News

Team Dover takes over Monster Mile

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William Johnson
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  NASCAR made its second appearance this year at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware bringing with them thousands of die-hard fans, earsplitting racecars and plenty of support for Airmen from Team Dover.

The race weekend of Sept. 26-28, consisted of three races which was flooded with Airmen from Team Dover volunteering to work concession stands, provide security, hold flags in pit row during the singing of the national anthem and work as honorary pit crew members.

Austin Hill won his second straight K&N Pro Series "Drive Sober 150" race; Kyle Busch won his second straight Nationwide Series race at the Monster Mile and Jeff Gordon won the "AAA 400" NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. However, it was the men and women in uniform from all five branches and the USO that really made their presence known.

Col. Michael Grismer, 436th Airlift Wing commander, thanked Dover International Speedway for opening up the opportunity to for Airmen to come out and help support the three-day race weekend.

"I think it's fantastic that Team Dover has this great partnership with the city of Dover and with Dover International Speedway," said Grismer. "We talk a lot about great community integration; well here it is at its finest."

One of the main attractions at the racetrack was the USO Military Village. The village was 36,000 square feet and had exhibits, vehicles and table demonstrations from all five service branches. The USO also had a RV and a tent that provided breakfast and cold refreshments to military members who were volunteering with their respective service.  

There were 13 static displays from Dover AFB and the Air Mobility Command Museum in the village for fans to observe and ask questions about. Also, fans were able to don and doff Mission Oriented Protective Posture, or MOPP, gear.

Master Sgt. James Nelson, 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance superintendent, organized the Air Force's 3,000 square feet of space in the village and said the NASCAR fans were very impressed with displays and the overall mission of Team Dover.

"We were able to educate local members of Dover and even people from around the tri-state area about the diverse mission we have here at Dover and show people that we do more than just fly planes," said Nelson. "NASCAR is always a great opportunity for our Airmen to get out and interact with the community and be ambassadors in blue and take pride in what they do."

There were more than 80 volunteers from the base that worked in the village over the weekend that ran demonstration tables and answered questions related to static displays for fans. One of these volunteers was Adam Gauntt, 436th Maintenance Squadron aircraft structural maintenance journeyman. Gauntt operated a table that displayed tools and simulated interior aircraft structure of the C-5 Super Galaxy and the C-17 Globemaster III.

"I volunteered to represent the 436th MXS to the community and educate the fans about how we keep our aircraft in the skies," said Gauntt. "Maintenance is a huge piece of the overall mission that often gets overlooked and NASCAR is a great way for us to show off our capabilities and what we contribute to the mission at Dover AFB."

The USO Military Village was not the only place where you could find Airmen from Team Dover. The Fan Zone had an ambulance on display from the from the 436th Medical Group, The 436th Security Force Squadron had full battle rattle for fans to wear and the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron brought out a fire department rapid intervention vehicle and an Explosive Ordinance Demolition Humvee and robot.

Airmen could also be seen by fans during the race in the pit crews of seven different drivers. Thirty-four Airmen were honorary pit crew members during the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Races. Second Lt. Alannah Staver. 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs deputy chief of PA, was an honorary pit crew member for the Casey Mears, driver of the #13 GEICO Chevy SS, and said it was a great experience to see the pit crew function as one team.

""This being my first NASCAR experience, I learned a great deal about the sport as an honorary pit crew member," said Staver. "The teamwork and communication shown by the entire crew is something to strive for; what they're able to do in just a 13 second pit stop is unbelievable. Team Dover and Germain Racing have quite a few traits in common, work ethic being at the top of the list.  We are all so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this." 

NASCAR returns to the Dover International Speedway in the spring of 2015 with the "Lucas Oil 200" NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the "Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket" NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.