Actor Michael Peña Named Honorary Indy 500 Starter
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has just ended some of the speculation from Indy 500 fans about possible appearances by actors from Turbo, the forthcoming DreamWorks film featuring the race: Track officials revealed today that Michael Peña—who voices the character Tito in the animated movie—will serve as honorary starter on May 26.
Peña, who will wave the green flag to start the 97th running of the 500, has appeared in the Oscar-winning films Million Dollar Baby and Crash and the hit television crime drama The Shield.
May Madness is anxiously awaiting word on whether any more of the star voice talent in the picture—which includes Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, Ken Jeong, and Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Lion)—will show up on race day. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.
The movie Turbo is scheduled for theatrical release in July 2013. Go behind the scenes and read about the making of the film in the May issue of Indianapolis Monthly, on newsstands now.
