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“He Better “Rock” It!”- News of Dwayne Johnson Joining Rap Sensation Pitbull at the Daytona 500 Has NASCAR Fans Going Bonkers

Published 01/29/2024, 5:34 AM EST

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Heading into the 2024 season, the excitement around NASCAR is higher than ever. And with the Daytona 500 right around the corner, expectations from the organisers are sky high to deliver a Great American Race unlike ever before. After all, the eyes on the sport will be higher than ever if things go to plan with Netflix’s NASCAR: Full Speed documentary.

So with the preparations underway for this season to be a vital one for the future of the sport, the marketing team behind NASCAR has pulled out all the stops to bring out the big guns. After all, was anyone expecting WWE sensation like The Rock to cross paths with NASCAR once again?

The 2024 NASCAR season is up to a rock-solid start!

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Ladies and gentlemen, can you smell what Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is cooking this time around? While the NASCAR community on Twitter was busy laughing at Kyle Larson and Clint Bowyer’s jokes about the 49ers VS Lions NFC game, those listening keenly were also treated to a major announcement during the game about the Daytona 500.

While Pit Bull is already making his way to the Daytona 500 to deliver an energy-inducing pre-race performance, it was also revealed by commentators at the NFC game that Dwayne Johnson would be returning as a Grand Marshall once again after serving as an HM once during a race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2004. But this time, the opportunity takes The Rock to America’s most prestigious race.

Another big reason this collaboration has found solid footing is owing to The Rock’s new sports series, the UFL, which will also be promoted alongside. It’s safe to say that after Formula 1 recently took a page out of NASCAR’s book to file for licensing rights for a Chicago Street Grand Prix, the roles have been reversed for the grand pre-race shows. Like F1 brought out Will.I.Am for the Miami GP, NASCAR will also have an equally legendary pop star performing at the Daytona 500.

WATCH THIS STORY: Ross Chastain Unmasks Netflix’s Rebellious Unfiltered NASCAR

And with Dwayne The Rock Johnson also playing a crucial role in the 2024 proceedings of the Great American Race, the NASCAR community couldn’t help but spill all that excitement under Bob Pockrass’ tweet.

The NASCAR community looks forward to a star-studded pre-race ceremony

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Taking to X, Bob Pockrass shared with the community that, “Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will give the command to start engines for the Daytona 500.” And this immediately prompted fans to chime in with all sorts of expectations and realisations. One fan even took the attention away from The Rock to focus on ‘Melon Man’, “Awesome! He’ll have a front-row seat to Chastain’s win!”

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On the other hand, some fans put on their Sherlock Holmes thinking caps and made the connection with recent commercials that The Rock was featured in, “ah so that’s why he’s in the 500 commercials lol.” Others were also ecstatic to witness two entertainment superstars at the Daytona 500, “With Pitbull as Entertainer and The Rock giving the command will be an interesting prerace!”

The entire ordeal also brought out an interesting story about the Rock to light, as veteran spotter Brett Griffin shared, “The Rock once considered forming a race team years ago (back in 2000) with Hermie Sadler. I had a very small role in the initial discussions. Love to see high profile folks outside of our world that love racing.” And with that, the expectations from Dwayne Johnson were sky high as a fan concluded, “He better ‘Rock’ it!”

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So it becoming more and more evident that NASCAR isn’t just bringing in celebrities but those with a keen eye for motorsport to promote the Cup Series. And honestly, could we ask for much more?

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Written by:

Kabir Bajaj Ahmed

650Articles

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Kabir Bajaj Ahmed is an F1 & NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. Known for his storytelling and extensive research skills, he has covered multiple stories on Dale Earnhard Jr and his legendary dad, allowing readers to relive the thunderous days of 'The Intimidator'. Being a racer himself, Kabir can resonate with the motorsport world better than most.
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Edited by:

Ariva Debnath