WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter will serve as Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race this Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. The Ford 300 is the Championship race in this year’s Nationwide Series and each driver will certainly be at attention when the incomparable Sgt. Slaughter kicks off the race.

The WWE Hall of Famer and former U.S. Marine is not only in the Miami area to promote WrestleMania XXVIII, but he is a huge NASCAR fan and is honored to have been named the Grand Marshal for the race.

“Every since I was a little boy I’ve been a huge NASCAR fan,” Slaughter told WWE.com. “It’s one of my favorite sports.”

Sarge feels that starting the Ford 300 is just another perfect union between NASCAR and WWE, as he’s very happy to see the relationship and friendships that have bloomed between his favorite forms of competition.

“A lot of NASCAR drivers are part of the WWE Universe,” he said. “Elliot Sadler is a great friend and a huge fan of mine and former Raw guest star Carl Edwards is a good friend of John Cena. So it only seems fitting.”

The former WWE Champion also pointed out that the bond between WWE and NASCAR has existed for a long time, revealing that years ago he met Dale Earnhardt Sr., of whom Sarge was a big fan. Upon asking the late Earnhardt for a photo, Slaughter told us that ”he complied so long as I posed for a photo with one of my biggest fans, Dale Earnhardt Jr.”

Recently in Miami for the WrestleMania XXVIII ticket on-sale party, the WWE Hall of Famer loves representing WWE in any way he can and being named Grand Marshal of the Ford 300 also grants him the opportunity to help promote The Show of Shows, while enjoying a favorite sport.

“I love meeting fans and veterans as well as being part of charity events. It’s a wonderful thing to represent the WWE in such a capacity,” Slaughter said.

With Sarge helping to promote WrestleMania XXVIII, we couldn’t resist the urge to ask him who was his early pick for the main event on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

“I really like both John Cena and The Rock, but I watched The Rock grow up, I trained with him early on, and we’re now connected through G.I. Joe, so I’ve got to go with The People’s Champ.”