A former Emporian will be the fastest thing going at Daytona International Speedway next weekend. And no, it’s not Clint Bowyer.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Chad James, the son of Bob and Debbie James of Unruh Automotive, will lead a flyover of F-15s at the Pepsi 400 Nextel race on July 7. James has served in the military since 1999 and is an instructor for the F-15C, an air-to-air combat plane.
“I’m excited,” said Bob James, who served in the Air Force ground crew from 1975 to 1979. “I wish he could take me up, but he can’t.”
He and his wife found out about three weeks ago. And while they don’t get to be in the cockpit, they do get to be in the racing pit, allowing them front-row seats for a certain other Emporia speedster. The family knows the Bowyers well: Clint Bowyer went to school a year behind Chad’s younger brother and Bowyer’s dad Chris runs a towing company that has done a lot of business with Unruh Automotive.
But Chad James isn’t likely to begrudge Bowyer the spotlight. Not when he has the skies.
“He doesn’t even like to drive a car anymore,” Bob James said with a laugh. “It’s not fast enough for him.”
As a boy, Chad always wanted to fly, a dream his parents encouraged. The family had a tradition of military service, so the Air Force seemed a natural fit.
When 9/11 hit and war in Afghanistan and Iraq followed, James almost wound up in the war zone. But his unit was supposed to be based out of Turkey — and Turkey refused to let the U.S. use its territory for air bases. The move never happened.
As it is, he’s an unlikely fighter in an anti-terrorist war. The F-15C is designed to battle planes rather than make groundstrikes and al-Qaida isn’t exactly known for its dogfights. But there are still plenty of roles to play. On one occasion, James “flew canopy” for a plane carrying Vice-President Dick Cheney and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, flying overhead and quietly watching for trouble.
“They may not have even seen him there,” Bob James said.
That won’t be true next week. Whether they know him or not, everyone will see Chad James at Daytona.
“This is our tax dollars at work, I guess,” Bob James chuckled. “But it’s good to enjoy it sometimes instead of having them out where they have to kill someone, I guess.”
cyberspace (anonymous) says...
Great, two Emporians wasting fuel for no good reason at all.
And thanks Bob, your final comment was perhaps a little hint into the cost of this neat little fly by! NASCAR is hopefully chipping in. Sounds like you have reservations about billing the people for this propaganda. How much will this cost we dumbed down taxpayers?
I bet they disarmed his jet when he flew canopy for Cheney!
June 30, 2007 at 8:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
antmarching (anonymous) says...
And what exactly are you doing to save "we" taxpayers money, cyberspace? Walking to work this week? Good job. I can already feel my pockets getting fatter.
June 30, 2007 at 9:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )