Canadian driver Amber Balcaen may not have been racing in the Daytona 500, but she still felt President Donald Trump’s energy when he arrived at Daytona International Speedway.
“I’m Canadian, but I’ve never experienced anything like that. You could feel the energy and even still talking about it, it gives me chills. It was really neat,” Balcaen said during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “OutKick The Morning with Charly Arnolt.“
“I raced the day before, so I didn’t get to hear him over the radio, but I was listening, and I can’t even imagine how the drivers must have felt in that moment.”
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President Donald Trump greets drivers at the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Pool via AP)
Balcaen, 32, raced in the ACRA Menards Series
Balcaen said Trump’s presence added even more to what is already an awesome atmosphere.
“The Daytona 500 is known as the great American race. It’s NASCAR’s Super Bowl. So to have Donald Trump, or the President of the United States there, I mean the energy is already absolutely electric on that day at Daytona. But to have the President there, it just added another level.”
NASCAR STAR WILLIAM BYRON DISHES ON TRUMP’S VISIT TO DAYTONA 500
ARCA Series driver Amber Balcaen during practice for the Ride the ‘Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Trump became the first president to attend the Daytona 500 twice when he visited the racetrack earlier this month.
After talking with some drivers on pit lane, he rode in the presidential limousine, “The Beast,” as it took a pace lap before the green flag flew.
William Byron won the Daytona 500 for the second time in his career and talked to Fox News Digital earlier this month about what it meant having Trump in attendance.
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ARCA Series driver Amber Balcaen during practice for the Ride the ‘Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
“It was pretty neat,” Byron said. “I think anytime you can have a sitting president come and see your sporting event, it is very special. And for him to take the time to do that was really cool. Just to be able to see the motorcade go across the track and just the various things that he did when he was there was pretty cool.
“Brought a lot of energy and excitement to the race before it started.”
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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2025-02-28 17:45:48
