On Friday, July 1, the NASCAR Xfinity Series took to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway for the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola. The event was dedicated, in part, to the United States Military, with each competitor representing a different unit in the armed forces.
Kelly Miller, Grand Marshal of the Firecracker 250 presented by Subway, served in the United States Air Force from 1983-88, achieving the rank of Sergeant. He served as an Aeromedical Service Specialist and was responsible for the healthcare of Air Force pilots and flight crews. Miller also worked as an Emergency Medical Technician and member of the Flying Ambulance Surgical Team.
Following Friday night’s action, we were able to catch up with Miller for a brief interview.
Can you tell us a bit more about what exactly a Grand Marshal does? “I got to present a check to the USO yesterday for $125,000, which was raised from over 21,000 Subways. Also, we were able to give 5,000 meals to the troops. That was pretty awesome.
We had lunch with Carl Edwards and the Coast Guard, and got to meet those guys.
As Grand Marshal, I was required to say “Drivers, Start Your Engines” and I got to ride around in the pace car. It was unbelievable.
How did you like the race? “The race was great. Lot of cautions, but it was very exciting. The finish was something else. We couldn’t tell who had won for such a long time. Meeting Aric Almirola in Winner’s Circle and presenting him with the trophy was a dream come true. I never thought I’d be able to do something like that. It was so awesome!”
Who is your favorite NASCAR driver? Carl Edwards is my favorite NASCAR driver.
How long have you been with Subway? “I’ve been with Subway for over 10 years.
One day we went home after a long day at work, and I typed “franchise opportunities” into Google. My wife and I had always wanted to run our own business, and Subway came up in the results. It was listed No. 1 for twelve years in a row on Entrepeneur Magazine, so we went onto the Subway website and typed in that we would like to open a restaurant in the Amarillo, Texas area. About two weeks later we received a call that they had an opportunity out there. We were able to open a store in a brand new WalMart supercenter in Canyon, Texas.
What does Subway do to support the military? If a vet wants to become a franchisee, they can open a store on a government installation and Subway will waive the entire franchise fee. Also, if a vet wants to open a store, but it’s not on a government installation, Subway waives 50% of the franchise fee.
They really hope veterans transition from military life to civilian life, and into enterpeneurship.
Any big fourth of July plans? “Just Daytona today, and flying back to Colorado Springs. My family is there for the fourth and we’re going to barbeque and watch some fireworks.”
Friday night’s event was one for the record books, as it took several minutes to determine the actual winner. On the last lap of a race that featured a “NASCAR Overtime” that added three laps to the scheduled 100-lap distance, a Turn 2 crash at the rear of the field resulted in the final caution period of the night. Per NASCAR rules, when the caution lights come on in that situation, whoever is leading the race at that moment is declared the winner and the race is over.
Almirola’s No. 98 Fresh From Florida Ford was only inches ahead of Allgaier’s No. 7 TradeMark Nitrogen Chevrolet as the two cars came out of Turn 4 and the caution lights came on, but that was enough to give Almirola his second career NASCAR XFINITY Series victory and his third in NASCAR national series competition. Almirola, from Tampa, Florida, also won the 2014 Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at DIS.
“It was close … really close,” Almirola said. “I knew they had wrecked behind me and I was like, ‘When are they gonna throw the caution?’ because I knew I was ahead. … This is crazy.”
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ford EcoBoost Ford) took the pole for the Coke Zero 400 on Friday, at 192.955 mph. Biffle has had high-banked success in the past; he was the 2003 Coke Zero 400 champion and the 2005 DAYTONA 500 polesitter. His last previous pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, however, was in 2012 – a drought of 130 races.
“We knew our car had pretty good speed from our practice,” Biffle said. “I made two decent laps and the car had a lot of speed so I’m pretty happy.
“It does feel good for our team and not only did we win the pole but our car is technically in race trim right now. So that tells you how fast of a car we have lining up for Saturday night.”
Tonight at 7:45 p.m., Almirola will start Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 Smithfield Ford 14th in the 58th annual Coke Zero 400, with defending race champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet) looking to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event for the third time. Four-time race champion Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet), making his last NASCAR start at DIS, will try to tie David Pearson’s all-time record of five Coke Zero 400 victories.
Tickets for Daytona International Speedway events are available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat (username: DISupdates), and by downloading the new version of Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest speedway news throughout the season.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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