Dan Marino to serve as Homestead Grand Marshal.

Legendary Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino will serve as grand marshal for the Toyota Indy 300, the season opener for the IRL IndyCar Series on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Marino will give the command to start engines prior to the 300-mile race, which starts at 1 p.m. (EST) and will be broadcast live by ABC Sports, Sky Sports and the IMS Radio Network.

"I'm looking forward to helping kick off the 2003 IndyCar Series at the Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway," Marino said. "It's going to be exciting to see these cars and drivers compete at speeds over 200 miles per hour."

Marino was quarterback for the Miami Dolphins for 17 consecutive seasons, from 1983-99. He holds 20 National Football League records, including most career touchdown passes, 420; most career passing yards, 61,361; most career passes completed, 4,967; and most seasons with 3,000 or more yards passing, 13.

"We're honoured to have Dan Marino, one of the greatest athletes in the history of South Florida, serve as grand marshal for the Toyota Indy 300," said Curtis Gray, president of Homestead-Miami Speedway. "Fans will have the unique opportunity this weekend to see Dan give the most famous words in all of racing - 'Lady and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.'"

Since retiring in 2000, Marino has leveraged his sports expertise in new arenas as director of business development for Dreams Inc., a sports memorabilia marketing firm and, during the season, co-hosts HBO's weekly football show, "Inside the NFL" and serves as an in-studio host for CBS' "The NFL Today."

His ongoing work for the community of South Florida is centred on The Dan Marino Foundation for Children's Charities of South Florida. For the past 11 years, the Toyota/Dan Marino Celebrity Golf Tournament has raised more than $4 million for the youth-oriented charities in that foundation.

Also close to Marino's heart is the Miami Children's Hospital Dan Marino Centre, an evaluation and treatment centre for children with special needs. In a quest to find care for his son, who was diagnosed with autism, Marino helped create this facility for other children with developmental disabilities and chronic medical problems.

Marino and his wife, Claire, live in South Florida with their six children.