Retired NFL Tight End Rob Gronkowski Named Grand Marshal of Indy 500 ‘Snake Pit’

DJ Illenium will headline the electronic dance music festival on May 25 during the Indianapolis 500.

Rob Gronkowski speaks on SiriusXM on radio row at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 7, 2025. Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is taking his talents from the field to the race track as he gears up to lead the Indy 500 Snake Pit.

On Wednesday, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that the Super Bowl champion turned Fox Sports analyst would serve as the grand marshal of its accompanying electronic dance music festival, sponsored by Coors Light.

“I can’t wait for this year’s Indianapolis 500 on Fox,” Gronkowski, 35, said in a statement.

“Not only do I get to attend my first-ever Indy 500, I’ll do it in style as the grand marshal of the legendary Indy 500 Coors Light Snake Pit. This is one of the coolest combinations of sports and music out there and in the ultimate venue. I’m ready to get the party started and celebrate the biggest race in the world.”

The concert will kick off on race day, May 25, in the infield of Indiana’s historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Grammy-nominated musician Illenium, known for hits such as “Fractures” (2017) and “Crawl Outta Love” (2017), will headline the festival, which will also feature sets by disc jockeys Sammy Virji, Two Friends, Kayzo, and Oliver Heldens.

The Indianapolis 500, part of the 2025 IndyCar Series, will air on Fox Sports for the first time this year following its tenure on NBC.

Gronkowski joined Fox Sports as an NFL analyst in October 2019 during a brief stint of retirement.

The former tight end was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2010 and played there for nine seasons. After winning three Super Bowl championships with the franchise, Gronkowski hung up his cleats in 2019.

“It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today,” Gronkowski said via Instagram on March 24, 2019.

“The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been given and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine.”

Gronkowski came out of retirement in 2020 to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rejoining his former teammate, quarterback Tom Brady, back on the field. After playing two seasons, Gronkowski retired in 2022, sharing online that he was “walking away from football again with [his] head held high knowing [he] gave it everything” he had.

“The friendships and relationships I have made will last forever, and I appreciate every single one of my teammates and coaches for giving everything they had as well,” he wrote on Twitter, now renamed X, on June 21, 2022.

“From retirement, back to football and winning another championship and now back to chilling out, thank you to all. ... Cheers to what’s next, maybe sailing the seas.”

Cars take the first turn of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2023. Darron Cummings/AP Photo

Gronkowski’s fellow Fox NFL analyst, Michael Strahan, will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the “greatest spectacle in racing.”

The Pro Football Hall of Famer and “Good Morning America” cohost will get behind the wheel of a 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 coupe to lead 33 drivers at the start of the 109th Indianapolis 500, presented by Gainbridge.

“Michael is an impressive addition to the lineup of all-star athletes and celebrities to serve as honorary pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500,” J. Douglas Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said in a statement, local news station WPTA reported.

“From the gridiron to the broadcast studio, Michael is no stranger to leading a fast-paced field,” Boles added.

“As we kick off a new era of Indycar and the Indy 500 on Fox, Michael will have one of the best seats in the house for the start of the world’s greatest race.”

Country music trio Midland is also set to entertain crowds leading up to the Indy 500.

The Grammy-nominated group will take the stage of the Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park in Indianapolis to headline the Firestone Legends Day Concert, held the day before the big race.

“On the final day before the Indy 500, the countdown to the green flag is full of unmatched energy and excitement,” Boles said.

“While fans enjoy the honky-tonk sounds of Midland at the Firestone Legends Day Concert at a fantastic venue in downtown Indianapolis, [Indianapolis Motor Speedway] will be ready to welcome more than 350,000 fans at 6 a.m. the following morning.”