Ryan Lochte grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida. He attended the local Spruce Creek High School before going on to be twice named the NCAA Swimmer of the Year.
And even with that, he has trouble breaking through as the most talked-about athlete in his hometown. That’s because he’s from NASCAR country.
Now, Lochte will get the chance to play a major role in his town’s biggest sporting event: the upcoming Daytona 500, aslo known as “the Great American Race”. Lochte Thursday served as the Grand Marshall of the first of two precursor races (known as the Gatorade Duel at Daytona 150’s) that will serve as the qualifiers for the big-race that is to take place on Sunday.
This is a huge step into the mainstream for Lochte, as the races at Daytona are getting plenty of airtime on all of the major sports networks. This shows what a partnership with a major multi-sport sponsor like Gatorade can do for the exposure of swimming.
Among his duties as the Grand Marshall, Lochte gets to give the “Drivers, start your engines” command.
The Grand Marshall’s for the main race on Sunday will be Jane Lynch, star of Fox’s Glee, and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton.