Daytona Beach, Fla. (29 June 2017) – When VISIT FLORIDA Racing arrives for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, the team will be racing for more than just a victory. The organization has teamed with Homes for our Troops for the six-hour endurance event as part of a tribute for our Veterans in celebration of the upcoming
Independence Day holiday.
With a new camo-blue paint scheme for the event, the No. 90 Gibson-powered Riley will also feature branding from each military branch.
The partnership brings together three different IMSA teams as SunEnergy1 Racing and its CEO Kenny Habul are donating to the cause. Retired Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer, who races for Mazda with Freedom Autosport in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge will benefit. Dwyer is an Afghanistan combat veteran who lost his leg to an improvised explosive device and is receiving a house from the Homes For Our Troops organization.
Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) is a 501c3 charity organization that provides 100% handicap accessible homes to combat disabled veterans, mortgage free. The homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. Homes For Our Troops builds the homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives.
“My wife Meghan and I are very fortunate to have been accepted into the Homes For Our Troops program,” said Dwyer. “Being provided a handicap accessible home is a huge weight lifted off our shoulders. This will allow me the freedom to move around our house with complete ease. Lower counter tops, wider doorways, roll-in shower, assisted entry/exit doors, etc. all go into making our home accessible to me. Unfortunately this means I can do
chores like laundry and cook! To have the ability to come home after a race weekend, take my leg off and relax, all while still being able to function and move around freely in my wheelchair, is something I can’t put into words. I can’t thank Homes For Our Troops enough for providing this freedom to us.”
A representative from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Dwyer recovered following his injury, will also be in attendance at Watkins Glen.
For VISIT FLORIDA Racing, the opportunity to honor our Veterans while also helping one of IMSA’s own in Dwyer, extends far beyond what happens on the racetrack.
“First of all I want to say thank you to all of our Veterans and current armed forces for their sacrifice for our country,” said VISIT FLORIDA Racing team owner Troy Flis. “We are honored to represent Homes For Our Troops
at the Glen and show everyone what this incredible organization is all about. We have watched Liam (Dwyer) race over the last few years and it’s just been outstanding to see all he has accomplished. So we are thrilled to have him benefit from this cause. And of course a big thank you to Kenny (Habul) who stepped up to be a part of this deal. On the track we may all be competitors but away from the track it has been great to see everyone come together for this cause.”
Renger van der Zande and Marc Goossens will co-drive the No. 90 VISIT FLORIDA Racing Gibson-Riley in the Sahlen’s 6 Hours of the Glen on Sunday, July 2. Race coverage begins at 10:00 AM ET on FS1.