Crown Royal to Honor Military Hero at RIR

While race fans gear up for the Daytona 500, the makers of Crown Royal Canadian whisky, today announced fans will also have the opportunity to choose one of America’s true heroes to receive naming rights to the Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway on May 1.

As part of the Crown Royal “Your Name Here” 400 contest, five finalists from various branches of the armed services have been selected to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Daytona to participate in a special ceremony to unveil the grand-prize winner, as well as attend the historic Daytona 500. The finalists, in no specific order, are:

Heath Calhoun, Army (retired), Clarksville , Tenn.
Chris Dempsey, Army National Guard, Yuma , Ariz.
Rick Hudson, Navy, Gulfport , Miss.
Georgia Powell, Air National Guard, Harrisburg , Pa
Brian Speach, Army National Guard, Clifton Park , N.Y.

This marks the first time in the four-year history of the Crown Royal “Your Name Here” program that only military service members were chosen as finalists. It also signifies the first time ever that fans will be able to cast their votes on www.crownroyal.com for whose name they think should be incorporated into the annual Cup Series event in Richmond . All the finalists were nominated by their family, friends or fellow soldiers for their ability to demonstrate the core values of the military in performing a selfless act that made them a hero.

Some of the selfless acts of this year’s finalists include resuscitating a boy after drowning and helping to save a group of local nationals who were critically injured. Fans of legal drinking age are encouraged to visit www.crownroyal.com to read a complete background on the finalists and to cast a vote. Voting ends on February 10.

“Richmond International Raceway couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this program with Crown Royal each season,” said Doug Fritz, President, Richmond International Raceway. “Allowing fans to select the winner is a great way for Crown Royal to highlight all the truly touching stories of this year’s finalists. We look forward to honoring another amazing individual with everything we do during the race in May.”

The winner will be announced from Daytona on February 12 with all the finalists, NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth and representatives from Crown Royal and Richmond International Raceway in attendance.