Matt Damon, Christian Bale To Serve As Indy 500 Starters

Friday, May 17, 2019 at 8:43 AM

By Associated Press

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will become Hollywood East on Indy 500 weekend.

Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Photos by NASA/Bill Ingalls and Harald Krichel, Wikimedia Commons.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Academy Award-winning actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale will wave the green flag as honorary starters for this year's Indianapolis 500.

The two are co-starring in the movie ''Ford v Ferrari'' - which profiles the corporate battles waged by American car designer Carroll Shelby and British driver Ken Miles. They teamed up to use a Ford car against Enzo Ferrari's dominant team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. The movie is scheduled for a Nov. 15 release.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles says the duo are used to performing under the bright lights and they should enjoy themselves.

The 33-car starting grid will be filled in qualifying Saturday and Sunday. The race will be held May 26.

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