10 Years Earlier: DJ Diesel Left NASCAR in Hysteria, as 7’1″ NBA Legend Towered Over Adam Sandler Only to Rule Over Daytona

The races at Daytona International Speedway, more often than not, have been special. While racing always takes center stage, oftentimes there are other factors that make the race day special. One such day saw NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and actor Adam Sandler gracing the stands of the Daytona Superspeedway. To date, the memories remain fresh in the minds of the NASCAR fanatics. Interestingly, it was the day Jimmie Johnson created history.

While O’Neal had a fabulous career in the NBA, his fame off the court has only gotten stronger with time. Also, his friendship with Sandler has caught the eye of many, especially after what they did at Daytona.

Shaquille O’Neal joins hands with Adam Sandler before a memorable race at Daytona International Speedway

There’s plenty that Shaquille O’Neal has achieved in his basketballing career. Having said that, his skills off the court have known no bounds. The 7″1′ tall athlete is also well-known for producing electronic dance music under the stage name DJ Diesel.

With such a reputation, the expectations were high when he visited the Daytona International Speedway ten years ago. He was joined by his close friend Adam Sandler and actor/comedian Kevin James. Sandler and O’Neal have shared a deep friendship and it was then that they combined with James to pull off an unexpected act. The trio thoroughly entertained the fans with their command.

Surprisingly, Sandler was making his fourth-ever NASCAR appearance then. Having attended the race at Michigan and Talladega, he accompanied James, who was making his third-ever appearance in the sport. While both these actors had reasonable experience of the sport, O’Neal completed the trio as they performed in an eye-catching fashion.

The partnership of O’Neal, Sandler, and James was selected for the NASCAR command. Inspired by the occasion, the trio performed the command in one of the best possible ways seen to date. While they gave the perfect start to the race, Jimmie Johnson gave the ideal finish.

Then Hendrick Motorsports legend ended up winning the race, his fourth of the season. Most noteworthy was the fact that by winning the event he won both the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 in the same year. In the process, he became the first person to do so after Bobby Allison did in 1982.

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Well, credit goes to O’Neal, Sandler, and James for giving a fitting start to the Coke Zero 400 in 2013. In fact, even the fans loved it.

NASCAR fandom gets nostalgic as video involving Shaquille O’Neal, Adam Sandler, and Kevin James resurfaces

It is not every day that the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Adam Sandler, and Kevin James are seen together on a NASCAR track. Unsurprisingly, their act before the race brought a lot of delight to the fans across the world. In fact, they pretended like they were former members of a boy band.

Some of the fans had quite innovative comments on the performed act. Many didn’t hesitate to express it on Twitter.

“Yes I remember that like it was yesterday.. wow And yes it was one of the best commands ever.”

“I remember I thought this was so hilarious back then”

“That was awesome”

“that “your” was heavenly lmaooo.”

“Good times”

Most certainly, an act like this would certainly benefit NASCAR right now. Do you think such acts should be carried out at regular intervals? Let us know in the comments below.

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