“I'm here, I'm not missing it” - Dwayne Johnson not going anywhere despite Daytona 500 being postponed due to rain

Dwayne Johnson remains steadfast in his stance, ensuring his presence in The Great American Race despite impending rains postponing the event.

Scheduled for Sunday, 2.30 PM ET, the Daytona 500 got rescheduled to Monday, 4 PM ET. The continuous rains made the 2.5-mile track unfit for racing, and eventually, the race was temporarily called off by the officials.

The 2024 Daytona 500's Grand Marshall, Dwayne Johnson, marked his presence at the event but had to make his way to the media center due to unfavorable weather conditions. However, the renowned Hollywood actor didn't want to leave until the checkered flag dropped in the biggest race on the NASCAR calendar.

Celebrities such as DJ Khaled and Pitbull were to grace the event. However, they will no longer be able to mark their presence at the race. Nevertheless, Johnson's desire to stay for the race was evident as portrayed in his "I'm here, I'm not missing it" claim relayed by journalist Toby Christie.

Expressing his will to still be the Grand Marshal of the iconic 500-mile race, Dwayne Johnson said (via mynbc15.com):

"The most exciting thing I have going on right now is being the Grand Marshal for the Daytona 500," Johnson said. "It's awesome."

Johnson added:

"My plan for the iconic words of 'Drivers, start your engines' is just not to screw it up." That's all. Maybe sound halfway cool when I do it. But also, I want to make sure that my words and my energy is a respectful reflection of what the drivers need from me, and also what the fans need."

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Dwayne Johnson's charisma garners praise from the president of the Daytona International Speedway

The wrestler-turned-actor owns the title of being the most followed American man on social media. So, it's safe to say that a renowned figure like 'The Rock' would be able to garner a lot of eyes owing to his worldwide popularity.

DIS president Frank Kelleher chimed in and opened up on Dwayne Johnson being a promising prospect as a Grand Marshal. He said last month, via the Daytona International Speedway's official website:

“Nothing compares to the intensity and anticipation of that first command of the NASCAR season as we kick off the 66th running of the DAYTONA 500, and who better to say those four famous words than Dwayne Johnson.”

The president added:

“There are very few people who can truly match the energy around the pomp and circumstance of The Great American Race, and The Rock may be the only person who can actually ramp it up even more. We can’t wait to see how he fires up the crowd and the engines for all the fans.”