Chris Pine will wave the green flag for this year’s 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced on Thursday.
It’s the second actor of note to be named as an honorary starter in recent weeks - the similarities between Chris Pine and Brad Pitt, announced to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans a couple weeks ago, end after the first two letters of their respective surnames.
The release is below:
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Chris Pine, star of the globally celebrated “Star Trek” movie franchise, will wave the green flag to start the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.
“In addition to all our stars on the track, the 100th Running will feature a major lineup of stars off the track,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles. “We’re thrilled to welcome Chris Pine to our flag stand, where he will officially get our epic race under way by waving the green flag.”
Pine has emerged as one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. With multiple upcoming major motion picture releases, Pine’s resume is as extensive as it is versatile. He will next be seen in “Star Trek Beyond,” the third installment of the highly successful franchise, the drama “Hell or High Water” alongside Jeff Bridges and Ben Foster, and he is currently filming “Wonder Woman.”
Additional feature credits include Disney’s harrowing drama “The Finest Hours,” “Z for Zachariah,” “Horrible Bosses 2,” the musical comedy “Into the Woods” alongside Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp and Anna Kendrick, the title role in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” and “Star Trek: Star Trek into Darkness,” among many others.