We Remember: Honoring the Heroes and Victims of September 11
Twenty years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the NASCAR community came together for a weekend centered on something much bigger than racing: remembering the lives lost, honoring the first responders who ran toward danger, and supporting the families and service members who continue to carry their legacy.
During NASCAR's September 2021 race weekend at Richmond Raceway, tributes to September 11 could be seen throughout the track. A 1,100-pound piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center was displayed in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, race cars carried special tribute paint schemes, and a Wall of Remembrance honored those who lost their lives that day.
For the weekend, Nine Line Apparel was grateful for the opportunity to contribute in another way.
Through the sale of special “We Remember” T-shirts, Nine Line helped raise $120,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organization whose work honors the sacrifice of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller and supports America's first responders, Gold Star families, and catastrophically injured service members.
The effort was one part of a much larger weekend of remembrance.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the track in a car inspired by the Tribute in Light that illuminates the New York City skyline each year in memory of those lost on September 11. American flags were given to fans entering the raceway, while teams throughout the NASCAR Xfinity Series displayed American and 9/11 Memorial & Museum flags from their pit boxes.
For Nine Line, participating in the weekend was about helping preserve the meaning behind a promise made in the aftermath of September 11: we will never forget.
We remember the nearly 3,000 lives taken that day. We remember the first responders who entered the World Trade Center knowing others needed their help. We remember the families whose lives were forever changed. And we remember the service members and first responders who have continued to answer the call in the years since.
A shirt, a race car, or a flag can never adequately repay that sacrifice. But they can help keep a story alive, support organizations serving those who have sacrificed, and remind another generation why September 11 must never become just another date on the calendar.
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