How DJ Khaled, Pitbull and ‘The Rock’ salvaged a rainy day at Daytona

With the Daytona 500 pushed to 4 p.m. Monday, stars who were set to perform at the Great American Race showed up to the track Sunday.

Pitbull, the Miami-born Grammy award-winning superstar who’d been scheduled to perform the pre-race concert, co-owns Trackhouse Racing and named his recent album after his NASCAR team.

“Short steps, long vision,” Pitbull said about his racing team’s vision. “That’s what ‘The Rock’ is about. That’s what DJ Khaled is about. That’s what I’m about. That’s what Trackhouse is about, and at this point, that’s what NASCAR is about.”

With its Xfinity Series race now running at 11 a.m. Monday, NASCAR won’t be able to hold a pre-race concert for this year’s Daytona 500. Grand Marshal Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — who will return Monday to say the most famous words in motorsports — and honorary starter DJ Khaled rounded out the star-studded group involved with this year’s Great American Race.

The reggaeton and Latin rap star popularly known as “Mr. Worldwide” has had a presence around NASCAR since joining Trackhouse Racing founder Justin Marks in 2021. He’s emphasized the importance of growing the sport since he invested in the team that had recently signed Daniel Suarez, the first foreign-born driver to win a series title.

“The reason that — and I’m kinda jumping train tracks at this point — but with NASCAR, one of the main reasons why I got involved was because, for me, it’s one of the ultimate American stories of a negative to a positive,” Pitbull continued. “I’m a negative to a positive. Rock is a negative to a positive. Khaled is a negative to a positive.

“For us to be able to be here — it may be rained out — but we’re still gonna make history. We’re still, in one way or another, gonna get the word out and create awareness for the Daytona 500, whether the race happens today or tomorrow.

“It’s history in the making. Look at that. Who would have ever thought of Rock, Khaled and Pit at Daytona 500.”

While Pitbull won’t be able to take the stage this year, Daytona International Speedway track president Frank Kelleher stepped to the podium at the end of the news conference and presented Pitbull with a special jacket.

He also described the excitement the speedway heard in advance of the scheduled performance and asked Pitbull to check his calendar and see if he can perform at the 2025 Daytona 500.

“Well, I’ll tell you what — I’m old school. No contract, no nothing,” Pitbull said, removing his Trackhouse Racing hat and signature sunglasses while shaking Kelleher’s hand with a big smile, “just hand shake and eye to eye.”

Embracing the villain: ‘The Rock’ gives advice for Denny Hamlin

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the world-renowned actor, businessman and wrestling star, described how the WWE leans into its villains.

With “heels and baby faces,” professional wrestling has its share of “bad guys.” Like “the big bad wolf,” himself — or Denny Hamlin.

“The Rock” casually name-dropped Hamlin, the driver widely regarded as NASCAR’s villain, early in his news conference and explained how much he loves the role he plays in the sport.

He said himself that “the character of The Rock has turned heel.” He feels people develop that villain role because it comes from a place of truth, and said his advice for Hamlin is to embrace the role.

“Being the villain is the greatest thing in the world,” Johnson said. “I was aware of Denny (Hamlin) and getting booed and impressed at how he’s embraced it. I also feel like everybody wants to be the good guy. Everybody wants to be the good guy, the good girl. Everyone wants to be loved, cheered and considered the hero, which is great and it’s natural. It’s human psychology and desire.

“But I have felt in my career and through my experience — that I’ve been very fortunate, knock on wood, to have is that the rare air is when you have the opportunity to drive it by the throat and you don’t let it go. And that’s the opportunity to be a great bad guy.”

Will DJ Khaled ever become a NASCAR team owner?

DJ Khaled, the Miami-based music superstar, remembers attending Daytona a long time ago as a little kid, when he didn’t know the names of any NASCAR drivers. But he always loved cars and was enthralled by the racing and atmosphere at the event.

Asked if he’s interested in becoming a team owner one day, like Trackhouse Racing’s Pitbull, the world-famous celebrity didn’t shy away from the possibility.

“I would love to be a team owner, hopefully to have a ‘we the best car’ one day,” DJ Khaled told reporters. “Man, you know, look at Michael Jordan doing the things that he’s doing, and all the other great team owners. So, one day, God willing, I would have a ‘we the best car’ out there bringing home the trophy.”