Katherine Webb was infield to watch boyfriend and Alabama starting quarterback A.J. McCarron drive the pace car during the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. While all the attention was on the championship quarterback, the media-beloved beauty queen gathered a few eyes herself.
McCarron was the honorary pace car driver after leading the Crimson Tide to back-to-back national championships. The potential Heisman candidate has a love for fast cars and was given the opportunity to drive a Ford Mustang GT to lead the field prior to the race starting. McCarron used to drive a Camaro SS but recently traded it in for a more practical SUV. McCarron told reporters he was ready to be like Ricky Bobby.
McCarron has one up on coach Nick Saban. The coach was the grand marshal for the race in 2009, but was not allowed to actually drive the car. Saban said his quarterback to probably let someone else drive so he does not run the risk of wrecking the car.
"I joked with him that he's one of the most important guys in the state of Alabama and he had to ride in the passenger seat. I said, 'What does it say about me, Coach? I'm driving it,'" McCarron laughed.
McCarron hopes to one day get into racing when his football playing days come to an end. The quarterback grew up in Mobile and has always been a big fan of racing. He used to attend stock-car races at a local short track where his grandfather used to race.
"Now I'm a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. But we're definitely big NASCAR fans in my family. There's a lot of Alabama fans that go to football games that are definitely going to be here screaming, 'Roll Tide!' I think it's two great fan bases that really show their passion for their sport. I guess you can compare NSACAR to Alabama football," McCarron said.
McCarron noted that driving the pace car was a really special moment for he and his family. The quarterback recently helped unveil the national championship paint scheme for the No. 55 Toyota that Michael Waltrip drove in the race.
McCarron is the only quarterback to lead a team to back-to-back championship wins since the BCS began. He is returning for his senior season at Alabama, and is being given some heavy expectations because of it. He led the nation last year in passing efficiency while throwing for a school-record 30 touchdowns.