On February 26th, the 59th annual Daytona 500 will hit the track at the Daytona International Speedway. Presiding over this year’s event as Grand Marshal will be none other than actor and voice of Lightning McQueen in the Cars franchise, Owen Wilson. This mean’s that Wilson will get to deliver the famed “Drivers, start your engines” command to the field of drivers. He will also ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during pace laps prior to the green flag of the 200-lap, 500-mile race and attend the drivers meeting.
“Owen Wilson is one of America’s most beloved comedic actors and his voice has brought Lightning McQueen to life for millions of movie-goers over the last 10 years,” said Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile. “His star-power, and of course his personality, are perfect fits for ‘The Great American Race.’”
The Daytona 500, the season-opening race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, will begin at 2 p.m. (TV – FOX, FOX Deportes; Radio – MRN Radio, SiriusXM). And, of course, Cars 3 starring Wilson will open in theatres June 16th.