DeCA IN VICTORY LANE: Commissary logo on hood of JR Motorsports car showcases benefit as Allgaier wins at Charlotte on Memorial Day
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – Awareness of the commissary benefit hit prime time on Memorial Day thanks to a sales promotion that placed the Defense Commissary Agency logo on the winning JR Motorsports (JRM) No. 7 car at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier drove the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro to victory at the Alsco Uniforms 300 race, notching his first NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) victory of the year and his 20th career win.
Unilever sales promotions in commissaries and the supplier’s partnership with JRM led to the DeCA logo featured on the hood of the No. 7 car specifically for the Charlotte race, along with a simulator replica of the car making the rounds at select stateside military commissaries through August.
Besides the DeCA logo, JRM and Unilever also partnered to show the logo of the Round Canopy Parachute Team (RCPT-USA), a registered non-profit organization which highlights allied paratroopers from World War II onward through parachuting demonstrations at air shows and commemorative events.
Allgaier mentioned the commissaries, the Round Canopy Parachute Team and Unilever during a post-race interview immediately after he captured the checkered flag.
“It’s Memorial Day. We all know how important today is,” Allgaier said. “So proud of this team. To have the Round Canopy Parachute Team on the car. To have the Defense Commissary Agency, Unilever, all the partners of JR Motorsports team … I’m emotional, you know someone whose grandfather was in the Navy, served in World War II. The Round Canopy Parachute Team actually left this morning to go to Normandy (France) to do a jump in Normandy on D-Day in a couple of days … just a lot of emotions.”
Edward Walters III, DeCA’s executive director of the Sales and Marketing Group, spoke on the significance of the ancillary benefit that commissary patrons receive thanks to DeCA’s business relationship with its industry suppliers.
“Millions of people saw the DeCA logo on the winning car in Charlotte and a good number of them are eligible commissary patrons,” Walters said. “The opportunity to showcase the benefit on this stage is due in part to the sales promotions we have with our industry suppliers. That specific awareness is ongoing thanks to the simulator replica currently making the rounds at some of our stores.”
On March 31, Allgaier joined representatives from JRM and Unilever at DeCA headquarters to unveil the simulator replica. Kurt Hall, team leader for Unilever’s Military Division, addressed the unique business relationship between commissaries and their industry suppliers.
“DeCA executing and building mass displays to support this event delivers the volume for industry to bring these types of promotions to life,” Hall said. “The DeCA patron is the ultimate winner when DeCA and industry come together.”
Schedule of remaining commissary appearances for the JR Motorsports No. 7 NASCAR Xfinity Series Simulator Car replica:
June
5 - Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; 15 - Fort Carson, Colorado; 16 - Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado; 19 - Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; 20 - Fort Riley, Kansas; 22 - Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; 26 - Fort Campbell, Kentucky; 27 - Fort Knox, Kentucky; 29 - Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
July
3 - McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey; 5 - Fort Meade, Maryland; 6 – Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; 7 - Fort Belvoir, Virginia; 8 - Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia; 12 - Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
August
16 – Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi; 18 - Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida; 19 - Hurlburt Field, Florida; 21 - Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; 23 - MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; 25 - Patrick Space Force Base, Florida; 29 - Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.
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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.