Head coach Mark Dantonio watches his team on the field April 25, 2015, during the Green and White Spring game at Spartan Stadium. The white team defeated the green team, 9-3. Erin Hampton/The State News
—MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio will serve as the grand marshal of the Quicken Loans 400 on Sunday, June 14 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich.
The ninth-year head coach of the Spartans will give the command of "Start your engines!" when the NASCAR race gets underway at 1 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
"Coach Dantonio is a passionate, inspirational leader, and it is a tremendous honor to have him join us at the Quicken Loans 400," Quicken Loans President and Chief Marketing Officer Jay Farner said in a press release Wednesday. "He is used to firing up the players in the locker room, and I can't wait to see what he does to rile up the hundred thousand -plus fans in attendance at the race."
And for the 59-year-old Dantonio, who has led MSU to a 75-31 record during the last eight seasons, he said he's thrilled to be taking part in the event.
"I'm looking forward to witnessing one of the premier events in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series," Dantonio said in the press release. "It will be very exciting to visit Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR's fastest track and one of racing's top venues, and experience the race-day atmosphere.
"I'm anxious to meet and interact with the drivers as I certainly admire their skills and composure they display throughout the racing season," Dantonio went on to say. "This opportunity will be a life moment for us that we'll remember forever."
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