Dale Earnhardt Jr. named honorary starter at 2020 Daytona 500

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be the honorary starter at the 2020 Daytona 500, meaning the retired NASCAR star will wave the green flag at the beginning of The Great American Race.

Earnhardt -- who retired after the 2017 season -- announced the honor Monday on his Dirty Mo Media podcast, The Dale Jr. Download. The 2020 Daytona 500 kicks off the season Sunday, Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Earnhardt won the race in 2004 and 2014.

He was the official pace truck driver for the 2019 Daytona 500. Earnhardt, 45, was the grand marshal for the 2018 Daytona 500.

Daytona International Speedway president Chip Wile joked that the only thing left for Earnhardt to do at the track is sing the national anthem before the race.

"One thing is certain, I'm not doing any singing at Daytona no matter how hard they ask," Earnhardt said in a news release. "But I am going to enjoy waving the green flag in February. The start of the Daytona 500 is a special moment in not only NASCAR, but all of sports. I am truly honored to be part of that."

Earnhardt now works as an NBC Sports commentator. The 15-time NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver won 17 events at Daytona International Speedway, tied for the third-best total.