DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Legendary college football coach Bobby Bowden will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 54th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 7 at Daytona International Speedway.
The Hall of Fame football coach will give the starting command, “Gentlemen start your engines,” in the 160-lap, 400-mile race. He’ll also be introduced at the driver’s meeting, participate in the driver introductions and ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during the pace laps prior to the green flag. Coke Zero invited the coaching icon to take part in the festivities to help launch its upcoming fall football program, which rewards fans online and in person with college football prizes and one-of-a-kind VIP experiences.
During his 34-year tenure as the head coach at Florida State University, Bowden coached the Seminoles to more than 300 victories, two National Championships and 12 Atlantic Coast Conference championships. Under Bowden’s leadership, the Seminoles also finished in the top five in the country in 14 straight seasons and qualified for Bowl Games in 28 consecutive seasons.
Bowden, the second all-time winningest coach in major college football history, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
“I am really looking forward to being the Grand Marshal for the big race on July 7th,” Bowden said. “When the people at Coke Zero invited me to Daytona, I said ‘As long as I don’t have to drive that dadgum pace car!’ Not many people can say that they were the Grand Marshal for the first NASCAR race they’ve ever been to, you know it? That’s right, I’ll be going to my first NASCAR race, and I surely could not think of a better brand than Coke Zero or a better place than Daytona for the experience.”
The stars of NASCAR return to Daytona International Speedway on July 6-7. Tickets to the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, featuring a special hour-long pre-race concert by multiplatinum, Grammy-winning superstars Train, and the Subway Jalapeno 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race are available by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
Also, don’t forget to take advantage of our special kids’ pricing. Kids 12 and under receive free general admission tickets to the Subway Jalapeno 250, free admission to the Sprint FANZONE all weekend long, and a $10 ticket for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola while supplies last.
Also be sure to catch the Coke Zero 400 live from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway) for all the latest news all season long.
