Miss America Comes to Daytona to Drive Race Cars and Shatter Stereotypes

By Cathy Padilla

Madison Marsh, crowned Miss America for 2024 and previously crowned Miss Colorado in 2023, visited Daytona Beach's David C. Hinson Middle School on Friday, February 16 while in town for her official duties at the Daytona 500. Madison will act as honorary pace car driver ahead of the coveted Daytona 500, leading the field around the 2.5-mile track of Daytona International Speedway before the green flag drops on Sunday, February 18. Students in the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program and the student government were invited to meet with Madison ahead of her driving, along with the Deputy Superintendent Dr. Rachel Hazel. The first member of the United States Armed Forces to win Miss America, and the first Miss America contestant ever to be an active-duty military officer, Madison is not what you would expect - and that is precisely her hope.

"I want to shatter stereotypes. Prove to other people that I can be both at once (a beauty pageant contestant and a member of the military), that it doesn't take away from my ability to serve my country and serve in uniform because I'm feminine. And it doesn't take away from my ability to serve as Miss America because I put on the uniform," shared Madison. "To me, they often fit together because they are both about service, about leading my country in two very different ways, about being able to speak to our next generation and get them excited about the opportunities that our country has whether it be in this organization (pointing to her Miss America crown beside her) or in this one (pointing to herself wearing her uniform.)"

Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, one of five siblings, her mother died of pancreatic cancer when she was 17 years old. Her mother's battle with cancer has shaped her life, and at 22 years old, she's already accomplished more than most hope to achieve in decades. Madison founded the Whitney Marsh Foundation in honor of her mother in 2019, the year she graduated high school, to raise money for cancer research. She participated in space camps as a child, receiving her pilot's license by the age of 16. She was accepted to and attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, graduating with a degree in astrophysics in 2023 and the rank of Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. She has since enrolled in the Harvard Kennedy School to pursue a Master of Public Policy degree and was crowned Miss America on January 14 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Central Florida.

A woman who understands grief, loss, and resilience, Madison shared the story of her mother's struggle with cancer and how she is now focused on a career in public policy. Her goal is to advance and advocate for the funding to find a cure for pancreatic cancer rather than her once childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. 

"A big part of my story is my mom," Madison began her talk. "I left for the Air Force Academy, moved across the country by myself, right after my mom had passed. So it was really, really difficult starting college and starting the military right after that huge loss; trying to navigate the environment of what grief looks like and to perservere through it, to become something that was bigger than that loss. If you have questions about that, the military, whatever you want to ask..."

Focused on reaching the young people before her, Madison spent the majority of her visit answering questions from the kids.

One student asked if she was afraid the first time she flew a plane solo. With a great deal of charm, Madison shared how her first flight at the age of 16 was a disaster as she had forgotten to alert the tower she was taking off.

"What happens if you don't do well on a test? I've had that. I've failed physics tests in college. I mean failed them. But I learned at the age of 16 (her solo flight test) that one moment did not ever define me," shared Madison. "Because any time that you do poorly on something - that's not a failure. You're going to take that and you're going to do better the next time. You're going to learn from that moment, apply it, and be better the next time."

She also encouraged the students to take care of themselves physically and mentally.

"A big thing that I learned is having self care time at the end of every single day," Madison explained to a student who asked what she learned from achieving so much. "Finding time to go to the gym, to find time to read a book, to find time to do the things that replenish myself so I didn't burn out. Because it's great to work hard, but it's not great to work so hard that you want to give up and you can't do any more. That doesn't help anybody, and that doesn't help you further your future."

NASCAR sent a special gift of commemorative cars to all the kids in attendance so they could remember the special day.

Photo Credit : Cathy Padilla