This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If enough of you vote, a Utah fire warden will get a NASCAR race named after him.
Every year, Crown Royal (a Canadian whiskey) names the Brickyard 400 race after a local hero — and one of this year's five finalists is Bryce Boyer, Summit County fire warden. Adults can go to CrownRoyalHeroes.com to vote, starting this week and running through June 2.
Boyer, 49, from Wanship, took the lead as incident commander when the Rockport 5 Fire broke out last August. Boyer and his teams worked tirelessly to contain the fire after it burned more than 1,400 acres and destroyed 15 structures.
Besides his normal responsibilities, Boyer spends his spare time training fire personnel and volunteering with three agencies as an emergency medical first responder.
He's also no stranger to recognition: he has been nominated for Fire Warden of the Year three times. But Boyer doesn't fight fires for awards or the limelight, but "to protect the county residents as much as possible," according to a statement.
Boyer and the other finalists will be flown out to the race in Indianapolis on July 27. Whoever wins will also get to deliver the trophy to the race winner in Victory Lane.
The Brickyard 400 is part of NASCAR's Sprint Cup series. This year's contest marks the eighth time Crown Royal has awarded naming rights to a fan.
— Michael McFall
Twitter: @mikeypanda