Jeff Kyle, who served in the military for eight years and is a board member of the Guardian For Heroes Foundation, has been selected as the winner of Crown Royal Canadian Whisky’s “Your Hero’s Name Here’’ program, which awards naming rights to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The July 26 race will be known as Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard. The race will be shown by NBCSN.
Kyle, who is from Lorena, Texas, was deployed multiple times to Iraq and Africa while serving in the military. During his time with the 3rd Marine Division, Kyle received the Navy Achievement Medal for leading the first Marine detachment to transport a nuclear submarine through hostile waters.
Now, Kyle helps fellow service members by bringing awareness to the needs of veterans through the Guardian for Heroes Foundation.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m deserving of this recognition,” Kyle said in a release. “My true service to this country didn’t begin until I got out of the military and I’m proud to be in the position I am.”
The announcement was made Thursday night before a Texas Rangers game at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
In addition to Kyle, program finalists included: Benjamin Parker, retired Army Staff Sergeant from Cincinnati, Ohio; Hector Manley, community leader from Bonita Springs, Florida; Brendan Marrocco, retired Army Sergeant from Staten Island, New York; and Margy Bons, founder of the Military Assistance Mission from Phoenix, Arizona.