6 NFL legends that made the drive over to NASCAR

#5 - Dan Marino

Already known for his victorious Southeastern endeavors on the gridiron, the Miami Dolphins quarterback teamed up with one of NASCAR's most accomplished names in Bill Elliott to form Elliott-Marino Racing during the 1998 Cup Series season.

Marino's arrival coincided with Elliott's effort to add a second full-time car to his garage, with a No. 13 Ford, primarily piloted by Jerry Nadeau, added alongside the 1988 Cup Series champion's traditional No. 94.

Though Marino departed after one season, the 1998 season proved to be historic in the greatest scheme of NASCAR things: when Elliott had to miss the September Dover race to attend his father's funeral, the wheel was turned to future Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth, who drove the No. 94 to a sixth-place finish in his first such start.

#6 - Reggie White

Reggie White was a fearsome entity on the field but an inspiring one off of it. He was well known for his Christian ministry endeavors, to the point where he bore the nickname "Minister of Defense". White later opted to make an off-track impact in NASCAR at the turn of the century, shortly before his passing in 2004.

Teaming up with former opponent Gibbs, White laid down the groundwork for the Drive for Diversity program that offered an opportunity for minority racers to succeed in the sport.

"I would not have the opportunity to be sitting here in front of you today if it wasn't for Reggie White, a black NFL football player who decided to put together a diversity program with Joe Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing," Cuban-American driver Aric Almirola, current operator of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, said of White's NASCAR impact.

"Reggie, the very first time I met him, he said, 'The reason I'm doing this is I love racecars, I love cars, I love watching racing. Coming with Coach to watch a few of these NASCAR races, I fell in love. I want to start a team and give a driver, drivers, crew members an opportunity from the grassroots level to work their way into the system.' That's exactly how I got my opportunity," Almirola added.