During a weekend of racing excitement at California Speedway, tax preparation firm Jackson Hewitt Tax Service celebrated the grand prize winner of its “Heroes of the Year” campaign -- Staff Sgt. Quinton D. Martin. As the national honoree, Martin made racing history by having his image on the hood of a NASCAR Nextel Cup Car -- the #25
National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet driven by Casey Mears.
This is the first time that a non-celebrity appeared on a NASCAR Cup vehicle. Jackson Hewitt CEO Michael Lister officially introduced Martin as part of the pre-race festivities on the day of the race.
“Through the ‘Heroes of the Year’ program, we were privileged to celebrate so many valiant citizen-soldiers around the country,” said Michael Lister, president and chief executive officer, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. “All of the 10 monthly honorees truly demonstrate what it means to be a citizen-soldier. Selecting one overall hero was difficult, but we believe Sergeant Martin is an excellent example of what it means to be a citizen-soldier, and also represents the outstanding qualities and achievements of all of the monthly honorees.”
Soldier Makes NASCAR History