The Honor and Remember flag being unfolded at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Feb. 15, 2025. (NASCAR)

Gold Star mother Billi-Jo Shelton was overwhelmed with the amount of love and support at Daytona International Speedway when NASCAR audiences nationwide were honoring her son, Army Cpl. Jimmy L. Shelton, who died in December 2005 during a mortar attack in Baji, Iraq. 

“Freedom isn’t free,” Shelton told Stars and Stripes last week. “Each person that has given their life for our freedom, their lives count. For Jimmy to be recognized for that, it really touched my heart deeply. It was very emotional.”

NASCAR hosted two Gold Star families at the United Rentals 300 and 67th DAYTONA 500 in Florida on Feb. 15 and 16 in commemoration of its official IMPACT partnership with Honor and Remember — a nonprofit organization that publicly recognizes fallen service members.

The family of Army Spc. Daniel J. Agami — who was among five soldiers who were killed in June 2007 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq — also was recognized.

NASCAR unfurled the Honor and Remember flag at the speedway after the new partnership was announced Feb. 14.

“This is our commitment to you and preserving the memories of your fallen family members. We embrace this responsibility fully, and we look forward to growing the partnership,” said Pete Stuart, the managing director of NASCAR IMPACT. Introduced in 2023, IMPACT focuses on sustainability, community engagement and social initiatives.

Family of Army Cpl. Jimmy L. Shelton hold the Honor and Remember flag at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, February 2025. (NASCAR)

Being hosted at the racetrack meant the Gold Star families were integrated into pre-race ceremonies and other events and were even able to sit in for the drivers’ meetings. Stuart said NASCAR leaders, drivers and race team officials showed a “deep and profound reverence and respect” toward the families. 

Billi-Jo is touched that the sacrifices of her son and other service members are being remembered. She said although Jimmy was not there physically, she felt his presence during the day.

“Jimmy would’ve been all into this, and he would’ve had a great time being there,” she said.

NASCAR has maintained a relationship with Honor and Remember since 2011, with the nonprofit helping the auto racing organization recognize Gold Star families. Formalizing the relationship as part of the IMPACT program allows NASCAR to better coordinate its resources, Stuart said.

“Honor and Remember has become a very recognizable part of our sport ... The world moves at a fast pace, and it’s important that these sons and daughters are never forgotten, and that’s the message we are trying to evangelize,” Stuart said.

NASCAR will host more than 20 Gold Star families throughout the 2025 season. The founder of Honor and Remember, George Lutz — who is also a Gold Star parent — said that NASCAR is helping them make an impact to all who may have lost a loved one, and is sending a message of remembrance to their fan base and viewers across the world.

“My hope is that we can raise the level of patriotism in this country to the point where people are appreciating the freedoms that they’re given, that people fought and died for,” Lutz said.

The Honor and Remember flag that now waves at NASCAR racetracks has been adopted by 28 states as an official public symbol of sacrifices made by service members across all branches of the armed forces. The organization is currently working on making its flag a national symbol with bill H.R. 1363, introduced on Feb. 14 by Rep. Donald G. Davis, D-N.C.

NASCAR and Honor and Remember launched a new partnership on Feb. 14 to bring Gold Star families to racetracks nationwide. (NASCAR via Audacy)