Legionnaires watch INDYCAR championship celebration up close
The American Legion began the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season on Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Honda and ended up in Victory Lane celebrating the INDYCAR championship with driver Alex Palou and team owner Chip Ganassi.
The American Legion got to experience a championship ride in INDYCAR as a major associate sponsor for Chip Ganassi Racing. Five times this season, The American Legion was the full sponsor of Palou’s No. 10 Honda in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Those races included the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle (both races), the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway.
“That’s pretty exciting, it’s very exciting to see that and it was nice of Chip to put us on the 10 car a couple times this year, so we are all pretty excited this year,” said Department of California Commander Autrey James, who was one of several members of The American Legion that posed with the champion in Victory Lane. “It’s absolutely fantastic to celebrate the championship here.
“The notoriety of it all, the idea that The American Legion is here. Alex thanked The American Legion in this celebration. It’s all very cool.”
It was also a very productive and positive year for The American Legion in its first year of INDYCAR sponsorship with Chip Ganassi Racing.
“This program has exceeded all expectations by far,” James said. “The notoriety of The American Legion has grown. We have gotten the exposure we were hoping for. We have been able to build membership around this because there are such passionate and patriotic fans in INDYCAR. It’s been absolutely wonderful.”
The military is about teamwork. The American Legion is about teamwork. And Chip Ganassi’s 14th INDYCAR championship exemplifies the importance of teamwork on many levels.
That is why The American Legion program has been a perfect fit in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
“It’s the perfect sport for us because every person has a role and everyone on the team has to complete their role in order for the team to succeed,” James said. “It’s the same thing with the Legion and the same thing with the military.
“You trust those next to you to do their job and you do your job and things come out right. That is what happened for this team and that is what is happening for us today.”
According to James, there were 86 members of The American Legion at Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
In addition to James, Past National Commander Tom Bock and his wife Elaine, Hollywood Post 43 Commander Jennifer Campbell, Department of California Adjutant Barbara Lombrano, and Post 43 1st Vice Commander and Department Membership Director Jeff Daly were in Jimmie Johnson’s pit area during the race and got to celebrate Palou’s championship in Victory Lane.