Top WWE Superstar John Cena will bring the 58th annual Daytona 500 to the green flag on Sunday, Feb. 21 as the honorary pace car driver.
Cena is a 15-time WWE champion and has been a lead actor in movies such as “Trainwreck” and most recently “Sisters” in December. The champ is currently sidelined due to a shoulder injury that he underwent surgery for in early January.
Away from the ring one Cena can be found helping children with medical issues for the Make-A-Wish Foundation as he is the companies top grant wisher with over 500-career wishes.
He will also host FOX’s upcoming reality series AMERICAN GRIT, debuting on Thursday April 14 in which contestants work together to complete a variety of military-grade and survival-themed challenges. .
“John Cena is one of the most iconic WWE Superstars in history, a great actor and philanthropist,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said in a press release. “We welcome him back to the ‘World Center of Racing’ and our new motorsports stadium, this time to pace the field for ‘The Great American Race.”
This isn’t Cena’s first time at a race track as he was the grand marshal for the Gillette Proglide 500 at Pocono Raceway back in 2010 and was the honorary starter for the Daytona 500 back in 2012, which was postponed until Monday and Cena had to fly to Portland for Monday Night Raw.
Cena has a close friendship with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Carl Edwards as Edwards taught Cena how to drive a Sprint Cup Series car back in 2007 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race.
- Josh Wise Adapting to The Motorsports Group - August 14, 2016
- Carl Edwards has Fully Transitioned into Joe Gibbs Racing - August 5, 2016
- Chris Buescher Steals a Victory in Soggy Pocono Event - August 1, 2016