James Franco ponders his command for Danica 500

By The Associated Press

Updated: 02/24/2013 10:57:58 AM MST

Click photo to enlarge

Actor James Franco, Honorary Grand Marshall for the NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race answers questions during a news conference at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla.

What will James Franco say at the start of the Daytona 500?

The Oscar-nominated actor is giving drivers the command to fire up their machines, a duty that is normally carried out with the most famous words in racing: "Gentlemen, start your engines."

Of course, this year is different. Danica Patrick will be the first woman to start from the pole in a Cup race, so Franco sounds like he's planning an audible.

We'll see if he goes with the command that was used when Patrick raced in the Indianapolis 500, "Lady and gentlemen, start your engines."

Of course, you never know what Franco has up his sleeve.

— Paul Newberry—http://www.twitter.com/pewberry1963

——

EDITOR'S NOTE—"Daytona 500 Watch" shows you the Daytona 500 and events surrounding the race through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter.

LoginSign UpEmail Support

Article Comments

You must be registered to comment (your comment will be saved for you while you register). It's quick (it takes about 30 seconds) and we only require your email and name. Comments that include any offensive material are prohibited. By using our site you agree to our terms of use.

You have javascript turned off. To comment on this article from the article page, javascript must be turned on. Alternately, you can search for this topic thread in our forums.

Comment:

Use the "Report Abuse" link when necessary (you don't have to be a member, or be logged in to use it)
Keep it clean and respect others — don't use language you wouldn't use with your parents
Read the Post's Article Commenting Ground Rules here (link will open in a new window)