– STAFF REPORT
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (January 29, 2024) – NASCAR fans, “Are you ready to smell what The Rock is cooking?” Announced on Sunday by Daytona International Speedway, actor, entrepreneur, founder, and United Football League (UFL) co-owner Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be the Grand Marshal for the 2024 NASCAR season-opening DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 18.
With a completely full house of fans traveling from all over to attend The Great American Race, the energy expected for this year’s Speedweeks is already at an extreme high, but with the addition of the wildly successful action star, that energy just reached a new level.
“Nothing compares to the intensity and anticipation of that first command of the NASCAR season as we kick off the 66th running of the DAYTONA 500, and who better to say those four famous words than Dwayne Johnson,” said Frank Kelleher, President of Daytona International Speedway. “There are very few people who can truly match the energy around the pomp and circumstance of The Great American Race, and The Rock may be the only person who can actually ramp it up even more. We can’t wait to see how he fires up the crowd and the engines for all the fans.”
His confidence and pure charisma in the ring translated directly to the silver screen, making him one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry and holding the worldwide title of most followed American man on social media platforms.
Johnson has had an extensive entertainment career spanning multiple different disciplines. Down I-95 from DIS at the University of Miami, Johnson played college football in the early 90s, winning a national championship in 1991. Soon after, he traded the football field for the wrestling ring and kickstarted an impressive WWE career where he earned his famed ring name, “The Rock,” derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson.
With his business partner Dany Garcia and their company Seven Bucks Productions, Johnson has appeared in and produced several mega blockbuster films, including Sony’s “JUMANJI” franchise, Disney’s Academy Award-nominated “Moana,” Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” and Universal’s “Hobbs and Shaw” from the “Fast & Furious” franchise.
Johnson also starred in and produced under the banner of Seven Bucks the critically acclaimed HBO series “Ballers.” He can next be seen starring in Amazon’s “Red One” releasing on November 15th, Disney’s live action “Moana” and A24’s “The Smashing Machine,” all produced under Seven Bucks Productions.
Johnson and Garcia are also co-owners of the United Football League (UFL), the premier spring football platform, formed by the merging of the XFL and USFL. The new League is set to kick off on Saturday, March 30. Games for the eight-team League will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, FOX and FS1.
This year, Johnson will also say the most famous words in motorsports ahead of a record-breaking sold-out DAYTONA 500, which marked the earliest sellout of the event in recent history.
The racing action begins on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented by Busch Light, which sets the field for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA taking place Thursday, Feb. 15. Fans can watch their favorite veteran drivers, rookies and guest entries battle it out for a spot in the coveted Great American Race.
Friday, Feb. 16, kicks off the season-opening races for all three NASCAR national series as well as the ARCA Menards Series, starting with the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250. Saturday, Feb. 17, will feature an action-packed double-header with the ARCA Menards Series race followed by the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300.
Then Sunday, Feb. 18, directly following, Johnson’s command, drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series are back on track for the intense competition of the DAYTONA 500, as Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth comes to a close.
For more information regarding the DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, please visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.”
About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the World Center of Racing, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. Some of the exciting racing events include January’s Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and Roar Before The Rolex 24, February’s DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, March’s Bike Week At DAYTONA Presented By Monster Energy, featuring DAYTONA Supercross and the DAYTONA 200, the August Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend, and much more. The Speedway grounds are also used extensively for other events that include concerts (Welcome to Rockville, Heroes Honor Festival, etc.), sporting events (DAYTONA Soccer Fest, CLASH DAYTONA, etc.) civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.