Anyone watching Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway might have noticed driver Kyle Weatherman’s No. 47 “FWPOA” Chevrolet Camaro, sponsored for the race by the Fort Worth Police Officers’ Association.
The POA purchased sponsorship of the entire car and took on the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas as partner; CLEAT paid to put its logo on the car. For the POA, which represents 1,700 Fort Worth Police personnel and public safety statewide and nationally, it was an opportunity to honor its officers and the 62 who have died in duty.
The association’s logo covered the Camaro’s hood. A big decal with the 62 names of the fallen officers covered the trunk. And the FWPOA’s logos adorned both rear quarter panels. The idea came out of this spring’s national protests against police, and the POA noticed Weatherman, a young North Carolinian, had rolled out a "Back the Blue" moniker and livery for his car.
“He was just passionate about supporting the men and women of law enforcement at a time when it felt nobody had a mind to support them,” Manny Ramirez, president of the POA, said in an interview. “Kyle took it upon himself to step up and say most cops are selfless public servants. He made that his passion project. We took note of that. We contacted his team.”
The Police Officers’ Association has a robust sponsorship budget. For one, it’s sponsored the Fort Worth Vaqueros soccer team for eight years, sending community children to games with the 50 tickets it receives per game, Ramirez said. During the worst of COVID-19 this spring, the association purchased meals daily for its first responders from struggling local restaurants. The association sponsors TCU football and has 150 police officers working every NASCAR race, Ramirez said. “To have their association represented on the driving track, it was very cool,” Ramirez said.
When the association contacted Weatherman’s team, “we figured there was a race here in October,” Ramirez said. “We wanted to do something a little different besides supporting our current officers. We wanted to honor our fallen. Kyle Weatherman carried our fallen across the finish line.”
Attendees at a sponsorship gathering included Teresa Nava, wife of Hank Nava, a 39-year-old Fort Worth patrol officer shot and killed in 2005 while attempting to serve a warrant. “It was a pretty remarkable deal,” Ramirez said of the gathering.
Weatherman finished 19th in the race. The POA liked the connection to a visible pro athlete, Ramirez said. “There are professional athletes out there who do support the police,” he said. “It was an opportunity we could not pass up. And we know NASCAR is a pretty expensive sport. When you’re a young driver, you need all the help you can get.”
As part of its agreement, the POA purchased the No. 47 car’s hood and trunk lid, which will be used as décor in the association’s new offices. The POA didn’t disclose what it paid to sponsor the car.
It plans to follow Weatherman. “We’re interested in what he does next season,” Ramirez said. “I think you’ll see a lot more organizations interested in this.”
"Proud to be representing The Fort Worth Police Officer Association," Weatherman tweeted before the race. "I will be racing in honor of the 62 Fort Worth police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty."
