Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis finished his NFL career with a Super Bowl championship in New Orleans and although he is retired, he will add another sports milestone to his resume on Sunday at the Daytona 500.
According to USA Today, Lewis will wave the green flag before the start of the race as the honorary starter. Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood III spoke about the choice to the newspaper and said that Lewis could be the perfect selection for the position.
"It doesn't get any bigger than Ray Lewis -- the leader of the Super Bowl-winning team," Chitwood said.
Lewis is originally is from Central Florida and will join actor James Franco as part of the festivities as honorary race officials. While Lewis throws down the green flag, Franco will be the one who says the words: "Drivers, start your engines" in his role as the grand marshal of the race.
Lewis has a friendly relationship with last year's Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski after the linebacker heard Keselowski was inspired during last year's Chase by a commercial narrated by Lewis. The linebacker gave him a call and left him a motivational message before the race.
Keselowski later returned the favor by attending a Ravens game during the regular season last year. The report also says that the Zac Brown Band will be performing a pre-race concert before singing the national anthem.
Lewis has had an amazing year after winning the Super Bowl and he is set to join ESPN as an NFL commentator and analyst starting in the future.
