The Grand Marshal for the 55th running of the Daytona 500 will be Academy Award nominee for Best Actor (127 Hours), James Franco.
Franco will be promoting his new Disney movie, “Oz The Great And Powerful”, which hits theaters March 8.
Through his role, Franco will give the command, “drivers start your engines.” He will also be introduced at the drivers’ meeting, participate in pre-race ceremonies and ride in one of the grand marshal cars during the pace laps prior to the green flag of the 200-lap, 500-mile race.
Some of Franco’s film credits include: “Spider-Man” trilogy, “Pineapple Express” “Milk”, and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
Last year’s Daytona grand marshal’s were Kate Upton and Jane Lynch. The 500 had not seen a “big time” actor since 2007 when Nicolas Cage was present.
