NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
COCA-COLA 600
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 22, 2014
MICHAEL ANNETT, NO. 7 PILOT FLYING J CHEVROLET SS AND REED SORENSON, NO. 36 BEEF JERKY OUTLET CAROLINAS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Motor Speedway and discussed Tommy Baldwin Racing’s involvement with the Salute the Troops program and the Armed Forces Foundation. PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:
REED SORENSON:
TALK ABOUT THE SALUTE THE TROOPS PROGRAM:
“The Salute the Troops program is a deal they put together to basically write letters to the troops to show support and thanks pretty much. They can come from anywhere from what I understand. The other day I actually went to a classroom with six different third grade classes and helped them write letter. We will get them all collected and send them all off. Just something they might enjoy. Chevrolet is sending off some calling cards to all the troops. Carolina Jerky is sending some beef jerky for them to go through. Just a little token of appreciation a little different maybe than what they are used to. I’m sure getting letters from third graders back here at home might mean a lot to them. I’m sure they will keep it and mean a lot to them for a long time.”
CAN FANS STILL GO ONLINE AND DO IT?
“It goes through July to the Daytona race which is July 5th I believe. There are still plenty of weeks left to do it. From what I understand go to the Tommy Baldwin Racing Facebook page or Twitter page to make sure you get your letter sent into the right place. They will all be collected and sent out.”
OVER THE YEAR’S I’M SURE YOU HAVE HAD PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITH TROOPS ALL OVER THE WORLD. ARE YOU FINDING THEY ARE A LOT OF BIG RACE FANS OUT THERE IN THE MILITARY?
“For sure, I was able to fortunately be sponsored by the Air Force at one point. I got to hang out with those guys a few times. A lot of race fans in there. Not a big surprise I guess, but a lot of race fans. They enjoy talking to all different people throughout the sport. They know how much NASCAR supports them and I think that is why they enjoy hanging out with all of us and trading stories and things like that.”
TALK ABOUT YOUR TEAM AND THE GROWTH THIS YEAR:
“Yeah there are no start and parks anymore that is what a lot of people forget. There used to be three or four cars that would pull off and now there are none. It’s definitely changed a little bit. I think the competitiveness has gone up a little. It’s kind of forcing everybody to spend a little more time, spend more money and get better people. We are moving along with that program as well. All the guys are working hard to make our team better.”
MICHAEL ANNETT:
TELL US ABOUT THE SALUTE THE TROOPS PROGRAM:
“It’s a real easy way to give back. Whenever we come to this weekend and this race each year you get to see a lot of the patriotism. It’s a really easy way, five minutes of your time, to let those guys overseas know that we are thinking about them all the time. Unfortunately stuff like this only gets fired up on one weekend. It’s something that people need to think about every day of the year. Just using where we are at in the sport to be able to do something like this and give back.”
THIS PROGRAM GOES THROUGH JULY WITH YOUR TEAM?
“It’s really easy to go onto TBR’s Facebook page and Twitter and all the information is there. You can get in touch with our people. It’s something that needs to go a lot longer than one weekend.”
TALK ABOUT YOUR INTERACTION WITH TROOPS OVER THE YEARS:
“I think the coolest thing in our sport is in the Driver’s Meeting we acknowledge all the troops that come to the race track and the families of people that are lost family members overseas. I think that by far always puts a smile on my face and makes me proud to be a part of this sport that appreciates it.”
