Paralympics bronze medalist and 2014 Dancing With the Stars finalist Amy Purdy has been named Honorary Pace Car driver in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Toyota announced Thursday.
A top-ranked adaptive snowboarder, Purdy will drive a new Toyota Camry, which has been redesigned in 2015. It’s the second time a Toyota has paced The Great American Race, the other time being in 2012.
“As a race fan, I’m thrilled to be invited to be the Honorary Pace Car driver at the biggest race of the NASCAR season – the Daytona 500,” Purdy said in a Toyota media release. “This is another opportunity to try something new and be bold in my own life.”
A Las Vegas native, Purdy lost her legs after being stricken by meningitis at 19 years old.
But that life-changing event didn’t slow down Purdy, who is a three-time World Cup Para-Snowboard winner and founded the Adaptive Action Sports organization.
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