U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform flyover at 2021 Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The world-renowned U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performed a flyover at the 63rd annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on Sunday.
The Great American Race marks the season-opener of the NASCAR Cup Series and can be watched on FOX 35.
This flyover is the 11th consecutive year, and 12th total, that "America’s Ambassadors in Blue" – officially known as the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron – will showcase their precise choreography at the end of the National Anthem.
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The Thunderbirds, which first flew in 1953, feature six F-16 Fighting Falcons, the Air Force’s premier multi-role fighter aircraft. Assigned to Air Combat Command, the squadron is composed of 12 officers and more than 120 enlisted personnel serving in nearly 30 Air Force job specialties. They hold performances over nearly 30 weekends between April and November.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a flyover prior to the Daytona 500 on February 14, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach. Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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FOX 35's David Martin spoke to one of the Daytona 500 pilots earlier in the day.
Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest on the Great American Race.