Dover tailflash flies around the Monster Mile

Published Sept. 30, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Zachary Cacicia
436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The Dover tailflash is blue, yellow, black and white, has the head of an eagle, depicts the Liberty Bell, proudly displays the name "Dover," and normally is only found adorning the tail section of Team Dover C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. So how exactly did a Dover tailflash find itself speeding around the Dover International Speedway at speeds in excess of 160 mph during the 2014 AAA 400, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?

Three days prior to the green flag, the Germain Racing team, with Casey Mears, driver of the #13 GEICO Chevy SS, Robert "Bootie" Barker, crew chief, and crew members took part in a community relations orientation flight aboard a C-17 cargo plane, operated by the 436th Airlift Wing. This flight was primarily a training mission for the aircrew to remain current on their training.

Maj. Glenn Garcia, 436th AW commander's action group chief and aircraft commander, said that when he joined the Air Force and became a pilot, he never imaged that he would one day fly a NASCAR team on an aerial refueling training mission.

"It was really cool," said Garcia. "I had no idea that an event like this was possible."

The Team Dover C-17 carrying the team rendezvoused with a KC-135R Stratotanker, operated by the 459th Air Refueling Wing, out of Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

"The flight went well, the fact that we had so many people up there to get a look at the aerial refueling was challenging from the pilots' side," said Garcia. "Night aerial refueling is one of the most challenging things we do in a C-17."

The two aircraft successfully completed 14 closures that night, with all the members of the Germain Racing team able to witness an aerial refueling closure from the aircraft's flight deck.

"You always look at these aircraft and wonder what it would be like inside and think it would be cool to ride in one," said Mears. "I appreciate the opportunity and how great everybody has been; I appreciate everything everyone in the service does for our country, and this is a great opportunity for us to see it first-hand."

Crew chief, "Bootie" Barker, who happens to be a mechanical engineer, knows his way around the competitive field of motorsports. But a C-17 Globemaster III is a whole different beast.

"They have a lot more procedures and tons of checklists," said Barker. "We have procedures as well, but these guys make ours look miniscule."

To thank the Airmen at Dover AFB, the Germain Racing team decided to place a few Dover tailflashes on their #13 GEICO Chevy SS stock-car that ran in the 2014 AAA 400, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

"What we really wanted to do is show our appreciation for the military and specifically all the folks at Dover Air Force Base," said Larry Rogers, Germain Racing general manager. "We are proud to be carrying those colors on our car; it's an honor for us."

The morning after the flight, aircraft structural maintainers, Tech. Sgt. Duncan Alexander, Staff Sgt. Jasmine Jones and Airman 1st Class Loren Genao, all from the 436th Maintenance Squadron travelled to the track to apply the Dover tailflash decals to the car. Though not as large as the 1.5 by 24 feet tailflash on a C-17, the decals they applied to the car are prominently displayed on the lower quarter panels and the decklid (the rear trunk).

Racing at 160 mph plus around the track, jokingly, the Dover tailflash has never gone so slow, compared to the 500 plus mph that a C-17 flies.

Not only was the Dover tailflash on the car as it raced around the track on the Sunday race, but Team Dover Airmen could also be found in the Germain Racing team's pit, as honorary pit crew members.

One of these honorary pit crew members, Senior Airman Caroline Caballero, 436th Comptroller Squadron NCO in charge of the commander support staff, gained a new appreciation of the sport.

"Coming to the race today, I didn't really know much about the sport," said Caballero. "But seeing everything that the driver and pit crew go through has really turned me into a fan. It's really great that they invited us here into their pit."

From the orientation flight to the race, the entire experience was a victory for both Germain Racing and Team Dover.