Jason Smith said he got started in custom paint work when he was just a teen. He said he tried to learn the ropes on his own, but that changed during a visit to his sister’s Danville home.

Her neighbor, Jason Dominguez, was painting a race car in his garage. That’s when the tutelage began, Smith said.

“He took me under his wing and showed me around,” he added.

Smith said he ended up painting Eddie Cheever’s race car while he was still in high school and then attended two years of vocational school to learn the trade.

“And I progressed from there,” he added.

Smith currently owns his own shop, detailing and custom painting cars.

While working on a car for Speed Works Racing, he said he saw a race car on their showroom floor and suggested painting it with a patriotic theme.

He said the patriotic paint job came to him while he was attending a Veterans’ Day church service. He had envisioned using the American flag, the bald eagle, and the branches of the military — Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.

He explained that the front of the car has the eagle fading into the flag, while the rest of the car incorporates the military branches with tanks, war ships, and fighter jets.

Pleased with the finished product, Smith said they began taking it to car shows. In addition to some local shows, he said they will soon be taking the car to Detroit and Las Vegas.

“We have taken it everywhere,” he added. “It has grown into something big.”

Because of the positive fan reaction to the car, Smith said they decided to use it to raise funds for the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. The fund helps provide college grants and financial assistance to the children and spouses of fallen soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

When the car is on display, Smith says they allow children to sit inside and have their photos taken. He said they ask everyone who passes by for a donation and ask for at least a $5 donation for a photo of someone in the car.

Smith said they’ve had a lot of people come to look at the car — car enthusiasts, racing fans, soldiers, and more — but the general reaction is the same.

“Lots of people stand around it crying,” he said. “It’s been neat to be a part of it.”