Morgan Freeman's next starring role behind the wheel of a car will be nothing like his Oscar-nominated performance in "Driving Miss Daisy."
Freeman, who played the gentle chauffeur opposite Jessica Tandy in the 1989 film, was selected Wednesday to drive the Chevrolet Corvette pace car at the start of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.
"Right next to acting, my childhood dream was to drive on a Speedway track," the 66-year-old actor said. "I'm thrilled to just be an observer, but especially thrilled to be a part of the racing logs as the pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500 this year."
Freeman will lead the starting field on the parade and pace laps at the start of the race.
Other celebrity pace car drivers in recent years include Jay Leno, Anthony Edwards and Jim Caviezel, and model Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, wife of rock musician John Mellencamp.