This Sunday will mark the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin has been named the honorary Grand Marshal for the event. Liukin will be on site for the weekend taking part in several events including a lap around the track prior to the race on Sunday. The Indy 500 is set for Sunday, May 24 at 12:15pm. 
 

Liukin continues her busy schedule this weekend, as she is still enrolled in classes at NYU. Liukin is fresh off her season of Dancing with the Stars where she competed into the semifinals.

Liukin shares her fun via her Instagram 
 

Release via- Indianapolis Motor Speedway

 

As part of her duties as Grand Marshal, Liukin will appear on the red carpet, take a parade lap around the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and be announced to the crowd prior to the start of the race. She will also serve as an Honored Guest at the 500 Festival Parade and the Snake Pit Ball.

“We’re excited to have Nastia Liukin as part of the rich pre-race pageantry of the Indianapolis 500,” said J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president. “Over the years we have welcomed many famous athletes from outside the motorsports world on Race Day and to have such a decorated Olympian visit is an honor.”

“I have very fond memories of competing and performing in Indianapolis, and I will actually be back again in August for the P&G Gymnastics Championships,” Liukin said. “I’m really honored to be the Grand Marshal for this year’s Indianapolis 500. It will be so exciting to witness ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ – I can’t wait!”

Indianapolis holds a significant place in Liukin’s career, as she won her first senior U.S. all-around title at the U.S. Championships in Indy in 2005. She will be returning to town in August as a television commentator for the P&G Gymnastics Championships, the sport’s national championships.