The Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic crowned its first champion: Team Air Force
Austin Cindric, the winning driver in the No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, representing Team Air Force, fought Team Marines’ Robert Noaker for first throughout the inaugural Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic.
Cindric is a Daytona 500 winner, NASCAR O’Reilly champion and Rolex 24 podium finisher. Noaker is a two-time champion of the IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge Series with wins in the Mazda MX-5 Cup and Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class.
The two pulled away from the pack early, leaving everyone else in their wake. The rest of the drivers fought their own battles for position, but when it came to the final lap, it looked like someone forgot to tell Cindric and Noaker that this wasn’t for a cup or championship. Cindric finished a mere 0.136s ahead of Noaker.
“Air Force, hell yeah!” said Cindric after the race. “That’s an awesome, awesome way to end on Veterans Day.”
Cindric, usually No. 2 for Team Penske Ford in the Cup Series, signed on to race the Veterans Day Classic, not just because it’s a way to help military-connected families through Global Giving’s Proud to Honor Fund, but because that’s just what he does—and he was stoked to do it for Air Force veterans.
“I’m a race car driver and I haven’t done a whole lot else in my life,” Cindric told WATM. “I can relate to using heavy machinery and speed to accomplish a mission or reach an objective. Anyone who’s mechanically-minded, you can’t help but love an aircraft and its capabilities. But for me, flying with the Thunderbirds as a NASCAR driver back in 2022 was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
So it’s cool to be able to represent the Air Force today and give them a good run.”
It was more than a good run: Cindric and Noaker put on a show. Though the Veterans Day Classic comes after the NASCAR season and has no Cup Series implications, the two drivers jockeyed for the top spot throughout the race as if their entire seasons were on the line.
The race itself was actually the headliner for an evening filled with musical performances from the Zac Brown Band, Nelly, and others, along with surprise guests like actor Bryan Cranston—whose mom and dad both served in World War II and has a military family that dates back to the Civil War.
It was all a part of a Veterans Day celebration that attracted thousands of service members, veterans, and their families to Daytona International Speedway. Ford and NASCAR gave away thousands of tickets while Blue Star Families and Ford Philanthropy provided free transportation from around Florida.
“What I love about NASCAR is that it’s an invitation to Americans to come in fellowship with each other, to support the people who serve.” Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families, said. “It’s not just about veterans having the experience. It’s about the community coming in, being in fellowship, enjoying and supporting the military at the same time.”
“It’s great to see Ford do something really unique on Veterans Day, but also something that really meets their identity as an American brand,” said Cindric. “Seeing the kind of the passion that’s gone into making this a hit, but also something special for our fans—and most importantly, special for our veterans—really proves to me how committed Ford is to veterans. My part to is have fun and make an enjoyable experience for everyone, including myself.”
Cindric’s view of Ford Motor Company echoes that of many Americans. Time Magazine revealed that the automobile manufacturer was voted the country’s most iconic American company. NASCAR drivers racing Ford Mustangs on a Veterans Day kicked off by country music stars to raise money for military families might be the most American even ever conceived.
“It’s about allowing the vets, military members, and their families to have some fun,” Bill Ford, Executive Chair of Ford Motor Company told WATM. “Tonight should be really fun. We’ve got great music. We’ve got a race. We have race car drivers that many of the vets and their families will know of and are excited to see… This is just a real genuine thing and I think that comes through. Everyone involved with this, it’s really values-based and it’s friendship-based and I think it shows.”
Ford’s history with the U.S. military dates back to World War I, when the company began making military vehicles for the war effort. After the war, it dedicated itself to hiring disabled war veterans and helping them reintegrate into American society. It’s a corporate ethos that is still true more than a century later, as Ford guarantees interviews with separating active duty troops, and currently employs more than 6,000 vets, in meaningful employment at a living wage.
Plus, the racing is fun, too.
“Daytona is iconic,” Andie Coakley, a Coast Guard veteran and spouse who brought her family to the race, told WATM. “When you think big sporting events, Daytona comes to mind. I was here 20 years ago for a tour. This is my first time back, but I just think it’s amazing. The energy, the excitement, I think it’s great.
“A race like this shows veterans there are organizations that are here to support them. This wasn’t the case back after the Vietnam War. These organizations and these resources weren’t necessarily available to service members and veterans getting out of the service. So it’s so heartening to see resources are available now.”
Bill Ford told We Are The Mighty that, although planning hasn’t yet begun for a 2027 Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic, the race will likely return for next year. The Blue Star Families CEO already told the Pentagon there will be a year two—a promise that seems difficult to walk back.
“I think we’re onto something really cool,” said Ford. “This is some of the most exciting parts of our brand, ones we’re most proud of: racing, a commitment to making ourselves better through competition, and supporting our country and those who defend our country.”
Austin Cindric will be ready to come back, too.
“Give me a Ford Mustang drive and a helmet. I’m good to go,” he said.
To learn more about the Ford Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic, check out the website. And stay tuned for year two.
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