INDIANAPOLIS -- A survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing and the actor who will play him in an upcoming movie will wave the green flag at the 2017 Indianapolis 500.
Academy-Award-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bauman will be the honorary starters for the Indy 500. They are the first duo to wave the green flag.
Gyllenhaal will play Bauman in "Stronger" a movie about how Bauman lost his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. The movie will be released in September 2017.
“We’re honored to welcome Jake Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bauman to send the field of 33 starters into Turn 1 for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’” said J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president. “It’s fitting that our fans will join Jake in honoring an incredible hero like Jeff on Memorial Day Weekend, as it’s a time when all Americans honor those who have made tremendous sacrifices for our nation.”
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Bauman was cheering for his girlfriend at the finish line of the marathon when the bombs went off. When he woke up, he asked for a pen and paper and wrote, “Saw the guy. Looked right at me.”
Actor Chris Pine waved the flag in last year's Indy 500.
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