Daytona International Speedway today announced Los Angeles Rams wide receiver and Team Toyota athlete Puka Nacua will zip ahead of the DAYTONA 500 field in NASCAR’s new “Speed Seat Thrill Ride” two-seater experience driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch prior to the drop of the green flag on Sunday, Feb. 15.
Nacua’s DAYTONA 500 experience highlights Toyota’s cross-sport athlete partnerships, which recently included Nacua and 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace appearing together in the brand’s Super Bowl LX spot, “Where Dreams Began.”
The “Speed Seat Thrill Ride” puts Nacua in the passenger seat of a stock car that parallels the experience of being in one of the 40 NASCAR Cup Series cars that will compete in the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. The two-seater will take a lap ahead of the field on Sunday afternoon, allowing Nacua to experience the sights, sounds, smells and horsepower of Cup Series racing.
“As a kid, we all craved that adrenaline rush of ripping a stock car around the World Center of Racing,” said NASCAR Vice President, Signature Experience Group Michael Verlatti. “We’ve witnessed Puka’s incredible speed on the football field, and now we’re going to see how that compares to being a passenger in a stock car on the high banks at the World Center of Speed.”
Los Angeles Rams star Nacua is a multi-time All-Pro receiver who continues racking up accolades year-after-year. The now 24-year-old has set several NFL records, including the most receiving yards in a season by a rookie (1,486) and receptions in a game by a rookie (15). In 2025, he led all of football with a total of 129 receptions.
Nacua’s fellow Vegas-native Kurt Busch will get behind the wheel at Daytona International Speedway for the first time since 2022. The 2004 Cup Series champion and 2017 DAYTONA 500 champion, was recently inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Busch tallied 34 wins over 776 career Cup Series starts during his 22-year career in the preeminent NASCAR series.
Nacua joins a star-studded list of dignitaries announced to kick off the NASCAR Cup Series season. On Sunday, three-time GRAMMY-award winning country music star Miranda Lambert will kick things off as the pre-race performer before the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds soar above The World Center of Racing. Following the famed flyover, the nicest man in stand-up comedy, Nate Bargatze, will command the drivers to start their engines. Finally, acclaimed actor Kurt Russell will lead the field to the green flag to officially start the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Though grandstand tickets and camping are sold out for Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, fans can still purchase verified resale tickets on Ticketmaster.
— Daytona International Speedway —