Kubota Honors Farmer Veterans at San Diego NASCAR Race

Kubota Tractor Corp. and the Farmer Veteran Coalition has announced the selection of the 2026 ‘Geared to Give’ recipients.

These five farmer veteran reward recipients will receive new Kubota equipment, and received pre-race honors before the NASCAR Cup Series race in San Diego on June 21. This year’s equipment recipients include U.S. Navy veterans Keelan Brown and Justin Butts, U.S. Army veteran Joseph Santry, and U.S. Marine Corps veterans Hudson Grigg and Jeff Morrison.

 “‘Geared to Give’ is about honoring veterans not only for their military service, but also for the meaningful impact they continue to make in their communities through agriculture,” says Alex Woods, president of Kubota Tractor Corp. and a veteran of the Army National Guard. “Bringing this year’s recipients to NASCAR San Diego Weekend at Naval Base Coronado created a powerful opportunity to recognize these farmer veterans in front of passionate fans and fellow Americans who value hard work, service and dedication.”

Along with the new Kubota equipment, the five selected farmer veterans received a meet and greet with NASCAR driver Ross Chastain and a behind the scenes tour of the Trackhouse Racing garage. Additionally, the recipients were able to take part in a pre-race ceremony at the NASCAR Experience Stage, where officials presented them with ceremonial keys to their new equipment.

Strengthening the veteran program

In total, the 2026 ‘Geared to Give’ program received more than 700 applications, through FVC’s Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund. In the end, Kubota selected one recipient from each of its five operating divisions within the U.S.

Butts and Morrison were selected from the North and Midwest divisions, respectively, and Grigg, Santry, and Brown came from the Central, Western, and Southeast divisions.

“Farmer Veteran Coalition members bring unmatched resilience, leadership and determination to agriculture, and programs like ‘Geared to Give’ help provide the support needed to turn their goals into reality,” said Jeanette Lombardo, Chief Executive Officer of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. “Kubota’s continued investment in veterans and rural communities has made a meaningful difference in the lives of so many of our members, and we are honored to continue this partnership together.” 

Earlier this year, Kubota and NASCAR signed a multi-year partnership to make the equipment firm an ‘Official Partner’ of the stock car racing league. Kubota now has the Official Tractor of NASCAR, Official Construction Equipment Partner of NASCAR, and others. The San Diego race marked one of the first milestones of the new partnership, officials say.

Since the ‘Geared to Give’ program began in 2015, Kubota has given more than $1.2 million to FVC through organization support, grants, and construction equipment. The FVC also offers exclusive discounts for veterans at authorized Kubota dealerships around the U.S.