They made the ultimate sacrifice. Now, NASCAR honors their memories

The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a NASCAR race with a memory.

On Sunday, drivers Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher will honor two fallen military friends of their lead engineer, Brian Burns. The display of the names of Specialist William Jeffries and Sgt. David Moore on the drivers’ windshields is part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program, one of the Memorial Day-themed events linked to the race.

“We’re so busy every weekend, and we don’t think about what’s going on around us and all of the things that happen,” Burns said. “It gives you the opportunity to sit back, and think about something like that for that day and pay your respects.”

Burns served with Jeffries and Moore in the same National Guard unit. His friends were later deployed to the Middle East. Jeffries died in 2003 in Kuwait due to a medical issue that arose while he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Moore died five years later after being exposed to chemicals during his Middle East deployment, according to a NASCAR release.

Burns served eight years in the Guard before pursuing a career in motorsports. He described Moore as a prankster and a mentor — “the alpha dog of our group.”

Jeffries, he said, was humble and good-natured.

“Every time I saw him, he had a big grin on his face,” Burns said. “He was just one of those guys that when you walk into the room, you see his grin. You’re like, ‘Oh, what are you up to?’”

Preece, who will be driving in his first Coca-Cola 600 for JTG racing ream, will have Jeffries’ name on his windshield.

“I’m really grateful to be able to honor a fallen soldier with such a personal connection to the team,” he said.

Added Burns: “You don’t want to forget what’s really important. You think what you’re doing is a really big deal ... but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not.”