Ray Lewis named honorary starter for Daytona 500

He’ll join grand marshal James Franco, according to USA Today. Franco gets to say the now-iconic “Drivers, start your engines,” line. Also as noted by USA Today, Lewis is friends with defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. Lewis sent Keselowski an inspirational phone message after the driver said he was inspired by Lewis’ speech in the Madden NFL 13 game trailer.

Lewis is perhaps the best player to ever play for the Ravens, and has called it a career after more than 15 seasons in the NFL. He has 13 Pro Bowls, seven first-team All-Pro honors and two Super Bowl rings to his name.

The Daytona 500 gets underway at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday and can be seen on FOX.

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