DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- New England Patriots wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman has been named the honorary starter for Sunday's Daytona 500.
The honor caps a whirlwind two weeks for Edelman, who since winning his third Super Bowl on Feb. 3 has visited Disney World with quarterback Tom Brady and served as a presenter at the Grammy Awards.
A half-dozen NFL quarterbacks have served as honorary starters at Daytona, including Ken Stabler, Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw. Other athletes from outside of racing include track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee, baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and the 2015 U.S. women's soccer team.
Last year's honorary starter was Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron.