“So do we rename the race the Dwaynetona 500?”- Fans react as NASCAR announces $800 million worth ‘The Rock’ as 2024 Daytona 500 grand marshal
The Rock is coming to NASCAR as grand marshal after two decades.
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Dwayne Johnson (via @nyse/X)
The 2024 NASCAR Cup season will get one of the biggest starts it can get as the WWE Athlete turned Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is announced to the Grand Mashal of season opener Daytona 500. He is the biggest celebrity since ex-US President Donald Trump in 2020 to attend the Crown Jewel event.
In the 2023 Daytona 500, which was won by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the grand marshals were championship-winning NASCAR legends such as Jimmie Johnson, Richard Petty, and more. The Rock will give the iconic “drivers start your engines” command at the race, featuring 40 drivers, on Sunday, February 18.
This isn’t the first time The Rock has given the “start your engine” command. He was the grand marshal in the 2004 April Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway, which saw Elliott Sadler win over Kasey Kahne in a photo finish. The Rock was a fully-pledged WWE Wrestler at the time, reigning as the Peoples Champion.
Alongside The Rock, the event will also feature a pre-race music concert by Pop Sensation Pitbull. The Mexican singer is a NASCAR team owner. He co-owns Trackhouse Racing, a team with two full-time entries, driven by Cup race-winning drivers Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain. Pitbull has also announced the release of a special Album with Dayton a500 theme.
Here is how fans reacted to The Rock announcement
There is genuine excitement in the NASCAR community over the announcement as The Rock is right now one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry and has the star power to attract a lot of new fans from different backgrounds to the Daytona 500.
At the same time, they were a small group of fans mocking The Rock with positive and negative intentions. Some of the comments were uncalled for and were failed attempts to make jokes by a few individuals online.
Guy doing everything but return to the wwe to beat Roman
— Devin Smith (@DSmith12397) January 29, 2024
Oh cool that dude from the titan games. ?
— The Hondad (colin w/ cars) (@TheHondad) January 29, 2024
So do we rename the race the Dwaynetona 500?
— ChaseEdwardTownsend (@ChaseTownsend92) January 29, 2024
The most electrifying man in entertainment at the most electrifying race of the year.
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) January 29, 2024
He just became a head honcho in the WWE…
— whatsundersteer (@whatsundersteer) January 29, 2024
As a competition based sanctioning body, merely the thought of affiliating yourself with a scripted series should be highly undesirable.
To actually do it, and at your biggest race of the year, is unconscionable.
Whoever made this…
only 3 weeks till a REAL sport is back
— 40? (@cardinalsh8me) January 29, 2024
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Justin P Joy
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