You might not expect John Cena, the WWE megastar and his trademark “You can’t see me,” to be a NASCAR guy, but he has not only attended iconic races like the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600. He even drove the pace car in 2016, bringing wrestling-level showmanship to the track. Over in the music world, 50 Cent has long worn his admiration openly. He was close friends with driver Mark Martin and even featured Martin’s image on his 2009 album cover “Before I Self Destruct.” Country music’s Eric Church sings about Talladega in his Ballad “Talladega,” a love letter to NASCAR’s southern heritage. Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family sat atop Kevin Harvick’s pit box, while fans also named Blake Shelton, Nelly, and even Walter Payton as among the sport’s most unexpected celebrity fans. But one popstar, Dua Lipa, has changed all those views.

Dua Lipa, the British-Albanian pop icon behind breakthrough hits like “New Rule” and “Levitating,” is currently embracing the final days of her twenties with a sun-soaked escape in Jamaica. In a vibrant Instagram photo dump captioned, “Last days of 29…,” she shares relaxed moments snorkeling, sporting playful bikinis, reading, and even playing video games with her fiancé, actor Callum Turner, as she prepares to usher in her 30th birthday. Her Instagram carousel captured a carefree energy punctuated with underwater gear, denim shorts, gym selfies, and peaceful beach lounging, all amid a milestone celebration and personal reflection. But one photo on her Instagram dump captured the attention of NASCAR fans.

One X user posted a picture from Dua Lipa’s photo dump, writing, “Dua Lipa is playing WHAT???” It is a picture of the superstar sitting in the backseat of her car, playing NASCAR’s Grand Turismo 7 game with a pink-and-black controller on her lap. The post gained traction as fans started guessing which track she had been playing on, while others praised the game, saying, “The best gaming experience you can get today.” This brings other celebrities into the spotlight as well. Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen showed rare emotion during a frenetic iRacing crash session with friends before the Australian Grand Prix. In the sim racing community, British streamer Jimmy Broadbent also earned acclaim by winning the iRacing 24 Hours of Le Mans and even the Indy 500 split, showing how sim racing becomes a big part of a celebrity’s initiation into the NASCAR world.

The virtual turn is no footnote. Sim racing and official NASCAR gaming partnerships have created whole new stages where fandom, celebrity name-checks, and serious competition interest. iRacing’s consolidation of official NASCAR simulation licenses and the rise of eNASCAR competition mean you can watch a streamer, read a celebrity’s throwaway tweet about “trying iRacing,” and then see that same figure’s brand show up in league banners. For fans, that means whether a famous person is courtside at Daytona or sunbathing in the Caribbean, there are accessible, highly realistic ways to be part of the story. Right now, the reactions are affirmative towards Dua Lipa’s new endeavor.

A NASCAR game moment nobody saw coming

When one fan effused, “jus when i thought i couldnt love Dua anymore,” they echoed the collective awe that has trailed Dua Lipa’s every move. It’s the reaction that circulates after she surprises crowds by springing into Training Season, Houdini, Happy for You, and Illusion, just hours after hosting SNL, igniting Times Square amid glowing jumbotrons. Even after her father handed out $2 bills for good luck to VIPs, it amplified the intimacy of the unexpected show. Moments like that consistently spark this kind of outpouring, with fans calling it everything from “iconic queen moves” to “the happiest moment of my entire life” when she interacts intimately with the audience during concerts.

Another fan’s instinct isn’t far off when they asked, “Northern Isle Speedway is basically Bristol, so is Dua Lipa going to the Night Race?” Northern Isle Speedway is a fictional, half-mile, high-banked oval in racing games that Polyphony designed as a clear homage to Bristol Motor Speedway. Players and forum threads regularly describe Northern Isle as “basically Bristol” because both tracks reward high-line, bumper-to-bumper pack racing and frantic, stadium-style sightlines, the same qualities that make Bristol’s night events legendary as “The Last Great Colosseum.”

Some others quipped, “I want to know her lap time on Nürburgring.” The Nürburgring, often nicknamed “The Green Hell” by Formula One legend Jackie Stewart, is considered one of the toughest racing circuits in the world. But this remark by a fan is just a sarcastic one when looked at in comparison to official lap records. For example, Sabine Schmitz’s famous sub-10-minute story arcs and Jeremy Clarkson’s challenged 9:59 attempt are recorded in published lap lists, showing how some on-track runs do get logged and reported. This comment is, therefore, just a challenge for Dua Lipa to compete in higher levels of sim racing.

One fan wryly joked, “@WilliamByron is slipping into her DMs as we speak,” riffing on William Byron‘s lighthearted response to a viral Instagram flirty comment directed at popstar Sabrina Carpenter, which triggered a parody account. Byron, who has just scored his second straight Daytona 500 win, calmly debunked the rumor, calling out the Photoshop work behind the spoof and even extending a genuine-sounding invite: “Maybe we can get her out to a race…it would be great.” His teammate Alex Bowman later chimed in with a grin, joking, “I think that means it’s going down in the DMs.” Therefore, fans speculate that the same could happen with Dua Lipa as well.

Another fan added, “I am sure @RyanPreece_will be listening to levitating at @DAYTONA after this dropped.” This fan’s joke lands because it’s literally part of Ryan Preece’s recent Daytona lore. Preece has been involved in multiple spectacular airborne wrecks at Daytona, including a terrifying multi-roll flip in August 2023 and another dramatic “wheelie-to-flip” crash down the backstretch in the closing laps of the 2025 Daytona 500. Therefore, with the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona this week, fans have already started making prediction memes.

As NASCAR continues to intertwine with pop culture and the digital world, its reach only grows louder and more unpredictable. Whether through star-studded ownership, surprise gaming crossover, or viral fan commentary, the sport keeps finding new ways to capture the spotlight.