Cpl. Josh Moore‘s service and memory to be honored on racecar

A caravan of mourners stretched from Lewisburg to Russellville’s Carrico Park Square in 2007 following the funeral of Cpl. Josh Moore, a Lewisburg native who had lost his life in an explosion in Iraq 15 years ago tomorrow, appropriately Memorial Day.

This afternoon, the eyes of NASCAR Nation will be on cars circling Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600. One of those racecars will be adorned with an emblem honoring Josh Moore.

United States Army Cpl. Josh Moore will have his name appear on the Stewart-Haas #41 car driven by Cole Custer. Pre-race coverage begins at 4 p.m. (local time) with the race beginning at 5 p.m. airing on FOX Channel 17.

Stewart-Haas Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. The team is co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Haas Automation founder Gene Haas.

Cpl. Moore was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. He died at age 20 on May 30, 2007, in Baghdad of wounds sustained when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device.

He was a 2001 graduate of Lewisburg Middle School and a 2005 graduate of Logan County High School where he was a member of the Cougar baseball team. He was quick of feet and quick of wit, and he sported a contagious smile.

He was the son of Carolyn Moore and the late Jeff Moore. He is also survived by his beloved sister, Ashley Bobbett. Their home was on the old Lewisburg Road, and the funeral procession passed it on the way to Russellville.

Josh had been back in Logan County on leave shortly before returning to Iraq. He appeared before students at LMS and was considered a hero by many of them.

He told some of his friends that he anticipated his death while deployed to the Middle East and planned his own funeral before leaving. He had purchased a new truck which became one of the focal points of the funeral.

Josh’s friend from Lewisburg and Cougar baseball teammate Blake Meacham played a big role in getting Stewart-Haas to choose Josh Moore as one of its honorees today.

Meacham is a lifelong NASCAR fan and has gotten to know many of the people involved in the racing business.

He and some other young men from Logan County are in Charlotte this weekend for the race and to honor their friend, Cpl. Josh Moore.