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Matt Damon, Christian Bale to serve as Indy 500 starters

Matt Damon arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “Catch-22” at TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. (Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP)
By Michael Marot Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS – 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.