Emmitt Smith Named Grand Marshall for O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
|Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith and NASCAR Xfinity Series driver and Carrollton, Texas, native Jesse Iwuji, unveiled the B.J. McLeod Motorsports No. 99 Notable.Live Chevrolet that Iwuji will drive in the Oct. 24 O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Welcome to @nascar Mr @EmmittSmith22 🏁 #NotableLive #emmittsmith #Cowboys #NASCAR #NewFaces @TeamBJMcLeod @TXMotorSpeedway pic.twitter.com/R7lN5QNoQP
— Jesse Iwuji (@Jesse_Iwuji) October 22, 2020
The three-time Super Bowl champion and NFL all-time leading rusher was also named the Grand Marshal for the fifth race of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs at No Limits, Texas.
“It’s truly an honor for me, not only to be standing next to this man (Iwuji), who served our country for seven years to provide the freedoms that we currently enjoy,” Smith said. “This is a tremendous historic moment in NASCAR. The walls should come down to open opportunities for men, women, and people of color who want to do the hard work to get to this place. You have to have the opportunity and he door has to be open. NASCAR has opened that door for this young man and Bubba Wallace, as well.
“(Michael) Jordan has invested, many others are looking to invest in things like this and so I’m proud to say that Notable.Live has partnered in with Jesse and I look forward to have more opportunities to bring NASCAR into the room and into our heads. People can learn what it takes: I did not become Emmitt Smith overnight. It was a process and a journey and it’s never easy for anyone to be successful and nobody becomes successful by themselves. If you’re given that, you actually have to work to take advantage of the opportunity. And when you take advantage of the opportunity, you have to leave the door open for someone else.”
Did y’all ever think I’d be in NASCAR?! Everyone welcome our newest partner to @notable_live, US Navy Officer & @NASCAR driver @Jesse_iwuji who represents so much in this country. See y’all at @TXMotorSpeedway as I’m giving the “start your engines” command Saturday! pic.twitter.com/YxdHdjHsya
— Emmitt Smith (@EmmittSmith22) October 22, 2020
The Notable.Live platform, co-founded by Smith, connects notable talent, influencers and content creators with their fans and communities through positive, two-way engagement, bringing fans “in the room” with their favorite notables. The Oct. 25 event, and Inside the Game xx featuring Smith and former Washington Football Team rivals Charles Mann and Dexter Manley, begins on Notable.Live at 1:25 p.m. ET.