McGinley to serve as Allstate 400 grand marshal

Actor John C. McGinley, best known for his role as the sarcastic Dr. Perry Cox on the long-running network comedy "Scrubs," was announced July 16 as the grand marshal for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This year will mark the historic 15th running of the race, one of the highest-profile events in all of motorsports, and will kick off a block of 17 consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series telecasts on ESPN and ABC.

As a guest of Allstate, McGinley will be on-site at the famed Brickyard to headline pre-race activities, including the ceremonial waving of the green flag, signaling the start of the race to the 43 drivers and one of the largest crowds in worldwide motorsports. As a continued family tradition of the Speedway, IMS Chairman of the Board Mari Hulman George will deliver the legendary command given before every motorsports event at the track, "Gentlemen, start your engines."

"Allstate and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are excited to have John C. McGinley serve as the grand marshal for the 15th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard," said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate's vice president of marketing. "John's passion for racing makes him an ideal fit for this role, and Allstate is proud that we are able to make his dream of attending his first-ever NASCAR race come true. This will be a memorable occasion for both Allstate and John."

McGinley is most recently known for his role as Dr. Cox, the often critical and harsh senior attending physician and residency director on "Scrubs." The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedy-drama, which has spent the last seven years as a staple on NBC's primetime comedy lineup, is moving to ABC this fall for its eighth season. McGinley's extensive film career includes feature roles in "Platoon," "Wall Street," "Office Space," "The Rock," "Are We Done Yet?" and "Wild Hogs."

"I am looking forward to attending my first NASCAR race at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard," McGinley said. "I've been a racing fan for a while but have never had the chance to see a live race. I've had plenty of challenging roles in my acting career, but trying to act like I'm not nervous when I wave the green flag before the start of the 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be my toughest one yet."

McGinley will take the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard grand marshal baton from "Desperate Housewives" actor James Denton, who served in this role during last year's race.

In its fourth year as the title sponsor for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Allstate is proud to sponsor the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the world-famous 2.5-mile track. In April 2005, Allstate signed a multi-year agreement with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the title sponsor for the race.