Seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty will serve as grand marshal for the Rolex 24 sports car race at Daytona next January, the track announced Wednesday.

The event is the 24-hour race for the Rolex Sports Car Series at Daytona International Speedway that traditionally kicks off the international motorsports calendar.

Petty is a 13-time NASCAR winner at Daytona, including a record seven Daytona 500s. He will give the command to start engines before the Rolex 24.

"Any event at Daytona is a special event, and the Rolex 24 is one of them," Petty said. "It was always a great track for us, and this is a chance to give back to a place that has given us so much. I'm looking forward to be a part of one of the opening events of the speedway in 2007."  - scenedaily.com