EDMONTON, Alberta -- In a bipartisan vote of 216-202, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill that would have eliminated military sponsorship of professional sports.

The National Guard is a promotional partner of INDYCAR and the primary sponsor of the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car driven by JR Hildebrand that will compete in the Edmonton Indy this weekend. The Guard has been a partner with Panther Racing since 2008.

“We are especially thankful that many in Congress were able to recognize the enormous tangible return professional sports provides to the recruitment, retention and overall marketing efforts of our nation’s military,” Panther Racing principal John Barnes said.

“The magnitude of the platform provided by professional sports partnerships, and the positive message about our nation’s military that is conveyed through sporting events like the Indianapolis 500 and many others, is astronomical.”

INDYCAR CEO joined other professional sports leaders in sending letters to Congress citing the exposure the U.S. Military receives through sports. Similarities between the military and INDYCAR are striking – valor, technology, training, equipping, camaraderie – and the tie between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway-INDYCAR and the U.S. Military dates almost as long as the racetrack’s inaugural event in 1911.

For the past 35 years, U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar has performed a swearing-in ceremony on Armed Forces Day at the Speedway.

“This is something we all celebrate, to encourage people to think about such a career, to think about the needs of our nation,” said Lugar, who has served Indiana in the U.S. Senate since 1977.

Aspects of Race Day are carried out every race weekend during the IZOD IndyCar Series season as the Panther Racing team and INDYCAR honor active duty and retired U.S. Armed Forces members and their families through various events.

“In Panther Racing’s history, nothing has been a larger point of pride than the responsibility of representing the National Guard, its soldiers and their families. We look forward to the opportunity to continue to spread their message across the country,” Barnes said.