Longtime Hollywood front man Keanu Reeves, who also happens to be a connoisseur of motorsports, hanging out in the paddocks of IndyCar and Formula One through the years, will suit up this weekend for a pair of sprint races at the Toyota GR Cup at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Reeves, whose car will feature a red and black design to promote his graphic novel, comic book series "BRZRK," made the announcement on social media with a simple and short message: "Hi, I'm Keanu Reeves and I just want to say thank you and my appreciation for the opportunity to race in the Toyota GR Cup at Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
How the Canadian-born actor, best known as the star of the "John Wick" series of movies and "Matrix," landed a seat in his No. 92 Eagles Canyon Racing by Fast Track Toyota GR 86, has a lot to do with his star power.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup describes its series as "amateur focused racing" that brings together car enthusiasts, aspiring racers and former race car drivers now in retirement. "The series was designed to be inclusive of a wide variety of competitors," it says.
In addition to Reeves, this weekend's race will also feature celebrity driver Cody Jones of " Dude Perfect, " a YouTube sports series featuring trick shots and outrageous antics of five "dudes."
"Surprise. What's up guys? It's Cody Jones, the tall guy from 'Dude Perfect.' I will be racing in the Toyota GR Cup at Indy. Gonna be awesome," Jones said in a Facebook video promoting the race. "I know you were expecting like a Brad Pitt or a Vince Vaughn or someone to that degree. Nope, it's just me, hoping to not get last place."
How they landed on the roster
Getting celebrities to participate in the 34-car field of drivers at the GR Cup in Indianapolis is a way to bring attention to the series.
When Toyota secured Reeves and Jones, it reached out to Texas-based Eagles Canyon Racing , which has five other drivers entered this weekend, with a request to coach and train the celebrity drivers, said Brad Flack, general manager at Eagles Canyon.
It's not the first time Reeves, who created the four-part documentary "Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story" and is the owner of custom manufacturer ARCH Motorcycle, has taken to a racetrack.
In 2009 and 2010, he drove in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at Long Beach, winning the celebrity class the first year and earning a promotion to the pro category in 2010. IMS president Doug Boles is excited to see how Reeves fares in Indy.
"It’s always fun when we have people who have been successful in other areas of their careers and then try their hand at competitive driving," said Boles. "The Toyota GR Cup is a very competitive series where many of tomorrow’s professional race car drivers are honing their skills alongside other drivers who don’t intend to become professional but are super competitive."
Flack said both Reeves and Jones created a major buzz at Eagles Canyon as they trained, and he expects nothing less at IMS.
"We’ll try and let him be a race car driver this weekend," Boles joked, "and not a well a known actor."
Tickets and info for Toyota GR Cup.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow . Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Dude, perfect: Keanu Reeves, Cody Jones race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend
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