Fallen Soldier From Rome Will Be Honored By NASCAR Memorial Day Weekend

The NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 race Memorial Day Weekend will include a fallen service member from Rome as he will be memorialized for his ultimate sacrifice.

The seventh annual NASCAR Salutes together with Coca-Cola will feature 600 'Miles of Remembrance' at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend, May 30, at 6PM.  All 40 NASCAR Cup Series cars will feature the name of a fallen service member on the windshield during the race in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including Army Sgt. Michael A. Uvanni.

SGT. Uvanni, 27, of Rome, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 108th Infantry Regiment of the New York Army National Guard in Morrisonville, New York. October 1, 2004. A sniper killed him as he was conducting combat operations in Samarra, Iraq.

Uvanni was a 1996 high school graduate and reportedly always had a smile on his face, even when being made to do push-ups.

He showed as much enthusiasm for hard military work as he did for the motorcycle or snowmobile he rode in his free time. "He led by example," said Gonyea. "He wouldn't make anyone do anything that he wouldn't do first. That's how he earned respect," said Sgt. Frank Gonyea.

The Rome Sentinel spoke with Uvanni's mother, and she says he was a big fan of NASCAR, and she'll be home watching. Uvanni's name will be featured on the Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro No. 47, driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

FOX Sports will highlight military service stories from the industry throughout the NASCAR race. Families can learn more at NASCAR.com/Salutes. In addition, fans can participate this year by sharing a military member or family they salute on social media, tagging #NASCARSalutes.

The Rome Sentinel reports the Patrol Base Uvanni in Samarra was named in his memory, and the Uvanni Park that's a block away from the family home on Lynch Street in Rome.