NASCAR: Owen Wilson named Daytona 500 grand marshal

Actor Owen Wilson, the voice of the animated character Lightning McQueen in Disney Pixar's upcoming movie "Cars 3," will serve as grand marshal for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway.

Wilson will deliver the command at 2 p.m. ET. In addition to giving the command, Wilson will ride in one of the grand marshal cars during pace laps prior to the green flag of the 200-lap, 500-mile race and attend the drivers meeting.

Wilson, who voiced Lightning McQueen in "Cars" (2006) and "Cars 2" (2011), has had starring roles in "Wedding Crashers," "Meet the Parents," "Zoolander" and "The Royal Tenenbaums." Wilson stars in the upcoming "Wonder" and the Woody Harrelson-directed live film "Lost in London." "Cars 3" opens nationwide on June 16.

"Owen Wilson is one of America's most beloved comedic actors and his voice has brought Lightning McQueen to life for millions of movie-goers over the last 10 years," said Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile. "His star-power, and of course his personality, are perfect fits for 'The Great American Race.' "

Previous actors who have served as Daytona 500 grand marshals include Gerard Butler, Vince Vaughn, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage and Matthew McConaughey.

The season-opening Daytona 500 will begin at 2 p.m. (FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).