The Rock to serve as 2024 Daytona 500 grand marshal

There are few people who could give as memorable a command to fire engines at the Daytona 500 as The Rock.

While the world waits to see if Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gets involved in WWE storylines in a way that leads him to a match at WrestleMania, NASCAR is claiming some of his time this February for a role at its biggest race of the year.

Johnson will serve as the grand marshal for the 2024 Daytona 500, giving the command for drivers to fire their engines for the event that is NASCAR’s most important even on Sunday, Feb. 18. The reveal came Sunday during the NFL’s NFC Championship game on FOX, the same network that will broadcast the Daytona 500 — which means wrestling fans may also hear it promoted during the next few episodes of SmackDown on FOX.

The Rock has also been added to FOX’s TV spots for the Daytona 500, which focus on a formula for the race and show Johnson when they mention adding some “star power” to the mix.

WWE stars get involved as grand marshals or honorary starters for NASCAR races on a semi-regular basis. Liv Morgan was the grand marshal for the fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway last October, while Sasha Banks (currently known as Mercedes Moné outside WWE) was the honorary starter for the 2021 Daytona 500. John Cena has been involved with the 500 several times in the past as the pace car driver and honorary starter.

Fans are anxious to see if The Rock is going to take on Roman Reigns at WrestleMania this year, a match that has been teased in the past but appears to have a real shot at happening given teases within WWE programming and Johnson’s own comments. However, after Cody Rhodes won the Men’s Royal Rumble on Sunday and put himself in position to challenge Reigns, there’s also a school of thought that WWE could save a Rock-Reigns match for 2025.

In the meantime, everyone will be able to see Johnson get drivers, teams and fans going in Florida, as Daytona 500 coverage kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 18 on FOX.

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