Civil Air Patrol and Lewis Motorsports Helping to Make Pentagon Memorial a Reality

Concord, NC (September 2, 2003) - In an effort to bring more awareness to the Pentagon Memorial, a memorial commemorating the 184 lives lost in the Pentagon and American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001, the No. 46 Civil Air Patrol Chevrolet Monte Carlo, driven by Ashton Lewis, Jr., will feature the logo for the Pentagon Memorial on its hood in Friday night's Funai 250 at Richmond International Raceway on September 5, 2003.

Construction of the Pentagon Memorial is being funded entirely by private donations. Family members of the victims have established the "Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc.," a not for profit organization to raise the funds to build and maintain the Memorial, which will be completed approximately 20 months after enough funding is available to begin the first phase. The amount needed to begin work is about $1.5 million. Money raised to date is $300,000.

Brett Eaton, Communications Team Leader for the Pentagon Renovation Program is hopeful that more Americans will become aware of the project through their involvement with the Civil Air Patrol and Lewis Motorsports in this weekend's event at Richmond International Raceway.

"For many people who lost loved ones at the Pentagon on 9-11, completing the Pentagon Memorial is the next step in the healing process," said Eaton. "The Pentagon Memorial Team is extremely grateful to NASCAR, the Civil Air Patrol, Ashton Lewis, Jr., and Lewis Motorsports for providing a way to get the message out to a patriotic and supportive audience."

Relatives of those who lost their lives have been involved with the project since its inception having input into both its exact location and its design. The memorial will be located just 60 yards or so away from the point of impact and directly along the flight path taken by the plane that struck the building on Sept. 11, 2001. Its design is composed of 184 6-foot-long benches, arranged in parallel rows under clusters of maple trees on the nearly two-acre site. Each bench is linked with an individual victim, whose name is to be incised on the narrow end face of a bench.

After learning about the project, Lewis Motorsports owner, Ashton Lewis, Sr., went to the Civil Air Patrol and inquired if they would be willing to donate their hood space for the Richmond event to the Pentagon Memorial. Colonel Al Allenback, Executive Director for the Civil Air Patrol, immediately agreed.

"This is such a small thing to ask," said Allenback. "September 11 impacted not only the citizens of the United States, but millions of people around the world. Everyone at the Civil Air Patrol felt, without a doubt, that the Pentagon Memorial project was something we wanted to be a part of. If just one donation is made to the Pentagon Memorial Fund as a result of seeing our car on Friday night, we will feel like we have done something special."

Ashton Lewis, Jr. feels especially honored to be a part of such a moving project.

"Years from now, people will see this memorial and remember what happened on September 11 and remember the men, women and children who lost their lives that day," said Lewis, Jr. "To have even a small part in making this memorial become a reality is a big honor for me and for everyone at Lewis Motorsports."

Donations to the Pentagon Memorial Project can be made by guidelines below:

· Checks should be made payable to the "United States Treasury

· Mail to:
Washington Headquarters Services
Pentagon Memorial/ Repair Fund Budget & Finance, Room 3B269
1155 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1155