One thing Texans love as much as fast cars is Matthew McConaughey.



 

According to a tweet from FOX NASCAR, Matthew McConaughey has been announced as the Grand Marshall for the inaugural EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix on Sunday, May 23 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

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If you don't follow NASCAR, you may not know what the role of Grand Marshall entails, but it's actually pretty simple. The organization chooses a person that will give the command for drivers to "start their engines!" It's kind of like being honored to throw the first pitch at a baseball game.

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McConaughey has served as Grand Marshall previously for the Daytona 500 in 2005. Of course, in true McConaughey fashion he began with "Alright, alright, alright." Can McConaughey outdo his former self?

This time he'll be at home, so he has to bring the fire. Plus, it's also NASCAR's first visit to Austin. The racing series has been visiting Texas since 1997, but has not participated in COTA competitions since the tour opened in 2012.

Circuit of The Americas, located just south of Austin near the town of Elroy, is a 3.41-mile purpose-built road course with 20 turns and an elevation change of 133 feet.

COTA isn't just for races. It also serves as a concert venue, and has hosted stars like J. Cole, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Big Sean, and Bruno Mars. In addition, the facility offers a 15-turn Karting track that is open to the public, and also a zipline ride for the fearless.

The EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix for the NASCAR Cup Series is a 68-lap event that covers a race distance of 231 miles. The EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix will feature three stages: 15 laps for the first stage, 17 laps for the second stage, and 36 laps for the final stage.

For further details, check out this NASCAR at COTA fact sheet.

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