The brave members of our armed forces fight for our freedoms all over the world, but when they return home the echoes of that combat can haunt them. That’s why the crew at Juggernaut Power is building a new Mustang drag car to help raise awareness for this struggle.

“The founder/president of Juggernaut Power is a veteran of the US Army. He understands the struggles of veterans returning home that try to adjust to a new life. Many of these veterans have been paralyzed by their emotions. We realize that all wounds are not visible,” Jon Bowen, GM of Juggernaut Power, explained. “We want to create a symbol of unity and a beacon of hope to these amazing Americans. That is why ‘War Machine’ exists. Not only is it a potent vehicle, but also a vehicle that will allow us to communicate with those who may not know he gravity of losing 22 Great Americans per day because of their mental anguish. Rey is passionate about the troops. He still feels a tremendous obligation to them and his country.”

The War Machine will be one of many vehicles that are part of Juggernaut Power’s TVG Race Team, whose drivers include Torrey Browne, Ben Calimer, Matt Honeycutt, Anthony Santora and Dave Tyo. The acronym stands for Track Vehicle Group, which is the company’s custom car division.

“Well, this idea came about kind of suddenly. We knew what we wanted to do with the car and it suddenly dawned on us that we should use it as a program, not just a singular car. We brought in a few select people we trust to maintain professionalism and represent the cause successfully,” company president, Rey Rivera, said. “We are still developing exactly what we can do, but the end goal of the program is simply to raise awareness for veterans suffering with PTSD—22 is 22 too many…”

To think that we lose 22 combat veterans daily to suicide is a sobering statistic that affects families and communities all over the nation.

“We are looking to have this car in the public spotlight as much as possible. We will be very vocal about our intentions with the project,” Rey said.

In light of its mission, this project is receiving support from a who’s who of aftermarket companies, including Baer Brakes, DeatschWerks, Gulf Racing Fuels, MGW Shifters, Mickey Thompson, Strange Engineering, UPR Products and Vortech Superchargers.

For at least one of those sponsors, the project is special because of the cause it supports.

“UPR supports Juggernaut’s War Machine because we believe in the cause. I suffer from PTSD. I visit the VA monthly for it,” Steve Gelles of UPR Products, explained. “At first I was shy about it. I didn’t want people to know I see someone. But I accept it now and it honestly feels better. But the biggest support I get is from fellow Veterans. It’s an unspoken bond that we can relate too.”

Spreading the word and looking out for those who have served in combat is something that Steve has done himself by supporting PTSD charities with events like the 9/11 Patriot Run car cruise.

“Watching over each other is key,” Steve added. “The suicide rates are way too high so building awareness is very important, especially with more of our troops back here in the states now. At UPR, we support our veterans anytime we can. Our business is here because of their sacrifices. So when a car is being built of this type of magnitude, which will get the exposure it should, we will be on board 100 percent. It’s time we all stand together to let everyone see that our veterans do matter. And, there is no better way than at the racetrack!”

Naturally the car and sponsors will share the spotlight at numerous events, which will help get the word out on PTSD and its effects.

“The car will be campaigned to many events where we will speak to the public about what we are doing,” Rey explained.“This will include military events as well as veteran organizational events nationwide. We want to be the voice of Veterans who are suffering from this disorder.”

While it is an existing Juggernaut Power project car, the War Machine is being completely revamped into something really special, but the goal is to have it complete and running as soon as possible.

“It really depends on the flow. Obviously this project is expensive and while we have a ton of awesome people involved, it still is coming at great expense. We don’t want to put a solid time deadline on it, but we want to have it in race form very soon. The work is no issue. We are doing the build strictly out of pocket. We are still looking for more sponsors and supporters to help us accomplish this goal. The team we have assembled is nothing short of extraordinary. With that being said, we are still trying to acquire a few parts through supported and sponsors. We are looking for an intake manifold that is up to the task along with a water to air cooling system for this project.”

While we are certainly excited to see how this project turns out, it’s always great to see the automotive community coming together to support a worthy cause.

“We want to create the fastest manual-transmission Mustang on the planet,” Rey added. “With the garnered attention, we hope to use the program to be vocal about PTSD on a national level.”