When William Byron raced in the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600, the annual “600 Miles of Remembrance,” at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, he paid tribute to a fallen hero and fellow member of the Liberty family.
U.S. Marine Corps Major Tobin Lewis
The No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, sporting a patriotic paint scheme, bore the name of Liberty aviation graduate and former Flames Soccer player United States Marine Corps Major Tobin “Toby” Lewis (’08) on the windshield.
Maj. Lewis, of Jefferson, Colo., earned his B.S. in Aviation: Military at Liberty, inspired by his grandfather, a retired marine aviator. After graduation, he completed officer candidate school and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the USMC. While at Liberty, he played on the Flames Men’s Soccer team under former Head Coach Jeff Alder from 2004-07. He was a member of the 2004 Big South Conference All-Freshman team and scored 19 goals in his time with the Flames.
In August 2023, Maj. Lewis perished off the coast of northern Australia, along with two other service members, when their Osprey went down during a training exercise. His actions as pilot reportedly saved the lives of 20 Marines aboard.
Liberty University Online student William Byron with President Dondi Costin and his wife, Vickey, before the start of the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26 (Photos by Kendall Tidwell)
A moment of remembrance was held after Stage Two of the race; the entire field was brought down pit road and engines were shut off. Liberty President Dondi Costin, Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, and Byron greeted members of Lewis’ family at the race: his parents, Norm and Kathy Lewis, and sister, Charissa Jones. Maj. Lewis is survived by his wife, Meredith (’08), and their three daughters, Lydia, Nora, and Eliana.
Maj. Lewis led a decorated military career as the recipient of two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Navy Unit Commendation, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Byron smiles beside crew chief Rudy Fugle as they prepare for the start of the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Byron, who is pursuing his B.S. in Strategic Communication through Liberty University Online Programs, earned a third-place finish on his hometown track, marking his ninth top-10 finish on the season. He started the 2024 season by winning the DAYTONA 500 on Feb. 19 and has taken two more checkered flags (at the time of publication), to clinch his sixth consecutive playoff appearance: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on March 24 and the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on April 7.
The Memorial Day Weekend event was the seventh of 12 races in the 2024 season for which Liberty is serving as a primary sponsor of the No. 24.
