Ray Lewis adds star power to Daytona 500

The stars of music, TV and the NFL helped get Sunday’s Daytona 500 started.

The A-list included former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who was the honorary starter for the race and waved the green flag.

“I’m going to be a little nervous,” Lewis said during a pre-race news conference. “They told me they have one rule — don’t drop the flag.”

Lewis was on the winning Super Bowl team in his final NFL game three weeks ago. He not only has become a race fan but has become friends with defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski.

“We came into contact a few months ago, and we sent each other a lot of motivational texts,” Lewis said. “He came to a couple of games, and he followed my last ride. I respect what these guys do, and I wanted to be a part of this.”

Lewis didn’t reflect much on the Ravens winning the Super Bowl. He was more excited about the fact that his son, Ray Lewis III, signed to play football with his alma mater, the University of Miami. Ray III is a three-star running back from Lake Mary Prep.

“Seeing my son in college will be the most amazing thing I’ve ever done,” Lewis said.

Also participating in the pre-race festivities were actor James Franco of the Spider-Man movies, who gave the command for the racers to start their engines, and the Zac Brown Band. They performed a concert before the race, and Clay Cook, a member of the band, performed the national anthem.

A First Coast presence came from the Mayport Naval Station Color Guard, which presented the colors.


(jacksonville.com)