Army UH-60 Black Hawks took a pace-chase lap around Homestead-Miami Speedway during the opening ceremony of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Nov. 8. The flight put the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade’s helicopters and crews in front of thousands of race fans before the green flag.

The Army described the demonstration as a way to highlight the brigade’s aviation capabilities. Warrant Officer Stacy Rountree and Staff Sgt. Devon Berania of the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, part of the 3rd Infantry Division, were photographed conducting pace-chase deliveries at the speedway. The image set also shows UH-60 crews flying over the track.

A military aircraft in a different kind of crowd

A stadium flyover turns a military aircraft into a close-up experience for people who may know it mainly from news footage or distant appearances. At Homestead, helicopters moved around the oval as part of the opening ceremony, linking an Army aviation unit with a national sporting event that brought thousands of spectators together.

For the aviators, the event was a public demonstration rather than a training sortie. The official photo captions identify the aircraft as UH-60 Black Hawks assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade and describe their pace-chase lap around the speedway. They do not provide a mission profile or performance details, so the significance here is the public appearance itself: Army aviation crews presented their work in a setting beyond the airfield.

Those appearances are also a reminder that military aviation includes more than fighters and long-range aircraft. Utility helicopters perform transport and support roles, and their crews work as part of larger units whose missions depend on coordination among pilots, maintainers and ground teams. The Homestead demonstration offered fans a visible glimpse of one piece of that aviation community.

The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade’s participation connected the Army to one of the season’s biggest racing events through a simple visual: Black Hawks circling the speedway as the championship crowd looked on. The official images preserve the moment from the airfield’s perspective, with the aircraft and the oval sharing the frame.

Photo: U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade fly a pace-chase lap at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Photo: Staff Sgt. Anthony Herrera/U.S. Army via DVIDS. The appearance of U.S. Department of War visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.

Source: 3rd Infantry Division, DVIDS photo set from the NASCAR Cup Series Championship.