Film and television actor Shea Whigham, best known for his standout roles in acclaimed projects such as “Boardwalk Empire,” “True Detective,” “Joker” and “American Hustle,” has been named the Grand Marshal for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race on Sunday, May 4, at Texas Motor Speedway.

The talented veteran actor co-stars with Tom Cruise in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – The Final Reckoning, which will have a gala screening on May 14 at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Whigham’s leading dignitary role will include him providing the famous pre-race command for the drivers to start their engines to the marquee NCS race beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT (TV: FS1, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM and Lone Star 92.5 locally). 

Whigham has helped generate a box office of more than $6 billion during a brilliant career that has spanned over two decades. It began with a role in the 2000 film “Tigerland,” which he was cast alongside Colin Farrell, and continued with a lengthy list of critically acclaimed and award-winning projects.

His resume includes “All the Real Girls” (2003), “Lords of Dogtown” (2005), “Pride and Glory” (2008), ‘Elias Eli Thompson’ in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (2010-2014), “Take Shelter” (2011), “The Lincoln Lawyer” (2011), “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012), “Savages” (2012), “American Hustle” (2013), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013), ABC’s“Agent Carter” (2015), “Kong: Skull Island” (2017), FX’s “Fargo” (2017), Amazon’s “Homecoming” (2018), “First Man” (2018), HBO’s “Perry Mason” (2020-2022), Starz’s “Gaslit” (2022), Showtime’s “Waco” (2018) sequel, “Waco: The Aftermath”(2023), Neon-acquired Sundance film “Eileen” (2023), Paramount+ “Bass Reeves” (2023), Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023), and HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” (2023).

The other primary dignitary role for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY will be filled by Sebastian Würth, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group. He will serve as the Honorary Starter and wave the green flag to officially start the 11th race of the season. Benjamin Würth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group, will be a co-Honorary Race Official alongside Moses Brings Plenty, who is best known for his portrayal of “Mo” in the Paramount Network hit series, “Yellowstone.”

Former Cup Series star Kasey Kahne will buckle in as the Honorary Pace Car Driver and help lead the field to the green flag. Kahne was an 18-race winner in the Cup Series and was part of the closest NCS finish in Texas Motor Speedway history. He was edged by Elliott Sadler by 0.028 of a second in the 2004 race. He would go on to capture his first – and only – Texas Motor Speedway pole and win two years later in the same spring race.

Football champion running back Spencer Tillman will provide the pre-race invocation for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY. Tillman spent eight years in the NFL with the Houston Oilers (1987-88, ’92-94) and San Francisco 49ers (’89-91).. He was also an All-American and captain of the University of Oklahoma’s 1985 national championship team. Tillman is currently a college football game analyst for FOX Sports.

Another esteemed dignitary will be National Anthem singer Don Graves, who will celebrate his 100th birthday the day prior to his appearance at the Cup race. He is a U.S. Marine veteran who is part of an exceptional group of living American heroes who took part in the successful invasion on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II. It will be Graves’ second visit to Texas Motor Speedway to perform, having sung “God Bless America” prior to the 2023 fall NCS Playoff race. 

The WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY headlines a NASCAR tripleheader at Texas Motor Speedway. The weekend also includes the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) SpeedyCash.com 250 on Friday, May 2, at 7 p.m. and Xfinity Series (NXS) Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 on Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m.

Below are the dignitaries for each of the weekend races. 

NCS WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY

NXS Andy’s Frozen Custard 300

NCTS SpeedyCash.com 250