An upcoming NASCAR race could be named for a local retired Navy SEAL.
Chesapeake native Jason Redman, 40, is one of five national finalists in Crown Royal’s “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard. If he receives the most votes by June 9, this year’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will bear his name.
Redman enlisted in the Navy out of high school and served for a decade as a SEAL, according to a bio from the contest. He was deployed on more than 40 capture/kill missions in Iraq, tracking down more than 120 terrorists, according to a summary of his book, “The Trident.”
Redman was wounded in the face and left arm in 2007 on a special operation to capture a high-value Al-Qaeda target. The injuries required 37 surgeries, according to the bio.
“The Trident” is about his recovery from his last mission. He founded the Combat Wounded Coalition, a Chesapeake nonproft that works to help veterans find purpose and peace after war.
People can meet Redman at a voting party Friday afternoon at the Virginia ABC store at Hilltop North Shopping Center. The event will run from 3 to 5 p.m. and will include tastings of Crown Royal spirits and hors d’oeuvres.
The other finalists in the contest are a retired Army infantryman who was shot five times while helping students escape a shooting at a community college; a retired Army sergeant whose unit ran over a roadside bomb to protect others; a retired Army captain who founded Healing4Heroes after her own pet helped her recovery from war; and an active Army National Guard sergeant first class and police officer who saved her squad during an ambush by insurgents in Iraq, actions that led to her becoming the first woman since World War II to receive a Silver Star.
For more about the competition and Redman, or to vote for him, visit yourherosnamehere.nascar.com. Voters can cast ballots once per day.
