JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It's going to be hard for Telvin Smith to top his first NASCAR race experience.

The Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker gets to drive the pace car at the Coke Zero 400 on July 2 at Daytona International Speedway.

"To actually be out on the track and not in the stands watching ..." Smith said Monday morning. "That's what I think I'm looking forward to most, just being out there firsthand on the track and getting that feeling for it."

Joie Chitwood, the chief operating officer for International Speedway Corp., and NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray attended a Jaguars organized team activity in June 2014 and got a chance to catch passes, do a few drills and catch kickoffs from a JUGS machine. Chitwood wanted to repay the favor and have a Jaguars player drive the pace car next month.

Smith was the natural choice, Chitwood said, because he's one of the defense's fastest players. He just wants Smith to dial it back a tiny bit.

"I know in football it's about speed," Chitwood said. "It's communication, it's the right play and usually there's a big collision at the end, and I know Telvin's done that quite well on the ballfield. We just ask that there's no collision on our field as it relates to the pace car.

"I think he's going to do a great job. I think he knows what speed is all about."

Smith will get training in the Toyota Camry pace car the morning of the race, and he said he's going to drive as fast as they let him on the 2.5-mile tri-oval track in Daytona Beach, Florida.

"I drive fast a little bit, so I'm not worried about that," said Smith, whose 227 tackles are the most in franchise history by a player in his first two seasons. "I'm saying I'm not [nervous] right now, but maybe when I get out there and the engines start going [he will be]. I heard they shake the ground when they go, so maybe when I get out there it'll get more intense."