This year, “The Nicest Man in Standup” might have just proved himself as he prepares to serve as the Daytona 500’s Grand Marshal. While making people laugh is his full-time job, he had to cut some slack against a NASCAR legend.

Grammy-winning Grand Marshal rethinks his performance

Nate Bargatze is widely recognized for his family-friendly sketches throughout the US. He was chosen to be the Grand Marshal for the 68th running of the Daytona 500. While his role there is rather simple, yelling “Drivers! Start your engines!” He wanted to make it a little more fun, and so he tried out a few jokes, including one on Jimmie Johnson, who is running the race on a part-time schedule with his own team.

“Last night, I was an Indianapolis host, like, in a show. And so I ran a couple of ideas by them in the crowd,” he told the media. “I was going to do another one with Jimmie Johnson being older to let the younger driver know that his left blinker will be on the whole race. That went better. And then when I got here and talked about it, it’s like, I think you just need to do the normal.”

That’s expected. At an event like Daytona, a joke like that on a legend like Johnson can hit the wrong nerves and can simply feel off to his die-hard fans in the crowd. The same joke would’ve worked in a comedy club, but not when you’re performing a ceremonnial role on the biggest race of the year.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

While the joke earned its laughs, let’s not forget that Johnson is one of the most respected figures in NASCAR. Having mastered the Chase format, winning a whopping seven Cup Series championships, he has made himself one of the few legends in the sport. Despite his full-time retirement, he returns to the Daytona 500 every year with Legacy Motor Club. 

As for Bargatze, he seems rather excited to fulfill his role as the Grand Marshal: “I watched NACSAR, and seeing Grand Marshals, this is something you can never really imagine. It’s not really even your idea that you could be asked to do it. But being asked to do it is very, very exciting.”

Throughout the years, the sport has witnessed many legendary personalities taking up the role, and some made it even more iconic.

Who are some of the more recent iconic Grand Marshals at the Daytona 500?

The Grand Marshal’s role has always been incredibly iconic. Their voices echo all throughout the 2.5-mile superspeedway, with their command firing up all the engines that overshadow any other noise that can be heard within the radius for the coming hours. While Nate Bargatze is set to serve the role this year, there have been quite a few iconic personalities who have taken up the role in recent years.

• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: Award-winning actor and former professional wrestler, Johnson was the Grand Marshal for the 2024 Daytona 500.

• J.J. Watt: NFL star defensive end, he was the first footballer to serve as a Daytona 500 Grand Marshal in 2019.

• Charles Woodson: He then carried on the legacy, an NFL Hall of Famer, given the role in 2022.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Son of the legendary Dale Earnhardt, he served as the Grand Marshal in 2018. He had won the Daytona Grand Event twice during his peak years.

• President Donald Trump: He served as the Grand Marshal for the race back in 2020, during his presidency.

• George W. Bush: He became the first U.S. president to serve as the Grand Marshal back in 2004.

Throughout the years, there have been many people who have served in this role. However, within the past decade, these few names set new standards for generations to come. With the Daytona 500 green flag minutes away from being flagged, it is going to be an adrenaline-filled event to kick off the Cup Series.