Kurt Busch pilots Puka Nacua in high-speed prelude to Daytona 500
Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua climbed into the passenger seat of a stock car with veteran driver Kurt Busch for a pre-race thrill at the Daytona International Speedway on Sunday afternoon (ET). The appearance merged NFL celebrity with NASCAR spectacle ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500.
Puka Nacua takes the Speed Seat Thrill Ride
Nacua, coming off a breakout season in which he led the league with 129 catches, was one of the guests invited to sample what organizers are calling the Speed Seat Thrill Ride. The program places high-profile fans alongside experienced drivers for a lap around the high banks at the World Center of Racing — an adrenaline rush meant to showcase the speed and intensity of stock-car racing to a broader audience.
Michael Verlatti, a NASCAR vice president, captured the stunt’s intent when he noted the childhood draw of feeling a race car’s force and suggested the NFL standout’s on-field speed would make for an interesting comparison to life inside a stock car. The moment was staged as part of the Daytona buildup and offered a rare crossover experience for a young athlete already receiving national attention in football circles.
Busch back behind the wheel at Daytona
Kurt Busch, the 2017 Daytona 500 champion and a recent inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, was behind the wheel for the lap. While Busch has not been a regular presence at Daytona in recent years in a driving capacity, his history at the Speedway and status as a championship winner made him an obvious choice to pilot the ride for a high-profile guest.
The sight of a seasoned driver handling the car while a premier NFL receiver experienced the circuits highlights how race organizers are leaning into star-driven moments to amplify interest ahead of the 500. For Busch, the ride offered a chance to reconnect with the Daytona surface in a different role than competition, leaning on his experience to give Nacua a controlled but thrilling introduction to stock-car speed.
Cross-sport buzz and the spectacle factor
Crossovers like this are increasingly common at major motorsport events, where celebrity appearances create social-media moments and broaden the audience beyond traditional fans. For Nacua, the ride was largely ceremonial — a publicity-friendly thrill rather than a hint at a career pivot. The wide receiver’s value to his NFL team remains on the field, and the experience at Daytona is best read as part of the broader entertainment package the event builds around the race itself.
Still, the encounter underscores how motorsport officials continue to court mainstream names to keep the Daytona 500 culturally prominent. For fans, the image of a rising NFL star grinning from the passenger seat while a Hall of Fame driver navigates the banking delivers a simple, shareable narrative: speed, celebrity and spectacle wrapped into a single pre-race attraction.
In short, the Speed Seat Thrill Ride paired an emerging football star with a veteran racer to create a moment designed more for buzz than for any competitive crossover. For those on hand Sunday afternoon (ET), it was a reminder that Daytona’s draw extends well beyond laps and checkered flags — it’s also a stage for showmanship and cross-sport outreach.
