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Ken Griffey Jr. will wave green flag for Daytona 500

Jeff Gluck
USA TODAY Sports
Ken Griffey Jr., elected to baseball's Hall of Fame last month, will wave the green flag to start the Daytona 500.

Ken Griffey Jr., who last month was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, will serve as the honorary starter of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21.

The honorary starter is the person who waves the green flag at the beginning of the race.

Griffey received a record-breaking 99.32% of the vote last month during voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He has a home in nearby Orlando, which is roughly one hour from Daytona Beach.

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Recent honorary starters for the Daytona 500 have included members of the U.S. Women's Soccer team, actor Gary Sinise and NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Richard Petty.

Griffey's induction is scheduled July 24, when he will become the first player from the Seattle Mariners to reach the Hall. In his storied 22-year career, the centerfielder hit 630 home runs, was named 1997 American League MVP, won 10 Gold Gloves and was a 13-time All-Star. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox.