The list of VIP guests has increased by three for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.

Two more recent U.S. Olympians were announced Thursday — swimmer Bobby Finke and long-distance runner Parker Valby 

— but the Speedway also ventured into the modern world of social “influencers” and invited golfer, model and media megastar Paige Spiranac.

Finke gets the role of “official starter” for the race, meaning he’ll wave the green flag to begin the 160-lap event. 

Valby and Spiranac will serve as “honorary event officials,” the same role announced Wednesday for Olympian Caeleb Dressel.

Finke and Valby are both former Florida Gators. Finke was the only American male swimmer to win individual gold at the Paris games, 

capturing the 1500-meter freestyle in world-record time. He also won two golds at the COVID-delayed Tokyo games in 2021.

Valby, a former swimmer turned SEC cross-country champ at UF, competed in the 10,000 meters in Paris, finishing 11th. 

Spiranac isn’t without past athletic achievement of her own. The Arizona native played college golf at San Diego State from 2012-15 and earned all-Mountain West Conference honors. She briefly played professionally at the minor-league tour level but eventually found her lucrative niche by modeling and swinging golf clubs (often simultaneously) on sites such as YouTube and Instagram, where she has millions of followers.

Speedway president Frank Kelleher called Spiranac “a mogul in the sports influencer industry.”

“She has an undeniable energy that continually captures the attention of the golf community,” Kelleher said.

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Source: USA Today