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The Story Of How Old Glory Started Making Laps At Talladega

| May 2, 2017 @ 5:01 am

By Talladega Superspeedway

Patriotism is defined as an emotional attachment to a nation that an individual recognizes as his homeland. Few sights in motorsports are more patriotic than that of Johnny Ray and his iconic diesel big rig, adorned with a giant American flag, making his way down the Talladega Superspeedway front stretch during the national anthem prior to the start of NASCAR races.

The iconic drive-by has become a tradition that has left many spectators emotional and full of American pride – perhaps none more so than the man behind the wheel.

This upcoming race weekend, during prerace ceremonies for both the Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday and the GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event on Sunday, Ray will again delight fans with the act of patriotism that has been unique to Talladega since 2001.That year, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the Daytona 500, Ray, along with Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch, searched for something to boost the morale of a country and a fan base that had gone through tough times. They found the answer in Ray’s passion for 18-wheelers and their mutual love of the country.

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