Flight restriction data gave early signals that President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, would attend the Daytona 500, the Daytona News-Journal reported. Trump was the grand marshal of the event in 2020 in the aftermath of a row with driver Bubba Wallace.
On Wednesday, the FAA closed the airspace over Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, which acts as his Florida residence. Restrictions for Daytona Beach popped up the following day, indicating that the president may be expected in the area.
The details track with the timeline of the race at Daytona International Speedway. The restrictions begin Friday at 4 p.m. and stretch to Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. except for a break in restrictions on Sunday that could suggest he will leave for a few hours.
According to the Associated Press, the White House confirmed his attendance at the event on Friday, which immediately prompted a discussion of the 2020 race. Last Sunday, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl.
In February 2020, Trump served as grand marshal for the event and gave the command to "start your engines" to get the race underway. The presidential motorcade waited in the wings as Trump took a pre-race parade lap.
Despite the honor, the day was not without its challenges. In June 2020, Wallace, a Black NASCAR driver, accused someone of leaving a noose in his garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
Many, including Trump, believed that it was another race hoax after the rope in question turned out to be a garage door pull that had already been there. The FBI later determined that he was not the victim of a hate crime, and Trump shared his dismay with Wallace on his social media.
"Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?" Trump wrote to X, formerly Twitter, on July 6, 2020. "That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!" Trump added.
Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
When asked for his thoughts about the Trumps attending this year's race, Wallace said he "couldn't care less" and waved away the controversy. "We’re here to race. Not for the show," Wallace said at a press event for the race.
To his credit, Wallace has backed away from making outspoken political posts as he did in 2020, seemingly chastened by the backlash. "Social media nowadays is just a way for people to hide behind a screen and voice their opinions on things they don't really know about," Wallace said to Fox News Digital.
"It's just too much negativity that it's going to take years and years and years to get rid of, and we don't have time for that," Wallace noted of the social media climate. He said his perspective shifted since becoming a father.
"Now, with being a dad and trying to be the best that I can be here for my race team and my team here, that's where I'm investing my energy so that's all you can really ask for," Wallace said. He's also become a better racer since then, with "two top-10 finishes in the last three races," Fox reported.
Trump is a man of the people and will be welcomed at the all-American event after triumphing over his naysayers. It appears as if even Wallace has softened to Trump, which shows that even his enemies can't help but come around.
