$800M icon Dwayne Johnson reflects on unforgettable Grand Marshal duty at 2024 Daytona 500
WWE icon Dwayne Johnson recently reflected on his unforgettable experience at the Daytona 500 earlier this February. He had the honor of giving the commands for the Great American Race, kicking off the 2024 NASCAR season.
'The Rock' served as the Grand Marshal for the 66th edition of the Daytona 500, which was postponed to Monday, February 19 due to inclement weather. Johnson showed his commitment as he extended his stay and gave the commands, kicking off the 500-mile race ultimately won by William Byron.
As the NASCAR Cup Series is 10 races deep into the season, Dwayne Johnson gave a shout-out to the premier stock car series on social media. Johnson reminisced about his "unforgettable" experience at the Daytona International Speedway, where he also promoted the inaugural season of the United Football League (UFL).
Johnson, worth $800 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth) wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Truly an UNFORGETTABLE week at the DAYTONA 500 at the iconic @DAYTONA... Honored to kick off both of our @TheUFL & @NASCAR seasons!!"
"Pleasure to shake everyone’s hands and feel that energy & manana - it’s insane and very f’n cool!!"
"UtFL & NASCAR = helluva combo... Keep kickin ass this season!
Dwayne Johnson, who previously co-owned the XFL, promoted the newly formed UFL during his visit to the Daytona International Speedway. Formed by the merger of the XFL and USFL, the UFL is a professional football high-level minor league. The inaugural season commenced on March 30 and is scheduled to conclude on June 2.
Johnson is an avid fan of NASCAR and football and continues to encourage fans to relish the combination of the Cup Series and the UFL over the spring season.
Dwayne Johnson reminisces about a heartwarming moment from the 2024 Daytona 500
During his visit to NASCAR's season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Dwayne Johnson was reminded of a pivotal moment from his high school days during his interaction with fans.
Johnson shared that a fan mentioned the name of Jody Cwik, his high school football coach who played a significant role in his life. During his time at the Freedom High School in Pennsylvania, Johnson was arrested several times for fighting, theft, and check fraud. It was Cwik who recruited him to the football team, which according to him had a life-changing impact.
Dwayne Johnson narrated the incident on X, after the Daytona weekend, writing:
"Crazy moment here. You’ll see at the end, I’m shooting a cellphone vid for a guy - he gets my attention, by yelling my old high school in Pennsylvania (Freedom) and mentioning my high school football coach, Jody Cwik."
"The last time I got arrested at 15, Jody said, 'hey stop getting arrested and come play football for me'. I did...And it changed my life...He changed my life. You’ll see me look up and point, and say 'rest in peace, I love you brother'"