Press Release | DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 12, 2024) – GRAMMY® award winning DJ, artist and music producer DJ Khaled will waive the green flag ahead of the 66th Running of The Great American Race on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024.
Khaled will be reminding fans to Go Biggie as he joins forces with longtime NASCAR partner Wendy’s® in promotion of Wendy’s Biggie™ Bag to bring together his love for fast cars, fresh beef, music, and golf. This one-of-a-kind infield experience at the Daytona International Speedway is bringing the big race day energy to Daytona’s biggest fans complete with a drive-thru experience to score the best deal in fast food and mini-golf activation like you’ve never experienced before, so sports fans can feel that biggie energy all day long whether in the stands or in the infield!
“We always love welcoming back our friends from Wendy’s, and introducing DJ Khaled into the mix as our Honorary Starter just amplifies an already spectacular list of pre-race dignitaries,” said Frank Kelleher, President of Daytona International Speedway. “There’s truly nothing like the experience of hearing those cars take the first lap at Daytona, and who knows, maybe the sounds of the engines rumbling past that starter stand as he waives the green flag will provide DJ Khaled with some inspiration for another chart-topping hit.”
Khaled Khaled, known professionally as DJ Khaled, has produced decades’ worth of award-winning and chart-topping songs and albums. Throughout his career, he’s worked with artists such as Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Rhianna, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce and many more. He frequents the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, producing popular songs like “All I Do Is Win,” “I’m The One,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Popstar,” and “No Brainer.”
Over the course of his career, DJ Khaled has received 10 GRAMMY® Award Nominations, and won the coveted record trophy in 2020 for Best Rap/Sung Performance alongside co-artists Nipsey Hussle and John Legend for the hit song “Higher.”
“I’ve always respected the Biggie lifestyle at Wendy’s and being chosen as this year’s honorary starter lets me turn that dream into reality,” said Grammy-Award winning artist, producer, and CEO DJ Khaled. “Going Biggie means going all out in everything, every day and challenging expectations at every turn. And being this year’s honorary starter is yet another way for me to do just that! I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans at the track and in the infield at the Wendy’s activation, you won’t want to miss it!”
The DAYTONA 500 is just one event taking place during the multi-day racing festival known as Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth.
The action kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 14 with Qualifying Presented by Busch Light, where drivers will fight for a front row start for Sunday’s race. Then on Thursday, Feb. 15, the rest of the field will battle for the reaming spots in The Great American Race during the BlueGreen Vacations Duel.
Friday is the first of four NASCAR season openers with the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series kicking off in the Fresh From Florida 250, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 17 with the ARCA Menards Series Hard Rock Bet 200 and the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300.
Then, on Sunday, Feb. 18, DJ Khaled will join Dwayne Johnson and Pitbull for an epic pre-race, as he waives the green flag to signal the start of the 66th running of the DAYTONA 500.
For more information regarding the DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, please visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.