Former Buffalo Bills great Thurman Thomas, who last year was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will be the honorary starter for Saturday's Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International.
Thomas will wave the green flag for the Grand-Am Rolex Series endurance race, which gets under way at 11:15 a.m.
It will be a busy day for Thomas. He's also scheduled to meet the Rolex Series drivers when he attends their drivers meeting before the race. Following the checkered flag, Thomas will assist in the presentation of the Bob Snodgrass Memory Trophy to the race winners. In addition, Thomas will help judge the second annual Sahlen's Hot Dog Eating Contest at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Also of note:
•Patrick Dempsey, star of TV's "Grey's Anatomy,"
is entered in the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen and scheduled to compete for the first time at Watkins Glen. He'll drive the No. 40 Hyper Sport Mazda RX-8 in the GT class.
The race also will include Rolex Series co-points leader Scott Pruett in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Daytona Prototype.
•Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in history, will make his road-racing debut driving the No. 4 Ken Schrader Racing Chevrolet in Sunday's NASCAR Camping World Series East 125 at the Glen.
Other notables in that race are Steve Park, the winner of the 2000 Global Crossing at the Glen Sprint Cup race; Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt and son of Kerry Earnhardt; and Austin Dillon, grandson of Sprint Cup owner Richard Childress.
Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive the No. 8 car for the Dale Earnhardt Foundation team owned by Teresa Earnhardt, widow of Dale Earnhardt. Dillon will drive the No. 3 Chevrolet, a number made famous by Dale Earnhardt when he drove Sprint Cup for Childress.
