Retired U.S. Army soldier and drag racer Don O’Neal ends summer with NHRA and Lucas Oil Racing event spree in the Salute Our Troops Dragster.

The Pantry Inc. announced its Salute Our Troops tour headliner Don O’Neal, U.S. Army soldier (ret.) and drag racer, is set to end the summer with a racing spree.

O’Neal will compete in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and Lucas Oil Racing events in the NHRA Super Comp 890 Index, part of the Lucas Oil Sportsman Division. Kangaroo Express is the feature sponsor of Don O’Neal for the 2013 racing season.

Representing JBM Motorsports based in Evansville, Ind., O’Neal is hot off the track at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky. where he raced this past weekend.

O’Neal will now make his way to Indianapolis, Ind., to compete in the 59th Annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at the Lucas Oil Raceway on Aug. 28. In 2010, He made it to the final round at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis driving the U.S. Army dragster.

O’Neal has been traveling with the Salute Our Troops tour to drive hometown support for our troops throughout the Southeast, recognizing our military personnel and rallying their supporters. The tour activates local communities to send special messages of praise and gratitude to our troops and their families.

Following the U.S. Nationals, O’Neal will travel to his hometown state of North Carolina to race in the 6th Annual NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sept. 13 at the zMAX Dragway in Concord. Born in Louisburg, N.C., O’Neal’s family still lives in North Carolina.

On Sept. 27, O’Neal will take his Salute Our Troops Dragster to St. Louis, Mo., to compete in the St. Louis Gateway Nationals. St. Louis is also home to Anheuser-Busch, a major sponsor of Kangaroo Express’ Salute Our Troops campaign.

The Salute Our Troops tour is a part of the third annual Kangaroo Express Salute Our Troops campaign that takes place the week before Independence Day through Labor Day, June 26 through Sept. 3. Store guests are invited to make donations to the campaign at any Kangaroo Express location.

Donations from the campaign will support the USO, lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families; Fisher House Foundation, donating “comfort homes” at major military and VA medical centers that enable military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization; as well as eight state-based military support organizations.

Since its inaugural year in 2011, the Salute Our Troops campaign has raised $5.7 million dollars, breaking fundraising records for many beneficiary organizations, including two of the most accomplished grassroots campaigns the USO has been involved in during its more than 70-year history.

The eight state-based organizations benefiting from the campaign span five states throughout the Southeast and include the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Tennessee Auxiliary Soldier Airman Relief Fund, Florida National Guard Foundation, Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation, Soldiers and Airmen Assistance Fund of North Carolina, South Carolina Military Family Care Association, and the Patriot Foundation and United States Veterans Corps, both based in North Carolina.