DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — New England Patriots 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 Patriots 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.

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