NASCAR-USO Tour Featuring Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano Lifts Spirits Among Troops in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

ARLINGTON, Va. (Dec. 15, 2011) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing, and Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, brought holiday cheer, smiles and good times to troops and their families on NASCAR-USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during their NASCAR-USO visit Dec. 12-14.

The tour of Guantanamo Bay was part of an ongoing partnership between NASCAR and the USO to strengthen a connection between the military and motorsports in an effort to help boost the morale of U.S. troops and their families stationed around the world. The partnership also included NASCAR and the USO hosting a group of wounded warriors at the 2011 Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas.

Details:

• During the visit, Keselowski and Logano visited hundreds of sailors and Coast Guardsmen, and their families. The pair also dined with troops, visited the U.S. Navy Hospital, signed autographs and patrolled the waters with troops.
  
  
• This was the first USO tour for Keselowski and Logano.
  
  
• Keselowski and Logano are avid supporters of the military community. Both drivers have visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center, now known as Walter Reed National Medical Center, and spent quality time with wounded warriors.
  
  
• Keselowski, who follows in the racing footsteps of his father and uncle, won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 2009 at Talladega and finished fifth in the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his second full season at that level.

• The 21-year-old Logano began racing at age six and is the youngest winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. He recently completed his third season at NASCAR’s highest level in 2011.

Quotes:

Attributed to Joey Logano:
"It was awesome to learn more about Guantanamo Bay and what the mission is down there and how it works. It was great to meet and talk to the troops, and it was one heck of an experience. We get to see a lot of troops at the race track, but to see them in action and doing their jobs...I am so impressed and have such a high amount of  respect for each and every one of them and what they do."

Attributed to Brad Keselowski:
"This was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so glad to be a part of it. I hope to go back on another USO Tour. After meeting the men and women in Guantanamo Bay, I cannot imagine the sacrifices and experiences they have to go through during their time there. It was an amazing experience and I am so grateful that I was invited to go."

Attributed to USO President Sloan Gibson:
"NASCAR and its drivers bring excitement to the track week after week and we are honored to have two of NASCAR's biggest names join us on a USO tour. I can't think of a better, more suitable place for this tour to bring a touch of home than to NASCARfans stationed in Guantanamo Bay.”

Attributed to NASCAR President Mike Helton:
“NASCAR is honored to work with the USO and be a part of bringing this tour to our men and women in Guantanamo Bay.  We hope this tour has lifted the spirits of troops and their families; we are honored to have the opportunity to show our support and show how much our troops mean to NASCAR and its millions of fans around the world.”

Multimedia:

Social Media and Other Web Sites:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/the_USO, http://twitter.com/armedforcesent, http://twitter.com/JLogano, http://twitter.com/keselowski and http://twitter.com/nascar

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theUSO, http://www.facebook.com/Armed.Forces.Ent , www.facebook.com/joeylogano20, www.facebook.com/bradkeselowki and www.facebook.com/NASCAR

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/USO4troops

Web: www.uso.org, www.armedforcesentertainment.com,

www.joeylogano.com, http://bradracing.com and www.nascar.com

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About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide. We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen.

The USO is a private, nonprofit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors. In addition to individual donors and corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by President’s Circle Partners: American Airlines and TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Worldwide Strategic Partners: AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation and Procter & Gamble. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). To join us in this patriotic mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit uso.org. 

Oname Thompson, USO
(703) 908-6471
othompson@uso.org

Matt Nordby, NASCAR
(704) 348-9751
mnordby@nascar.com

About the USO

The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide.  We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen.

The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors.  In addition to individual donors and corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by President’s Circle Partners: American Airlines and TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Worldwide Strategic Partners: AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation and Procter & Gamble. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381).  To join us in this patriotic mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit http://www.uso.org.