Trump expected to attend Daytona 500

President Trump will make a pit stop on the way back to Washington, D.C., from his Mar-a-Lago resort this weekend to attend the Daytona 500, according to officials familiar with the plans.

The president is scheduled to travel to his Palm Beach, Fla., estate for the weekend. Officials said he is expected to make the trip Sunday to Daytona Beach, Fla., about 200 miles north, for the opening race of the NASCAR season. He is likely to get a warm welcome from race fans.

The White House declined to comment.

Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines but not your drones. The Secret Service is securing the @NASCAR Daytona 500 by providing a 30 mile “No Drone Zone”. Enjoy the race. pic.twitter.com/pHjp7Bvwix

— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) February 12, 2020

The Secret Service tweeted Wednesday that it is securing the raceway by imposing a “No Drone Zone” for 30 miles around the site.

Trump and NASCAR have shown mutual affection for one another, though Sunday’s will be the first race the president has attended in person since taking office.

Former NASCAR CEO Brian France endorsed Trump during the 2016 presidential election and appeared alongside the then-candidate at a Georgia rally during the Republican primary. 

Trump has welcomed multiple NASCAR cup champions to the White House, praised the sport for its respect of the national anthem, and honored team owner Roger Penske with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

The Daytona 500 will be the latest sporting event the president has attended in recent months. He was heavily booed at a World Series game, got a mixed reaction at a mixed martial arts fight in New York City in November and has been overwhelmingly cheered when he was in the stands for three college football games.