NASCAR: Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles Will be Grand Marshals for Blue Emu 500

The NASCAR Cup Series continues on Wednesday night with the Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at [...]

By John Newby

The NASCAR Cup Series continues on Wednesday night with the Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The race starts at 7 p.m. ET and features two WWE stars. Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles will serve as the grand marshals for the Blue Emu 500.

WWE announced the news with a video on Twitter. Bryan and Styles are set to face off during Friday Night SmackDown for the WWE Intercontinental Championship Belt. First, however, they will deliver the most beloved message in stock car racing. They will tell the drivers to "start their engines" in preparation for the Cup Series race on NASCAR's shortest track.

"So Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles will be at a NASCAR race on Wednesday. I guess the NASCAR crews will need to ensure their equipment doesn't get damaged," one fan commented on Twitter. The two wrestlers have a history of fighting each other without paying attention to their surroundings, which created concern about subsequent damage to tires or cars.

An example of this took place during a Money in the Bank in mid-May. Bryan and Styles were among a group of performers set on fighting to the top of WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, in order to take part in a ladder match. During their brawl, the pair stumbled in Vince McMahon's office.

Bryan shoved Styles against McMahon's desk during the fight, but neither initially noticed the WWE head sitting in his chair. They both immediately stopped fighting when he stood up and simply stared until McMahon screamed, "Out!" They promptly straightened the office's chairs and then shuffled out of the room to continue their fight in a different area.

The two longtime wrestlers are not the first WWE stars to serve as grand marshals in 2020, but they are the first to do so for an actual race. Rob Gronkowski and Mojo Rawley gave the time-honored call on April 5. Although they did so prior to a virtual Pro Invitational Series race on the "iRacing" simulation. Bryan and Styles will instead be setting a stage for a crucial event for Cup Series drivers.

Following Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, driver Kevin Harvick has a 48-point lead in the standings. He has two victories since NASCAR returned from a 10-week postponement, along with 421 points. The next-closest driver is Joey Logano with 373. Will Harvick continue to build upon his lead, or will someone else shorten the gap? The drivers will provide the answer on Wednesday night.

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