Talented veteran actor co-stars with Tom Cruise in “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – The Final Reckoning,” whose world premiere is May 14 at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

• Former Cup Series star Kasey Kahne to serve as Honorary Pace Car Driver for race on Sunday, May 4
• Former NFL running back and University of Oklahoma star Spencer Tillman to provide pre-race invocation
• 100-year-old Iwo Jima survivor Don Graves to sing the National Anthem

FORT WORTH, Texas (APRIL 29, 2025) – Film and television actor Shea Whigham, best known for his standout roles in acclaimed projects such as “Boardwalk Empire,” “True Detective,” “Joker” and “American Hustle,” has been named the Grand Marshal for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race this Sunday, May 4, at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS).

The talented veteran actor co-stars with Tom Cruise in “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – The Final Reckoning,” which will have a gala screening on May 14 at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Whigham’s leading dignitary role will include him providing the famous pre-race command for the drivers to start their engines to the marquee NCS race beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT (TV: FS1, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM and Lone Star 92.5 locally).

Whigham has helped generate a box office of more than $6 billion during a brilliant career that has spanned over two decades. It began with a role in the 2000 film “Tigerland,” which he was cast alongside Colin Farrell, and continued with a lengthy list of critically acclaimed and award-winning projects.

His resume includes “All the Real Girls” (2003), “Lords of Dogtown” (2005), “Pride and Glory” (2008), ‘Elias Eli Thompson’ in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (2010-2014), “Take Shelter” (2011), “The Lincoln Lawyer” (2011), “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012), “Savages” (2012), “American Hustle” (2013), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013), ABC’s “Agent Carter” (2015), “Kong: Skull Island” (2017), FX’s “Fargo” (2017), Amazon’s “Homecoming” (2018), “First Man” (2018), HBO’s “Perry Mason” (2020-2022), Starz’s “Gaslit” (2022), Showtime’s “Waco” (2018) sequel, “Waco: The Aftermath” (2023), Neon-acquired Sundance film “Eileen” (2023), Paramount+ “Bass Reeves” (2023), Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) and HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” (2023).

The other primary dignitary role for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY will be filled by Sebastian Würth, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group. He will serve as the Honorary Starter and wave the green flag to officially start the 11th race of the season. Benjamin Würth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group, will be a co-Honorary Race Official alongside Moses Brings Plenty, who is best known for his portrayal of “Mo” in the Paramount Network hit series, “Yellowstone.”

Former NCS star Kasey Kahne will buckle in as the Honorary Pace Car Driver and help lead the field to the green flag. Kahne was an 18-race winner in the NCS and was part of the closest NCS finish in TMS history. He was edged by Elliott Sadler by 0.028 of a second in the 2004 race. He would go on to capture his first – and only – TMS pole and win two years later in the same spring race.

Football champion running back Spencer Tillman will provide the pre-race invocation for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY. Tillman spent eight years in the NFL with the Houston Oilers (1987-88, ’92-94) and San Francisco 49ers (’89-91). He was also an All-American and captain of the University of Oklahoma’s 1985 national championship team. Tillman is currently a college football game analyst for FOX Sports.

Another esteemed dignitary will be National Anthem singer Don Graves, who will celebrate his 100th birthday the day prior to his appearance at the NCS race. He is a U.S. Marine veteran who is part of an exceptional group of living American heroes who took part in the successful invasion on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II. It will be Graves’ second visit to TMS to perform, having sung “God Bless America” prior to the 2023 fall NCS Playoff race.

The WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY headlines a NASCAR tripleheader at TMS. The weekend also includes the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) SpeedyCash.com 250 this Friday, May 2, at 7 p.m. and Xfinity Series (NXS) Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 this Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m.

Below are the dignitaries for each of the weekend races.

NCS WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY

Grand Marshal: Film and television actor Shea Whigham.
Honorary Starter: Sebastian Würth, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Former NASCAR Cup Series star Kasey Kahne.
National Anthem: World War II Iwo Jima survivor Don Graves.
Invocation: Former NFL running back and University of Oklahoma All-American Spencer Tillman.

NXS Andy’s Frozen Custard 300

• Grand Marshal: Andy’s Frozen Custard CEO and owner Andy Kuntz, who will be accompanied by his wife Dana, mother Carol and children Coyler, Leigha and Tatum.
• Honorary Starter: Andy’s Frozen Custard franchise owner Emad Lakhany.
• Victory Lane Trophy Presenters: Andy, Dana and Carol Kuntz.
• National Anthem: Rowdy Shea, competitor on “The Voice” Season 26 (2024).
• Invocation: Bret Shisler of Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries.

NCTS SpeedyCash.com 250

• Grand Marshals: Speedy Cash Regional Vice President Ryan Roscoe, Regional Vice President Bruce Cantrell, District Director Alejandro McClain and District Director Ulysses Perez.
• Honorary Starter: CCF Family of Brands Senior Vice President of Operations Tim Pearson.
• Victory Lane Trophy Presenters: CCF Family of Brands President Bill Baker and Executive Vice President Retail Operations Larry Reisinger.
• National Anthem: Musical artist Allyse McFall.
• Invocation: Bret Shisler of Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries.

Event tickets and camping for the 2025 WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR tripleheader weekend are on sale now. Save up to 33 percent versus purchasing individual tickets, take advantage of interest-free monthly payments, get the best seat selection and more. Click HERE for more information and to buy tickets.

Texas Motor Speedway’s current 2025 events calendar includes the Kubota High Limit Racing (May 1 and 3 at the TMS Dirt Track), WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR tripleheader weekend (May 2-4), C10 Nationals (May 9-10), Holley LS Fest Texas (May 16-17), Bandas y Trocas (May 24), Solar Car Challenge (July 17-23), Goodguys Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals (Sept. 26-28), Texas World Dirt Track Championship (Oct. 3-4 at the TMS Dirt Track), October Truck Madness (Oct. 11), Kubota High Limit Racing All-In Championship (Oct. 17-18 at the TMS Dirt Track), FuelFest (Oct. 25), POWRi Sprint Cars (Nov. 7-8 at the TMS Dirt Track) and Xtreme Xperience (Dec. 11-14).

ABOUT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Texas Motor Speedway is among the largest sports and entertainment venues in the United States. The speedway has an array of amenities such as Big Hoss, the largest single LED screen of any sports facility in North America, making it one of the premier venues in the world of sports. The 1.5-mile superspeedway located in Fort Worth hosts all three NASCAR national series among its various races and specialty events throughout the year. Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, LLC, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit texasmotorspeedway.com.

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