Actor Chris Evans Named Grand Marshall For Daytona 500

Chris Evans, star of Marvel’s latest Super Hero adventure “Captain America: The Winter Solider,” scheduled for release on April 4, will serve as Grand Marshal for the 56^th annual DAYTONA 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 23, at Daytona International Speedway.

As Grand Marshal, Evans will deliver the four most famous words in motorsports;“Drivers, start your engines.” In addition to the command, he will be introduced at the driver’s meeting, participate in pre-race ceremonies and ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during the pace laps prior to the green flag of the historic 200-lap, 500-mile race.

“What better way to kick-off ‘The Great American Race’ than with Captain America, Chris Evans, giving the command to start engines,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. “We look forward to having him be a part of our pre-race ceremonies in front of more than a hundred thousand race fans in attendance and millions more watching on FOX as we launch the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.”

Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Solider,” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, finds Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans), living quietly in Washington, D.C. following the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America teams up with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and enlists the help of a new ally, Falcon (Anthony Mackie). However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).

Predecessors to Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Solider” are “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) and “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012), in which Evans portrayed Captain America as well.

Evans is also set to star in “Snowpiercer,” which opened as the #1 film in Korea and will be released later this year in the U.S. Additionally, Evans recently wrapped production on his directorial debut “1:30 Train,” in which he also stars.

Evans joins the remarkable list of previous DAYTONA 500 Grand Marshals including John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage, Kate Upton, Jane Lynch, Matthew McConaughey and James Franco.

For more information on tickets for the 56th annual DAYTONA 500 and Sprint FANZONE/Pre-Race access, race fans can go online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.