2025 Daytona 500: Watch as U.S. President Donald Trump leads field in 'The Beast' during pace laps

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- United States President Donald Trump played a prominent role in pre-race ceremonies for Sunday's Daytona 500, arriving at the Daytona International Speedway to lead the field during pace laps for the 67th running of The Great American Race. Trump reprised a role he had played in 2020, when he served as Daytona 500 grand marshal and later paced the field as "The Beast" made a lap around Daytona.

The Daytona 500 marks the latest sporting event Trump has attended in his first month since returning to office, as he last week attended Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. This is also his second NASCAR race in the past year, as he previously attended the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway during his campaign for the Oval Office last May.

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Steven Taranto

Trump took command of the 41 car field for the Daytona 500, led off by polesitter Chase Briscoe alongside fellow front row starter and 2022 Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric. 

Trump is the latest U.S. President to attend a race at the Daytona International Speedway, joining Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. While W. Bush had been the only prior sitting president to attend a Daytona 500 (2004) prior to Trump in 2020, Reagan famously was in attendance in July 1984 when NASCAR icon Richard Petty earned his 200th career win -- the sport's all-time record -- in that year's Firecracker 400.