Long before Mike Alstott was running through NFL defenders, the Joliet native was pushing cars as a workout. Now, his connection to cars comes full circle as the Buccaneers legend returns home to serve as honorary pace car driver at Chicagoland Speedway.
JOLIET, Ill. — Long before Mike Alstott was running through defenders in the NFL, the Joliet native was pushing cars.
It was not because the car had broken down.
For Alstott, it was a workout.
Alsott use to push a station wagon as a workout in high school on the outskirts of his hometown of Joilet pushing it 100 yards between telephone phones then continued to do the same in college at Purdue, pushing his Jeep up and down the hills of West Lafeyette, Indiana with his teammates.
Decades later, Alstott's connection to cars has come full circle.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback will serve as the honorary pace car driver in his hometown for Sunday's eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, leading the NASCAR Cup Series field to green.
Despite growing up in Joliet, this weekend marks Alstott's first time attending a race at Chicagoland Speedway. NASCAR has not raced here since 2019 and raced through the streets of downtown Chicago the previous few years. There is rumors that both races return on next year's schedule.
Alstott now lives in Florida and has attended races at Daytona, but his connection to NASCAR extends beyond simply watching from the stands.
Over the years, he has built friendships with drivers and others throughout the sport, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Erin Cope.
Those relationships have given Alstott a close look at the people behind NASCAR. For a player who built his NFL career around toughness and a physical running style, Alstott sees similarities between the football players he shared a locker room with and those working inside the NASCAR garage.
“It's get-er-done people,” Alstott said of NASCAR. “They're hard workers and they love their jobs.”
That culture is part of what has continued to draw Alstott to the sport.
The former Biolermaker standout spent his entire 12-year NFL career with Tampa Bay after the Bucs selected him in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He became one of the most recognizable players in franchise history and helped Tampa capture its first Super Bowl championship.
But before Tampa Bay and before Purdue, Alstott's journey started in Joliet.
Now, he returns home with a different assignment.
Instead of lowering his shoulder into a defender, Alstott will get behind the wheel and lead NASCAR's best around Chicagoland Speedway.
For someone who once pushed cars to get stronger, pacing a NASCAR Cup Series field might be a fitting next ride.
