Military Veteran Making Charlotte Motor Speedway Debut

Keith McGee

Getty Keith McGee drive the No. 33 Chevrolet at Richmond.

On Friday, May 28, the Camping World Truck Series drivers will take on Charlotte Motor Speedway and the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. A United States Air Force veteran, Keith McGee, will join in only one month after making racing history. He became the first Alaskan and the first disabled veteran to make a start in any of NASCAR‘s top three series.

Friday’s race will mark McGee’s second Truck Series start of the 2021 season. He previously got behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on Apr. 17. McGee finished 30th while driving for Reaume Brothers Racing.

According to a press release via Jayski, McGee will get behind the wheel of the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado. He will drive for Jordan Anderson Racing. Barstool Sports and the Zero Blog Thirty will serve as McGee’s primary sponsors for the race, providing a special green and yellow paint scheme.

“It’s an honor to have veteran Keith McGee and team driving the Zero Blog Thirty truck on behalf of Barstool Racing. Any opportunity Barstool gets to support our veterans, especially on Memorial Day Weekend, we’re happy to be a part of,” said Dave Portnoy, Founder and President of Barstool Sports in a statement.

McGee previously competed on a part-time schedule in the ARCA Menards Series – West in 2018 and 2019. He posted two top-10 finishes during the 2019 season, finishing 10th at Meridian Speedway in Idaho and Placer County Speedway in California.


The Camping World Truck Series Race Will Take Place on a Special Weekend

Truck Series

GettyTruck Series drivers race at Charlotte.

When McGee climbs into his firesuit and gets behind the wheel of the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado, he will help celebrate a special weekend. NASCAR uses the races on Memorial Day Weekend to support and express gratitude to veterans and those that gave their lives in the line of duty.

“As a veteran I was looking forward to racing this Memorial Day weekend at CMS,” McGee said in a statement, per Jordan Anderson Racing. “Monday of this week I had a sponsor back out at the last minute, and I put out a feeler on Twitter hoping for a miracle and a few hours later I was talking to Dave Portnoy about having Barstool Sports on the truck and the rest is history.

“I am very fortunate and grateful for all the companies out there like Barstool Sports that are willing to recognize and give back to the Military and support our Veterans. It is all very fitting everything was able to come together on the grand weekend of celebrating the servicemen and women of our United States Military. As a kid I always dreamed about driving the iconic No. 3 in NASCAR, it is such a surreal feeling knowing I will have the opportunity to run that number, but also be out on track competing for all my brothers and sisters in arms that made the ultimate sacrifice. For Barstool Sports and Jordan Anderson to give me this opportunity truly means a lot.”


McGee Tested Out his Skills at Charlotte on Friday Morning

Prior to taking part in the Truck Series race on Friday night, McGee headed out onto Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first practice session. He took several laps around the iconic track, posting a fastest lap of 32.243 seconds. He was 35th out of the 38-truck field.

With the practice session under his belt, McGee will now prepare for the qualifying session that determines his starting order. He will have one lap to post the fastest time and secure a spot near the front of the pack. McGee will be the 12th driver to head onto Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday evening, following Timmy Hill, Austin Wayne Self, and several other drivers.

The Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte will take place Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. FS1 will provide coverage for all of the action, including the qualifying sessions. Once the green flag waves, the drivers will compete for the checkered flag, as well as the $50,000 Triple Truck Challenge bonus presented by Womply.

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