Blake Shelton Will Serve as Grand Marshal of the Indy 500
Blake Shelton is headed to the racetrack for the second time in less than a week. The "Come Back as a Country Boy" singer will serve as this year's Grand Marshal of the 106th Indianapolis 500.
The race — presented by Gainbridge — is set for Sunday, May 29, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind. NBC will broadcast the event starting at 11AM ET.
"I'm starting to get the hang of this Grand Marshal thing ... let's do this Indy!!!!" Shelton writes on Instagram.
As Grand Marshal, the country star will have the honor of giving the command for drivers to report to their cars. It's a longstanding tradition during the pre-race ceremonies. Actor Miles Teller will serve as the honorary starter for the storied race.
Shelton is also a special guest of driver Jimmie Johnson — the two collaborated on a helmet design that Johnson will be wearing on race day.
"Blake is a country music powerhouse and good friend of motorsports fans everywhere," Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles says. "For both spectators at the track and everyone watching on NBC, his winning energy will be a perfect fit for the intensity of 'The Greatest Spectacle of Racing.'"
Just last week, Shelton was on hand for the pre-race activities for NASCAR's All-Star Race. The event took place on May 22 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The "Austin" singer had the honor of telling the drivers to start their engines. "Just a totally normal day.. yep.. totally normal..." he joked on social media, sharing video of the big moment.
Shelton has been quite busy outside of the recording studio recently. Without having a spring season of The Voice coaching duties to tend to, he's kept busy with other projects. In addition to a new television show in the works with his The Voice co-worker Carson Daly, the Oklahoma native recently opened a new location of his bar Ole Red in the Nashville airport. Fans can get a taste of Shelton's hospitality in Terminal C.