Abby Wambach to serve as honorary starter for Daytona 500

Posted February 14, 2015 10:00 pm

The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Soccer star Abby Wambach will serve as an honorary starter for the upcoming Daytona 500.

Fellow U.S. national team players Christie Rampone and Kelley O'Hara also will help wave the green flag to start The Great American Race next Sunday.

Wambach, Rampone and O'Hara are the latest celebrities lined up to help kick off NASCAR's opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Actor Vince Vaughn will serve as grand marshal, giving the command to start engines. Kid Rock will perform a pre-race concert in the Daytona infield. And former "American Idol" winner Phillip Phillips will sing the national anthem.

Wambach is the leading scorer in international soccer history with 177 goals. She is a six-time U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year, last winning the award in 2013 after recording 11 goals and six assists.

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