, while conducting combat operations near Barikowt, Afghanistan. On October 6, 2010, Robbie was posthumously awarded our nation’s highest award for acts of heroism, the Medal of Honor.
The citation for the award states, in part:
“His extraordinary valor ultimately saved the lives of seven members of his own team and 15 Afghanistan National Army soldiers. Staff Sergeant Miller’s heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty, and at the cost of his own life, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.”