If you tune in to SPIKE TV’s Bar Rescue this weekend, you’ll see a great man, Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Deeds. Crown Royal is teaming up with the popular TV show to honor heroes, and Sam will be featured during a special Veteran’s Day marathon airing this Sunday, November 9^th beginning at 5 p.m. ET.

Sam will appear in a series of short videos alongside host Jon Taffer, during which he’ll talk about different aspect of his military career; from his time joining the military, to inspiring and guiding other veterans, to what it meant to be honored on a national level through Crown Royal’s “Your Hero’s Name Here” program.

I had the honor of meeting Sam when I was at the Brickyard 400 in Indy a few years back. Deeds was awarded the namesake for the 2013 Brickyard 400. The official title of the race last year was the “Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com.”

Deeds was one of the finalists for the Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Here” program. Sam was entered into the contest by his wife. Sam risked his own life both in Iraq while in the Marines as well as here in the United States when he was on vacation with his family.

Deeds, like past winners of the “Your Hero’s Name Here” program, had a fun filled weekend at the Brickyard. He rode in the pre-race pace car as well as hand delivered the trophy to winner at Victory Lane. Sam also kissed the bricks, which is one of the great traditions at the Brickyard in Indianapolis.

I was able to ask Sam a few questions about his time in the military and what he was thinking about leading up to the Brickyard last year.

Art Eddy: First off I want to thank you for your heroic service to our great country. While in Iraq, you risked your own life to save others from an improvised explosive device (IED).  You had more than 30 surgeries from all the injuries you sustained from the blast. Your bravery goes beyond words. What will you always take with when you reflect on that moment?

Sam Deeds:  A body full of shrapnel.  I did what every leader should do, sacrifice themselves for their Marines.  I made the decision to expose myself to the IED and two Marines are alive because of that.  I would not change one thing that happened that night.  I’m not a hero, I was doing my job and protecting my Marines.

AE: Even here in the states you saved the lives of three individuals caught in a rip tide off the coast of North Carolina. Tell me a bit about that experience.

SD: On September, 11^th 2008 I was on vacation with my family. On that day we were enjoying some time at the beach when we noticed dolphins feeding just off shore.  We also noticed woman swimming out toward them.  Next the woman started waving her arm frantically.  Shortly after that a man dove into the water and started swimming out to her.

We later found out that it was the ladies husband. Now there are two people caught in the rip current.  Then another man with a child’s boogey board swam out to the couple and left them with the floatation device.  He tried swimming back and got caught in the current as well.  I looked around and people were taking video and photos of those who were in trouble and rescue was nowhere to be seen.  I grabbed a small rubber raft and went into the water. Just as I got to the last man that entered the water he disappeared.  I reached into the water and pulled him onto the raft.  We tried to get out of the current but went nowhere.

As rescue arrived they came to me first and I refused rescue.  They went to the couple that had been in the water the longest and got them to shore.  They came back out to me and I refused rescue once again, so they took the man that I pulled out of the water. Finally they came back after me.  The couple said that if I would not have refused to be rescued the husband would have drowned.  This was all just five weeks after having major abdominal surgery.  I had a piece of mesh placed on the inside of my abdominal wall.

AE: That is incredible. Last month you were named the winner of the Crown Royal’s “Your Hero’s Name Here” program. You now will have your name in this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Brickyard. What was going through your mind when you find out you found that you were the winner of that program?

SD: That it was a dream, it wasn’t really happening.  It was a very emotional day.  I looked back at the guys that I served with that are no longer with us and thought that there is no better way to honor them.  My name may be on the race but this is for all of them.

AE: Well said. Going back to the program how cool was the laying the final brick, engraved with the official race logo, in a ceremonial “Yard of Bricks” at Flagship Park in Erlanger, Kentucky?

SD: It was amazing. There is a permanent fixture that for many generations to come will be able to go to the park and see that someone from their home town had a NASCAR race named in their honor.  My children’s, children, children can see that their great grandfather made a difference.

AE: Are you a fan of NASCAR and if so who is your favorite driver?

SD: I’m a huge NASCAR fan.  I’ve been watching since the mid-80s.  My favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt Sr.  These days I like Kevin Harvick because of his passion and drive for the sport and Kurt Busch for all that he does for our military men and women and everything that he does to bring awareness to Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury.

AE: What are you looking forward to the most during this year’s NASCAR race weekend at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis?

SD: The overall behind the scenes experience, meeting the other finalists, presentation of the trophy and of course “Kissing the Bricks”.  I’m hoping for a great weekend of racing.

I am so glad that NASCAR and Crown Royal have this program to reward heroes like Sam Deeds. I can’t wait to see Sam’s expression when he is out and about at the Brickyard 400. Plus Deeds and the rest of the NASCAR fans will be able to see great musical acts from the Big Machine Label Group including Justin Moore, Cadillac Three, Cassadee Pope and Dustin Lynch. They all will be performing during the race weekend in Indianapolis.

The lovely Courtney Hansen knows more about cars than you and your dad combined. Courtney’s father, Jerry Hansen, won 27 SCAA national racing championships. You may not know much about the Sports Car Club of America, but Club Racing has been around since the 60s, and no other SCAA racer has more titles than Courtney’s pops. The guy also owned the Brainerd International Raceway, so Courtney grew up in a very auto-enthused family.

Hansen hosts Spike TV’s Powerblock, a chunk of weekend programming that currently includes the shows MuscleCar, Horsepower TV, Xtreme 4×4 and Trucks! Hansen was also the co-host of Rides, Overhaulin’ and Million Dollar Motors. Courtney penned a column for FHM and she just came out with a new book, The Garage Girl’s Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Your Car. Courtney’s also the new spokesperson for AutoTrader.com.

We had a chance to talk to Courtney about her superior auto knowledge, American muscle cars, tips for buying a new car and what it’s like to work with Chip Foose.

Do guys tend to trip out when they see a gorgeous girl like you who knows a thing or two about cars?

First, thanks, that was sweet to say. As far as guys tripping out, I’ve found that they may be surprised about my automotive passion or knowledge, but when they learn of my pedigree — my dad is the top SCCA champion with 27 national titles, and we once owned BIR raceway in Minnesota — and see that I don’t carry a know-it-all attitude — because I certainly still have so much more to learn — they aren’t chauvinistic or intimidated. Plus, more and more women are involved in the automotive industry and that’s helping to set a new tone. Thankfully, I have always found that the men in my life and those who I’ve met along the way consider my love of cars sexy!

Have you always been into cars?

I have always loved cars! I came home from the hospital in an old Rolls-Royce Corniche, and not because I come from a shi shi family, but because that was, at the time, my dad’s favorite car. Cars have always been special in my family and are in my blood, and since my first moments in the world I’ve appreciated everything about them. It also helped to be surrounded by every vehicle with an engine and racing since childhood.

Are you excited about being the new spokesperson for AutoTrader? What’s in the works for you?

I’m thrilled to be the spokesperson for AutoTrader.com and to be doing some upcoming work with Auto Trader Classics. I’ve always respected their brand and find their web site incredibly helpful when car shopping and buying. We purchased a car on AutoTrader.com that we sold for charity during a Spike TV Powerblock episode. And I have my eye on a favorite classic ride to buy through them now. I’ll be doing work with them at SEMA in Vegas and the upcoming LA Auto Show.

Why do you think women find it so stressful to shop for a car?

The car world has always been very dominated by men, so I think naturally we women can feel intimidated in this space. But I strongly believe that if we gather as much knowledge as possible about the ride we need and want for our lifestyle, compare various vehicles that are available to us, understand the vernacular so that we can talk confidently with the dealers, and aren’t afraid to negotiate, the car shopping and buying process should be fun and a great success for us!

What’s the number one mistake people make when they shop for a car?

I think it all comes down to not being informed. If we gather all of the information that’s available to us, online and for free, and go into the dealerships armed with a wealth of knowledge and prepared to get the car that is best for us, it will be a breeze and a blast!

Can you offer some test drive tips for our readers?

Take it out to the desert, put the pedal to the metal and properly test that baby out! Just kidding of course! I’m much more responsible than that. As far as test driving, if it’s a used car you’re shopping for, spend as much time with the vehicle as the owner will allow, drive with the windows both up and down so you can listen for any annoying sounds or rattles that would indicate a problem, get a real feel for how it is behind the wheel, how comfortable the seat is, how the suspension feels, how it turns, how safe it feels etc. When shopping for new cars, spend a lot of time and trust your intuition about whether or not it feels right!

What was it like to work with Chip Foose on Overhaulin’?

Chip is a dear friend of mine and one of the most gracious and talented people I have ever met. And he is a blast to hang with! He always has a funny pun, for literally every phrase. We would always try to test him on the Overhaulin’ set and he never once was without a pun and hilarious retort. The other night I had dinner with Chip, his wife and friends, and I was laughing hysterically through dinner, particularly over an enormous piece of broccoli!

What’s the most luxurious ride you’ve ever reviewed?

I almost said the Rolls-Royce Phantom, I used to work as a spokesperson for R-R years ago, but I would have to say Chip Foose’s hand built Ridler winner car, called Impression. It is beyond elegance and luxury. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. True craftsmanship, stunning art on wheels.

What’s the most powerful ride you’ve ever reviewed?

Hmmm. I got some serious power out of both the Ford GT in Las Vegas and the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder at Miami’s Homestead racetrack. I scared the crap out of Tom duPont from the duPont Registry who was sitting next to me in the Gallardo. Loved it!

What new car are you looking forward to checking out next year?

I’ve been so impressed by the rebirth of the American muscle cars. The new Jaguar XF sedan is a gorgeous ride with some serious power. But right now my eyes are focused on the classic rides I’ve always dreamed of. I know it’s girly, but I adore the ’57 Thunderbird, and I used to prefer white but now I’m all about the silver. I like the ’65 Fastback, the ’71 Cuda, of course the Shelbys, who doesn’t? And the ’54 and ’58 ‘Vettes.

Crews talked to us about filming The Expendables, the upcoming action flick that features pretty much every badass you can think of. The movie looks like it’ll be pretty entertaining, and from what it sounds like, it was also a blast to make:

Terry Crews Talks About Filming The Expendables – MANjr.com from Chris Stout on Vimeo.

(For those of you who don’t know what’s up, PFT is the world’s best source for up-to-the-minute info on NFL news, rumors and opinion. It’s an insanely addicting site that’s been wearing out the F5 button on my keyboard for years. When Glazer calls Mike Florio “the Gospel right now in the NFL,” that’s not an understatement. If you love football, you need to bookmark PFT right now).

Here are the highlights from my interview with Jay Glazer:

Jay Glazer Talks About Mike Florio from ProFootballTalk – MANjr.com from Chris Stout on Vimeo.

Jay Glazer Calls the New York Jets Early Favorites to Win the Super Bowl – MANjr.com from Chris Stout on Vimeo.

Jay Glazer Talks About the Pittsburgh Steelers – MANjr.com from Chris Stout on Vimeo.