On June 21, Texas A&M University celebrated the U.S. Navy and the president whose lifetime commitment to selfless service began with bombing runs over the Pacific in World War II.
At the first NASCAR race at an active military installation, the Haas Factory Team No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 included a special paint scheme honoring former President George H.W. Bush. He chose Texas A&M to carry on his extraordinary legacy through his presidential library and public affairs school, and his commitment to courageous leadership and selfless service continues to inspire Aggies to stand as a force for good.
Texas A&M has a season-long partial sponsorship of the No. 41 car, driven by Cole Custer. The Anduril 250 Race the Base NASCAR Cup Series race — NASCAR’s three-day celebration of the Navy’s 250th anniversary — presented a natural opportunity to commemorate the former president, who enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday.
Sam Bush LeBlond and Robert Koch, two of Bush’s grandsons, were on hand to watch the tribute to their grandfather.
“I think (the race) is a new opportunity for a new audience, a new generation of people, to be inspired by his legacy, his life of public service,” Alice Gonzalez Yates, chief executive officer of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, said just before the race began. She later added: “President Bush was a force for good. When we in the Aggie Family say we stand as a force for good, we are holding ourselves to his standard.”
An opportunity to spread Aggie values
The internationally televised event took place on a special 3.4-mile circuit at Naval Base Coronado. It presented an opportunity to not only tell the story of Bush’s legacy and his connection to Aggieland, but to bring Texas A&M’s core message, one shaped by Bush’s words and example, to an audience of millions: Together, we stand as a force for good.
The story was told on the No. 41 car. And in Texas A&M’s 30-second commercial, broadcast to millions of race viewers on Prime Video. And by a swarm of Ubers in the San Diego area branded with Texas A&M and the No 41. And by Texas A&M ambassador of good Hayden Schott ’25, a former student who conducted interviews and shared live race coverage from the base.
As part of NASCAR’s celebration of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, the Anduril 250 Race the Base event was held at Naval Base Coronado — and Texas A&M’s presence was seen throughout the San Diego area, with efforts including an Uber swarm, aerial banner and interviews by former student and goodwill ambassador Hayden Schott ’25.
Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
An enduring connection
Although Bush was not a Texas A&M alumnus, his affection for the university grew into one of the defining relationships of his later life. He visited often, admired the Corps of Cadets and spoke frequently about Texas A&M’s commitment to service.
His connection to Aggieland grew so strong that he chose Texas A&M over other locations, including his alma mater, Yale University, as the home of his presidential library and museum, in part because the university’s proposal included The Bush School of Government and Public Service. He kept an apartment on campus, attended baseball games, fished at the pond beside the presidential library and museum, and often visited with students about their studies, goals and lives.
He felt at home in College Station.
“I love the Aggie spirit,” he once said. “I’m proud to be part of this school, proud to be an Aggie.”
The No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro, driven by Cole Custer, celebrated Bush’s legacy of courageous leadership and selfless service. Texas A&M is carrying on that legacy through The Bush School of Government and Public Service, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and many other university efforts that serve the nation.
Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
Continuing a legacy
Though its Sunday paint scheme was a one-time tribute, the No. 41 car will continue to race this season under the number commemorating the 41st president. Texas A&M likewise continues carrying on Bush’s legacy.
Aggies committed to protecting the nation serve across the military, intelligence services and diplomatic corps. More graduates join their ranks each year, a fact that leads John Hennessey-Niland, a retired U.S. ambassador who now directs the Bush School’s Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, to refer to students as “future colleagues.”
The university also plays a key and growing role in national security, defense innovation and service to the men and women who protect the country. Institutes such as the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex conduct cutting-edge research and develop the next generation of defense and security technologies.
Taken together, the education and research make Texas A&M, as Bush said, “first in service to our nation.”