DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman is at the Super Bowl of NASCAR: Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The New England Patriots wide receiver is the honorary starter for the biggest race of NASCAR’s season, and he’ll wave the green flag above the field to begin the event.
“I certainly know how big this event is to NASCAR, growing up always kind of seeing it on TV and learning a little as I’ve gotten older and have relationships with drivers,” Edelman said during a brief press conference a couple hours before dropping the green flag.
Winning his third Super Bowl earlier this month with a Patriots win over the Los Angeles Rams, Edelman was asked how NASCAR compares with the NFL, with both featuring high risk but high reward situations. The 32-year-old didn’t hold back in explaining how wild he thinks racing is.
He said:
“I think these guys are absolutely insane. First and foremost, they’re going 200 miles an hour around for three hours straight and (are) able to focus in extreme conditions, whether it’s heat or (whatever).
“The mental toughness and physical toughness to be able to go and perform for so long and stay in-tuned and any kind of mistake, ultimately, could be a big mistake that you don’t want to go down, which is very comparable to our sport. It’s a respect level for these guys who are clearly adrenaline junkies, just like we are. I always tell everyone: Football players, we’re missing screws. And these dudes certainly are too.”
The 2019 Daytona 500 is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is also the Daytona 500 Grand Marshal.
