Starr to be Grand Marshall at Barber

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Alabama native Bart Starr will be the grand marshal of the third Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 1 at Barber Motorsports Park.

Among Starr's engagements throughout the race weekend, he'll give the command to start the Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus engines and wave the green flag for the 90-lap race on the challenging 2.38-mile road course.

"Bart is a great ambassador for our city and we are excited to have him be part of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy weekend," said Rick Humphrey, Vice President of ZOOM Motorsports, the exclusive event promoter of Barber Motorsports Park.

Starr, a 17th-round pick out of the University of Alabama in the 1956 NFL draft, led the Green Bay Packers to an unprecedented five NFL titles and two Super Bowl championships (earning MVP honors in Super Bowl I and II). He received the NFL's Man of the Year Award in 1969, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

He has an NFL-sanctioned Athletes in Action Super Bowl Breakfast award named in his honor, which is presented annually to an outstanding current player. He and his wife, Cherry, are co-founders of the Rawhide Boys Ranch in Wisconsin that provides an effective training programs for at-risk, court-referred young men.

IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights practice commences March 30. For more info and to check out ticket packages, visit www.barbermotorsports.com.