DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Don’t you dare be sour! Former WWE champion Big E will drive the pace car Sunday at the Daytona 500.
The race sold out more than a month in advance and NASCAR expects at least 120,000 spectators Sunday. Daytona limited its spectators last season because of COVID-19, and the 2020 event four weeks before the pandemic shut down U.S. sports was its last packed house.
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch was previously named the honorary starter. Country music star Trace Adkins will sing the national anthem and Hall of Fame cornerback Charles Woodson is the grand marshal. Luke Combs headlines the pre-race concert.
A Tampa native, Big E is a former University of Iowa defensive lineman and is part of the popular WWE trio The New Day. He’ll drive a 2022 Toyota to lead the 40-car field to the green flag.