Every year, in conjunction with the Brickyard 400, Crown Royal sponsors a contest where an American Hero is honored by having the race held at historic Indianapolis Speedway named after him or her.
The namesake of this year’s event is army veteran John Wayne Walding. Walding was a Green Beret who lost the lower part of his leg on a mission to capture a high-value target in Afghanistan. After tying his severed leg to his thigh, he was amazingly able to continue to return fire for four hours before being rescued.
Walding became the first amputee to graduate from the Special Forces Sniper School, completed the Army 10-miler on foot and the 2009 Boston Marathon using a hand cycle.
John Wayne Walding’s remarkable story will be shared with millions of NASCAR fans as Crown gives this veteran the royal treatment this weekend.
Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com. will be broadcast this Sunday at 1pm on ESPN.