DIAMOND BAR, Calif. — Nexen Tire America Inc. is partnering with the Purple Heart Foundation and a group of other performance component suppliers in setting up "American Muscle for American Heroes," a program to honor wounded veterans.
"Nexen Tire understands the incredible sacrifice made by U.S. service members and we are honored to have the opportunity to give back to a deserving veteran as part of our American Muscle for American Heroes program," Kyle Roberts, senior director of marketing at Nexen Tire, said.
"Purple Heart recipients have displayed unbelievable courage in the line of duty and we are humbled by their bravery and contributions as veterans. This program is our way of saying 'thank you' to these heroes for securing our safety, as we continue to work hard to keep drivers safe on the road by manufacturing some of the world's highest-quality tires."
The new initiative will select a deserving Purple Heart recipient to receive an iconic American muscle car. The first year it will be a 2018 Dodge Challenger R/T 392 SCAT Pack equipped with Nexen Roadian HP Street Sport all-season radials and a package of other performance add-ons, Nexen said.
Nexen Tire is accepting nominations for the inaugural American Muscle award through mid-December. Submissions can be made via Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtag #NEXENHero.
Nominations should include three pieces of information for each submission – a story, a picture and the #NEXENHero hashtag. Nexen Tire also has a nomination form on its website for those who choose not to make a submission via social media.
Details as to when the winner will be announced and where the car will be presented are still being worked out.
Renowned car builder Kenny Pfitzer with Zero to 60 Designs was in charge of customizing the Challenger, which will debut at this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Besides the Nexen tires, the Nexen Tire Purple Heart Dodge Challenger build includes:
- Savini wheels;
- VIS Racing carbon fiber hood, front bumper, deck lid and splitters;
- PPG custom paint job;
- Eibach front and rear sway bars;
- MagnaFlow cat-back exhaust system;
- Oracle Lighting custom headlights; and /
- SolarGard window tint.
Chartered in 1957, the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation is the fundraising engine of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Through grants and outreach programs, the order lends support to other organizations whose programs align with Purple Heart's mission, as well as make smaller direct contributions to veterans facing exceptionally difficult financial challenges.
At SEMA, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipient, will represent the Purple Heart Foundation and supporting the American Muscle for American Heroes program. Mr. was wounded in Afghanistan in 2008 serving in Operation Enduring Freedom.
"As a Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipient, I am extremely proud to be working with Nexen Tire and their American Muscle for American Heroes program," he said.
"I have served alongside many outstanding service members and I can say every one of them is a hero. I am confident the Purple Heart Foundation will find a very deserving veteran to receive this amazing custom Nexen Tire Purple Heart Dodge Challenger."