Bill “Freakin” Murray Announced the Grand Marshal of Gateway Cup Race

American icon Bill Murray will be serving as the grand marshal at the iconic Enjoy Illinois 300 Gateway race during the Cup Series Playoffs.

Bill “Freakin” Murray Announced the Grand Marshal of Gateway Cup Race

Bill Murray (via Getty images)

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NASCAR will have a grand spectacle at the Gateway race this time around. The Enjoy Illinois 300 has been moved into the Playoffs, held at the World Wide Technology Raceway. To make the race even more special, the sport has roped in Bill Murray as the grand marshal.

On X, the WWT Raceway announced Bill Freakin’ Murray’s entry as grand marshal. The race will take place on September 7. Murray is a legendary figure in the entertainment industry with a long list of films and accolades to his name. A NASCAR grand marshal is a popular figure who is invited by the sport. The person is responsible for uttering the famous phrase, “Drivers, start your engines!” before the start of the race.

Bill. Freakin’. Murray. That’s right — he’s our Grand Marshal for the @enjoyillinois 300 on September 7! Be there to witness the legend say the most famous words in motorsports.

WWT Raceway announced on X.

The arrival of the grand marshal will only make the race even bigger. Fans are already excited for the Gateway Cup race as part of the Playoffs. Murray’s inclusion will only attract more to their TV screens. Though, it is unclear whether the American icon will perform during the race, something like this might indeed be possible.

What will Bill Murray do at Gateway?

America’s grand marshal tradition has evolved over the years. It started at the 1953 Indianapolis 500 with Wilbur Shaw saying the famous words. Though, originally, the phrase used the word ‘gentleman’ and not ‘drivers’ in NASCAR.

NASCAR Gateway Cup race
NASCAR Gateway Cup race (via Getty images)

NASCAR used the term gentleman since only men were racing in the series at that time. Once female drivers joined the field, the phrase included, ‘ladies and gentlemen.’ However, with time, NASCAR adopted the more gender neutral, ‘drivers’ instead. This appropriately does the job and has stuck with fans as well.

Though, Bill Murray’s duties at the Enjoy Illinois 300 will not just be limited to the iconic phrase. The American icon will be leading all ceremonial events at the track. The 74-year-old will even be responsible for waving the green flag if there is no honorary starter.

Murray is not the only big name to be named grand marshal. More often than not, NASCAR has roped in Hollywood A-listers for this role, including the likes of Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson and Owen Wilson.

Certainly, the upcoming race at WWT Raceway will be full of action on and off-track. While Bill Murray will provide some entertaining scenes to fans outside the track, all eyes will be on the Playoffs. After all, NASCAR fans wait for the entire year to see the Top 16 drivers battle it out in 10 knockout rounds to decide the Cup Series champion.

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