Country superstar, Grammy, CMA award winner Blake Shelton to be the Indy 500 grand marshal

Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star
·2 min read
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Blake Shelton will be the grand marshal for the 106th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced. During the pre-race ceremonies, the country music superstar and coach on "The Voice" will give the command for drivers to report to their cars.

“Blake is a country music powerhouse and good friend of motorsports fans everywhere,” IMS President Doug Boles said in a news release. “For both spectators at the track and everyone watching on NBC, his winning energy will be a perfect fit for the intensity of ‘The Greatest Spectacle of Racing.’”

Shelton will be a guest of NTT IndyCar Series driver Jimmie Johnson, and the duo worked on Johnson's race day helmet design.

Singer Blake Shelton performs onstage during day 1 of the Big Barrel Country Music Festival on June 26, 2015, in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Big Barrel)
Singer Blake Shelton performs onstage during day 1 of the Big Barrel Country Music Festival on June 26, 2015, in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Big Barrel)

On the music side, Shelton released the deluxe version of his album "Body Language" with hit "Happy Anywhere," which includes singer and wife Gwen Stefani. Before that, the two combined for the successful multi-week No. 1 "Nobody But You." Shelton's "God's Country" earned him a Best Country Solo Performance nomination at the 62nd Grammy Awards and won him a 2019 CMA Award and 2020 ACM Award for Single of the Year.

The singer, who is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, is an eight-time champion on "The Voice." He will launch a new game show called "Barmageddon" on USA Network with Carson Daly.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced several celebrity appearances already. Action star Miles Teller will wave the green flag as the honorary starter. Jordan Fisher will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner," "Voice" winners Girl Named Tom will sing "America the Beautiful" and Jim Cornelison will return for "(Back Home Again in) Indiana."

Live coverage of the race will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday on NBC, Telemundo Deportes on Universo and the IndyCar Radio Network. The race is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m., according to IMS. Find more information at ims.com.

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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 grand marshal will be 'The Voice' judge Blake Shelton