We’ve got to get him qualifed first. The new superintendent at Fishburne Military School, Col. Roy F. “Rick” Zinser, grew up in Florida just down the road a bit from Daytona, so he knows the drill in NASCAR.
Fishburne has what you might call a rooting interest in the goings-on at Daytona this race weekend, specifically regarding the No. 01 JD Motorsports Chevrolet in Saturday’s Camping World 300.
“Every alumni is excited. The parents and kids are excited. It is a great opportunity to launch a recognition of our 130th year of serving kids and families in our nation. So that exposure can’t hurt, and it’s serving as a rally point around which everybody is celebrating what we’ve done here,” said Col. Zinser, talking about the sponsorship of the 01 car that will have the FMS crest and its “Leadership for Life” slogan making left turns and straightaway runs at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race.
How the one-time sponsorship came to be is “serendipity,” said Zinser, who took over the reins as superintendent at Fishburne on Feb. 1. “The sponsor that was going to sponsor Mike dropped out, and they happen to have a long-term relationship with a board member, and they’d talked about it previously, and it sparked something in Mr. Wallace’s memory, and he talked to our board member, and as they say, the rest is history,” Zinser said.
Wallace said this week that the sponsorship deal is “just as exciting for them as it is for us.” “I’m just hoping we can do them proudly and represent them well on the track. Heck, why not go out there and shock the world with a win – its Daytona baby!” Wallace said.
Zinser has a similar thought in mind.
“I’ve got a mixed emotion. I hope Mr. Wallace is going slowly enough around the track so that people can see the car, and I want him to be in the lead. So I don’t know how all that works. Maybe a yellow flag once he gets in the lead so he has to slow down. And then some doughnuts in the infield to celebrate the win,” Zinser said.
Programming Note
– A profile of Col. Roy F. “Rick” Zinser will run in the AFP on Monday.
– Story by Chris Graham
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Chris Graham
