With the white knuckles wrapped tightly around the steering wheel at the 10-and-2 position, Peyton Manning crossed another athletic achievement off his list on Sunday.
Manning circled the track as the DAYTONA 500's pace car driver, as he took on the daunting task of getting the field all ready to go for one last warmup before they broke out the green flag and officially kicked off the 2018 NASCAR season.
Manning, who has circled race tracks many times in his life, talked about the experience live with NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and current FOX analyst Darrell Waltrip.
"I tell ya: I've been upright, I've been on my back — I've never been sideways before," Manning said as he navigated Daytona International Speedway's famous 31-degree banking. "So this is a little different."
Manning, who was so well known for his "internal clock" and his awareness to escape danger within the pocket for the length of his 18-year NFL playing career, did have one simple takeaway from Sunday's experience.
"I didn't realize these guys were going to be quite so close on me," Manning said with a laugh.
Here's some of the flavor of Manning's experience on Sunday:
