{"id":55871,"date":"2026-01-15T20:13:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T02:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=55871"},"modified":"2026-01-19T20:18:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T02:18:49","slug":"nascar-at-cota-unveils-first-responder-appreciation-weekend-initiative-for-upcoming-duramax-grand-prix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/15\/nascar-at-cota-unveils-first-responder-appreciation-weekend-initiative-for-upcoming-duramax-grand-prix\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR at COTA unveils First Responder Appreciation Weekend Initiative for upcoming DuraMAX Grand Prix"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_55874\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"55874\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/15\/nascar-at-cota-unveils-first-responder-appreciation-weekend-initiative-for-upcoming-duramax-grand-prix\/mail-12-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1440\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"mail (12)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Briscoe honors Austin\u2019s award-winning first responders Phill Johnson, Amber Price and Tanner Cilento during a special on-site announcement. (Courtesy photo)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?fit=640%2C360\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55874\" class=\"size-large wp-image-55874\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12.jpg?resize=640%2C360\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?resize=640%2C360 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C169 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C432 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C864 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-55874\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Briscoe honors Austin\u2019s award-winning first responders Phill Johnson, Amber Price and Tanner Cilento during a special on-site announcement. (Courtesy photo)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Courtesy of NASCAR at COTA<\/em><\/p>\n<p>AUSTIN, Texas\u00a0\u2013<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Briscoe joined Austin police, fire and EMS staff along with recruiting personnel at Austin Fire Station #53 \/ EMS #42 on Thursday to reveal its \u201cFirst Responder Appreciation Weekend\u201d initiative for the February 27-March 1 DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.<\/p>\n<p>The three-day event featuring America\u2019s premier motorsports series will celebrate greater Austin and regional Central Texas first responders while offering attendees an opportunity to engage with recruiters and learn more about public safety careers.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement outlined the program\u2019s highlights and Briscoe applauded the city\u2019s 2025 award-winning first responders from the fire, EMS and police departments. Those honored were Phill Johnson, 2025 Austin Firefighter of the Year; Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Amber Price, 2025 National Community Paramedic of the Year; and Austin police officer Tanner Cilento, a 2025 Star of Texas Award recipient<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you to the first responders serving Austin and Central Texas,\u201d said 2025 Austin Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, councilwoman for District 2 that includes COTA. \u201cOur police officers, firefighters and EMS professionals put themselves in harm\u2019s way every day to keep our community safe and they deserve recognition year-round. I\u2019m grateful to NASCAR at COTA for being a strong community partner and for turning appreciation into action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following a motorcycle-led procession featuring a fire truck, EMS unit, police cruiser and NASCAR at COTA pace car\u00a0 for the arrival of the first-responder honorees and Briscoe, NASCAR at COTA Vice President of Events Kenton Nelson outlined the key program highlights:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>NASCAR at COTA is recognizing the recruitment efforts for the Austin fire, police and EMS departments by providing an expansive and highly visible display area in the Fan Zone for race weekend. First responder representatives will be on site throughout the weekend to visit with individuals interested in career opportunities in any of the three respective departments.<\/li>\n<li>All greater Austin and regional first responders are eligible for up to six complimentary tickets each to enjoy with their families for any or all of the days of NASCAR racing action.<\/li>\n<li>Appreciation event Friday, Feb. 27, at COTA\u2019s amphitheater for first responders and their families, featuring complimentary food and beverages; a NASCAR driver autograph session; on-stage driver Q&amp;As with co-hosts Kenny Wallace and Jose Castillo; and a live concert. More than 1,800 RSVPs already have been received in early sign-up for the opening celebration event.<\/li>\n<li>Pre-race activities incorporating first responders throughout the weekend, including\u00a0National Anthem performances Saturday and Sunday; Color Guard presentations both days; bagpipe performance and video tribute Sunday; and special recognition of Johnson, Price and Cilento at the Cup Series drivers\u2019 meeting and pre-race activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cNASCAR at COTA is proud to shine a spotlight on the first responders who protect this community year round as well as increasing awareness for public safety career opportunities,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cThis program is about more than tickets or ceremonies \u2013 it\u2019s about meaningful appreciation, inclusion and giving these heroes and their families a memorable race weekend experience while putting them front and center on a national stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Briscoe applauded the honorees and then presented each with an autographed\u00a0Joe Gibbs Racing crew shirt. He also joined Johnson in a\u00a0lighthearted yet educational comparison\u00a0of firefighter and NASCAR helmets and protective gear,\u00a0highlighting the shared commitment of safety across both professions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolice officers, firefighters and EMS professionals are absolutely essential to everything we do on race weekends,\u201d Briscoe said. \u201cFrom keeping fans safe to being there the moment we need them on track, they\u2019re a huge part of why NASCAR events run as smoothly and safely as they do. What they provide for this community every day \u2013 and<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>for us as drivers when we\u2019re racing \u2013 is something we never take for granted. It\u2019s an honor to help recognize such talented individuals like Amber, Phill and Tanner today, along with all of their dedicated and courageous colleagues at the upcoming NASCAR at COTA weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DuraMAX,\u00a0recently announced as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA, is proud to support NASCAR at COTA\u2019s \u201cFirst Responder Appreciation\u201d initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPartnering with NASCAR at COTA to recognize Austin\u2019s fire, police and EMS teams reflects the values we stand behind as an organization,\u201d said Mike Cooper, Chief Commercial Officer of RelaDyne. \u201cAlongside race fans across the country and around the world, we look forward to honoring and celebrating these community heroes during the DuraMAX Grand Prix on March 1.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For race fans, individual race tickets and weekend packages, along with camping options, are available by visiting\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nascaratcota.com\/?utm_source=cota&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=pr011526\">NASCARatCOTA.com<\/a>. The race weekend offers family-friendly affordability, including tickets for children ages 12 and under at $10 for the NCS race and free for the Focused Health 250 (with a ticketed adult required for either race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Courtesy of NASCAR at COTA AUSTIN, Texas\u00a0\u2013\u00a0NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Briscoe joined Austin police, fire and EMS staff along with recruiting personnel at Austin Fire Station #53 \/ EMS #42 on Thursday to reveal its \u201cFirst Responder Appreciation Weekend\u201d initiative for the February 27-March 1 DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":55874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[38,11],"tags":[39,16],"class_list":["post-55871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-circuit-of-the-americas","category-nascar","tag-circuit-of-the-americas","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mail-12-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-ex9","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55871"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55875,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55871\/revisions\/55875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}