Although Tony Stewart is not at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend as he recovers from his broken leg, Stewart and the Stewart-Haas Racing crew are nevertheless making their presence felt.
On the side of Stewart's No. 14 SHR Chevrolet, which is being driven by Mark Martin, is a decal honoring the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew who perished fighting a savage wildfire near the rural Arizona town of Yarnell earlier this year. In addition to the lives of the 19 elite firefighters, the blaze destroyed more than 100 buildings.
"It wasn't that long ago when the firefighters lost their lives," said Mike Arning, SHR's director of communications. "And coming out here, you look at all the first responders, who not only take care of the competitors, but take care of the fans, and we just felt it was a small way to let folks know we haven't forgotten.
"Whether it's a corner worker who works for a fire department or folks making sure the fans coming to this racetrack remain safe, somebody probably has a connection to those firefighters in Prescott," Arning said. "And we wanted to just do something small just to let folks know that their sacrifices will never, ever be forgotten."
Mission accomplished.
