Comedian Nate Bargatze Serves as Daytona 500 Grand Marshal

Bargatze considered making a joke about not knowing how many feet are in 500 miles, but ultimately kept his remarks straight.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Comedian Nate Bargatze served as the grand marshal for the 2026 Daytona 500 NASCAR race. Bargatze considered making a joke about not knowing how many feet are in 500 miles, a riff on one of his popular sketches, but ultimately decided to keep his remarks straight. Bargatze has been enjoying a successful career, hosting the Emmy Awards, releasing Netflix specials, winning a Grammy, and starring in an upcoming film called "The Breadwinner."

Why it matters

Nate Bargatze's appearance as Daytona 500 grand marshal highlights his growing popularity and success as a comedian. His decision to avoid making a joke about not knowing the conversion between miles and feet shows his ability to tailor his comedy to the occasion and avoid potentially alienating the racing audience.

The details

Bargatze considered making a joke about not knowing how many feet are in 500 miles, a riff on one of his popular sketches, but ultimately decided against it after testing it out the night before and finding it didn't land well. He also thought about making a joke about Jimmie Johnson's age, but again decided to keep his remarks straight. As grand marshal, Bargatze simply gave the command for drivers to start their engines.

  • Bargatze served as grand marshal for the 2026 Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026.
  • Bargatze tested out the '500 miles' joke the night before at a gig in Indianapolis.

The players

Nate Bargatze

A popular stand-up comedian who has enjoyed significant success in recent years, hosting the Emmy Awards, releasing Netflix specials, winning a Grammy, and starring in an upcoming film.

Jimmie Johnson

A veteran NASCAR driver who Bargatze considered making a joke about, referencing Johnson's age compared to the younger drivers.

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What they’re saying

“At first, I thought about doing like, how many feet are in 500 miles. Nobody knows.”

— Nate Bargatze, Comedian (audacy.com)

“I was going to do another one with Jimmie Johnson being older to let the younger drivers know that his left blinker will be on the whole race.”

— Nate Bargatze, Comedian (audacy.com)

“It's going to be insanity. It's been a dream to be asked to do this.”

— Nate Bargatze, Comedian (audacy.com)

The takeaway

Nate Bargatze's appearance as Daytona 500 grand marshal showcases his ability to adapt his comedy to the occasion and avoid potentially alienating the audience, while also highlighting his growing popularity and success as a stand-up comedian.