The month of May is National Military Appreciation Month – a special, set aside time to recognize and honor the men and women who sacrificially serve our country, both past and present, along with their families. NASCAR participates in many ways throughout the month to show honor, ending the month with the Coca-Cola 600, with each Cup Series car featuring the name of a fallen soldier on the windshield as part of their “600 Miles of Remembrance” tribute. There are several veterans who now work within NASCAR, and this month, we want to highlight Ricky “Carl” Garcia, front-end mechanic for the no. 42, driven by John Hunter Nemechek.
Garcia served in the U.S. Army for a little less than four years from 1997-2000 out of Fort Bragg, NC as a specialist in the 82nd Airborne Division – an airborne infantry division specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areas. Garcia had an interest in serving our country from a young age growing up hearing stories from several of his family members who had served during both the Korean and Vietnam War eras. When asked what it means to him to be honored as a service member of the United States, Garcia shared, “I don’t think people realize what it takes for kids to go do that, especially nowadays with all that’s going on in the world and higher chances that most of them could end up giving that ultimate sacrifice.” He went on to say, “It does mean a lot to me. I see a lot of soldiers around the track, and they’re providing more for our country now than I am, but that I used to do as well.”
Garcia recalled one of his favorite memories while in the service occurring during a month-long jungle training in Panama. During that training, he parachuted out of a Chinook helicopter and landed in the Panama Canal, having to ditch his parachute quickly and make it to dry ground, only to be surrounded by elephant grass six feet tall and dangers of all kinds.
After Garcia’s time serving in the military, he was living in North Carolina and had just gotten interested in NASCAR when he happened to run into a man in the grocery store who was wearing a hat of one of the teams and struck up conversation. Turns out he was a cook for one of the race teams and invited Garcia to come help. Garcia then met the owner of the team and subsequently got offered a job as a tire changer for that team. He has been working in the sport since 2009 and with Richard Petty Motorsports, which is now LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, since 2018. There are skills Garcia used during his time serving that he applies to his job now such as “the leadership, learning to think on your feet and think ahead to prepare for the next move.” He added, “It translates over immensely because I’m always trying to be one step ahead. It’s all about time, especially at the race track.”
The Coca-Cola 600 will take place Sunday, May 25th at 6:00 p.m. at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I wondered what feelings come up for Garcia this time of year, and he said, “It brings up a lot of mixed emotions…stuff you miss from the past and being there. It also raises awareness for fans and those who don’t think about it on a day to day basis. It’s a little bit of a reminder that we’re blessed to be able to do what we do, go to the track and enjoy the race. Somebody had to sacrifice for us to be able to do that.”
Garcia was quick to share the main lesson he learned while serving is to “never take anything for granted; your time, people around you, waking up and being able to go every day, because those things can change in an instant.” As far as the legacy he hopes to leave for the next generation? He states, “Anybody can accomplish anything in life they put their mind to. Life is forever changing. I was disappointed when my time in the military ended, but other doors opened, and new opportunities came up. Life keeps going on.”
Make sure you thank the people in your life who have served or are serving for our country, not just this month, but throughout the year.
And, make sure you don’t miss the Coca-Cola 600.
Full throttle,
Clair
