Spire Motorsports and Corey LaJoie have partnered with AeroVanti for the 64th running of the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as NASCAR, its teams and drivers honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The “golden goose” of AeroVanti, a private aviation membership club that is redefining modern travel, will be displayed on the hood of LaJoie’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The Concord, N.C., native will be racing in honor of U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Bourgeois, who was serving as Commanding Officer of the elite SEAL Team 8 when he died in a training incident in December 2021. Bourgeois’ name will be featured on the windshield of LaJoie’s Chevy Camaro throughout the race weekend. His family (wife Megan and their four children) will also be recognized as part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program. Members of SEAL Team 8 will attend the race on behalf of the Bourgeois family.
Bourgeois, a native of Lake Charles, La., was a 2001 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he majored in economics and played safety for the Midshipmen football team. He proudly served his country for 20 years and was the recipient of multiple military awards including the Bronze Star with Valor, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster, Joint Commendation Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon and a NATO Medal.
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Bourgeois was promoted posthumously to the rank of Captain in October 2022 by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
“Capt. Bourgeois was a decorated combat veteran, a Bronze Star Medal with Valor recipient, an incredible commander of the most elite fighting force in the world, and the recipient of the Pat Tillman Leadership Award,” said AeroVanti Founder and CEO Patrick Britton-Harr. “He was also a husband and father of four children, a man of remarkable strength and integrity, whose legacy will be one of steady leadership and impeccable character, having left a tremendous mark on this world. We are honored and humbled to share a car with Capt. Bourgeois and are grateful to Spire Motorsports and Corey LaJoie for joining us in this tribute.”
LaJoie has logged nine previous NCS starts at the legendary 1.5-mile Concord, N.C. oval and earned a venue/race-best 12th-place finish in the 2019 running of NASCAR’s longest race.
SOURCE: Businesswire