Teams, Servicemembers Set for Veterans Race of Remembrance

Nolan Yuke (pictured above) was a U.S. Army combat veteran who lost his sense of identity after leaving the military. Camen Lackney battled depression after being injured in Iraq.

Though they’ve never met in person, visits to the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International changed their lives forever.

They’ll meet in person in next weekend’s CrowdStrike Veterans Race of Remembrance powered by AWS at Virginia International Raceway. The green flag drops at 9 a.m. ET for the six-hour race that will share the weekend with the Mustang Cup season-finale and Radical World Finals.

A longtime sports car fan, Yuke entered a contest for free tickets to the 2024 Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen and won them.

While at the race Yuke met Operation Motorsport staff, realized his skills could make him a good candidate for their Motorsport Immersion program – where veterans are paired with crews in IMSA, SRO, FEL and NASCAR Canada – and signed up. In 2025 he began his first of two years he’ll serve with Meyer Shank Racing’s IMSA program.

“Being able to meet all those [veterans who] have been working in their respective racing series for the year and now working together for a common goal, that’s what stands out to me,” Yuke said.

“To those that make this possible, to all the sponsors, your contribution to this organization is changing lives. All you have to do is talk to their families and they will say it has an incredible impact on us all. There’s not a day I wake up and don’t think about the day I [found Operation Motorsport].”

Yuke will serve as car chief for the No. 022 Operation Motorsport Mazda Miata MX-5. Powersports Garage and Random Vandals Racing will support the four-car, U.S.-Canadian Operation Motorsport team.

Lackney, a retired E4 Specialist in the U.S. Army, also found Operation Motorsport at the Glen and signed up to race in the Operation eMotorsport iRacing League, a league veterans, Active Duty military and those who support them.

Next week, he will be one of five Operation Motorsport veterans and staff who will be welcomed to the Ford Racing Technical Center in Concord, N.C. courtesy of Ford Racing and Ford Philanthropy, to see Ford Racing’s state-of-the-art simulators.

“I was initially injured in 2014 during deployment and spent 11 years fighting [to get a diagnosis for] my injuries,” Lackney said. “Over the years…I became less and less active as I was in constant pain.

“I rediscovered my childhood love of motorsport during COVID…I found racing to be very therapeutic and relaxing.

“Through iRacing I met a lot of veterans and became part of a team who has helped support me in my recovery as well as share many fun and happy memories racing together.

“Racing was just a hobby, that turned into a passion, that has now completely reshaped my life and given me a new purpose in something I could never have dreamed of.”

The six-hour CrowdStrike Veterans Race of Remembrance powered by AWS features racing in four categories based on horsepower/ton: Freedom; Valor; Remembrance; and Honor.

Teams competing are largely owned or operated, crewed and driven by veterans – or those who support them. It’s also broken into two sections.

Teams will pause halfway through for a remembrance ceremony to remember all those who have given their lives for their countries.

Resilience Racing and Team BRIT have partnered with Skip Barber Racing School to field two entries in the race – the No. 249 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 and a Ford Mustang.

“Competing alongside Team BRIT at the CrowdStrike Veterans Race of Remembrance Powered by AWS marks the culmination of longstanding relationships with both Team BRIT and Skip Barber Racing School, who have been with us since the very beginning,” said Kirk Dooley, team principal of Resilience Racing.”

“We are profoundly grateful to them both — from Team BRIT’s steadfast guidance and mentorship to Skip Barber Racing School’s extraordinary generosity over the years with cars, tires, training, and now at this event. Their support not only enables Resilience Racing to compete in this race but also creates new opportunities to advance our mission at an exciting new level.”

One of Team BRIT’s drivers, Paul Fullick, of Fareham in Southampton, is a former member of the British Army who survived a life-threatening diving incident which left him with limited walking ability, reduced strength, problems speaking and communicating and forced his early retirement from the Army.

Fullick started racing for Team BRIT in 2022 and this season competed in the Britcar Endurance Championship with co-driver Aaron Morgan in their McLaren 570S GT4.

“In the UK, we work hard to create opportunities for disabled drivers, using our technology to ensure they can race on equal terms with able-bodied competitors,” Fullick said.

“We’ve brought this technology over to the States, to use with our U.S. teammates, and what’s really special is that we’ll leave the tech behind as a legacy, in the hope that even more disabled drivers will benefit in the way that my Team BRIT colleagues and I have.”

“This is a huge moment for us, and a project that has been in the making for many years, originally conceived by Team BRIT founder Dave Player,” said Team BRIT team principal Mike Scudamore.

“Our roots are within the military, having originally been formed to support injured veterans, and our vision has always been to spread our message far and wide and to share our technology and learning globally.

“This opportunity brings all of this together, and provides our drivers, and those within Resilience Racing with the chance to come together to represent everything that is so powerful about inclusion in motorsport.

“This wouldn’t be happening without the support and backing of the Skip Barber Racing School – one of the largest and most successful racing schools in the world. Their car, equipped with our controls, and driven by a fantastic team of drivers, will be a special moment in our history.”

Connie Nyholm, the CEO and majority owner of VIR, is excited to be part of this new event.

“We are passionate about veterans’ wellness so when Operation Motorsport approached us we were happy to sign on,” she said. “This weekend truly is designed by veterans, for veterans…We are proud to host this race and look forward to being part of the many life-changing moments that will come of it.”

The CrowdStrike Veterans Race of Remembrance powered by AWS will be broadcast live at 8:30 a.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 8 on Operation Motorsport’s YouTube channel.

Tickets for the event are free for Active Duty military and 50 percent off for veterans with a code from GovX.com.