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Olympic medal winning rugby star will be honorary pace car driver at Atlanta NASCAR playoff race

The Quaker State 400 is taking place at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 8.
Credit: AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

HAMPTON, Ga. — Fresh off a performance at the Summer Olympics in Paris that included a bronze winning moment for Team USA, rugby star Alex "Spiff" Sedrick will recognized at Atlanta's next NASCAR race.

Atlanta Motor Speedway announced race dignitaries on Monday for the Quaker State 400, which is taking place on Sept. 8. 

The playoff race will see Sedrick, who went the length of the field for a winning try as time expired in the bronze medal match against Australia, "lead the field in the Chevrolet Camaro pace car in the opening pace laps before the green flag," a release said.

Sedrick attended Life University in Marietta and was a star for their rugby program before embarking on her international career. In the bronze medal match against Australia, Sedrick took a pass out of a ruck with seconds to go, broke a tackle, ran right over a second tackler and broke the full length of the field for a try to tie it at 12-12. The U.S. easily converted their two-point kick and took the bronze 14-12.

It was one of the highlights of the Paris Olympics for Team USA.

Atlanta Motor Speedway also announced on Monday that NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte will be the grand marshal for the race, Bella Yantis will perform the national anthem and an MH-47 Chinook out of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah will perform the pre-race flyover.

The Quaker State 400 will be the first race of the playoffs.

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