DJ Khaled to Be Honorary Starter for Daytona 500, Teams With Wendy's for Mini-Golf Event (Exclusive)

The 2024 Daytona 500 takes place on Sunday (Feb.18) and DJ Khaled will be a big part of it. PopCulture.com has learned that the 48-year-old music producer will be the honorary starter for the Daytona 500. Khaled has also partnered with Wendy's, a longtime partner of NASCAR, to bring his love of golf to Daytona International Speedway. During Daytona 500 weekend, there will be a mini-golf activation in the infield dedicated to bringing fans the best deal in fast food, the Biggie Bag. 

"The partnership is something organic and beautiful because I'm always talking about, we are the best and Biggie is the best," Khaled told PopCulture in an exclusive interview. "Going Biggie is like going big, the biggest. So it just felt great. And me as a kid coming up in the game, I always had my Biggie Bag and I always loved Wendy's. And at the same time, it feels right. And when I got the opportunity, it was a blessing I got with the team and went over some great ideas and it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger."

Fans who are at Daytona International Speedway can get their hands on some custom merch and experience Wendy's drive-thru tunnel, serving burgers, fries and nuggets. Khaled is excited to bring the event to Daytona since he's from Miami. 

"Going to the racetrack is going to be great," Khaled said. "I'm going to bring my kids, my whole family. So we're going to make it a family fun day. And at the same time, it's just to be able to have golf involved in the middle of the racetrack and play and see all the fans and all the people and the energy. And it's a historical event. The race is huge. You know what I'm saying? I'm a Florida boy, you know what I'm saying? I've been living in Miami for over 30 years, but I used to live in Orlando too. So I'm familiar with all this energy. So I'm excited to be a part of it in a big way."

For the fans who are not attending the race, they can still get in on the action. From Feb. 17 – Feb. 18, fans can enjoy Khaled's favorite Bigge Bag — the Double Stack — for free with a $20 minimum purchase from Uber Eats. But as much as Khaled loves the Double Stack, another Wendy's item ranks high for him. 

"I also love the Frosty, the Chocolate Frosty," he said. "So I love obviously the burger and the fries and the nuggets. That's a no-brainer. But the Frosty, that chocolate Frosty, I used to get that a little too much. You know what I'm saying? I used to get it a little too much. And to this day I love it. It's my go-to. It just makes me feel good. It's like my gift to myself to add to my happiness."

Along with the mini-golf activation with Wendy's, Khaled will also be the honorary starter for NASCAR's biggest race of the year. This is big for the Grammy Award winner since it's something he always wanted to do. 

"It's historic. It's biggie, it's biggest," Khaled explained. So when I got the call to do that, I'm like, 'This is so perfect.' Khaled, Wendy's, Biggie bag, biggest, and now starting off the race, we doing everything big. Some great for putting in my bucket list as well as beautiful to add to all the great accomplishments I've done in my life. I've always wanted to do this too. It's crazy that we're talking about it. So it's going to be fun, man. And just being a father with my boys to be there with me and my wife and my friends and my team. We're going to have a great time."