Author John Green is in training to drive a pace car on Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Los Angeles Times
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Author John Green is in training to drive a pace car on Indianapolis Motor Speedway

John Green signs books for fans of "The Fault In Our Stars." He'll drive a race car on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month.

John Green signs books for fans of “The Fault In Our Stars.” He’ll drive a race car on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month.

(Rick Diamond / Getty Images )
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John Green, the bestselling, award-winning author of beloved young adult novels “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Looking for Alaska,” clearly has his finger on the pulse of American teenagers.

Now he’ll get the chance to live out the fantasy of a lot of kids: driving a pace car on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, the IndyStar reports. Green will be the honorary pace car driver.

“I’m thrilled,” Green said, sounding just like the auto racing fanboy that he is. “This is so cool.”

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The author is a native of Indianapolis and a longtime fan of IndyCar racing. He even participates in the sport’s fantasy league — though he assured IndyStar that he won’t let that influence his turn on the track next month.

“I will do my best to be a completely neutral pace-car driver,” he promised. But, he added, “I’m aware of the fact how I perform in my fantasy league is important.”

Green will drive a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe, which can go from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. (You can get one of your own if you have $60,000 burning a hole in your wallet.)

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Green, who also hosts a popular vlog with his brother and helps lead a legion of “nerdfighters” in doing good works, started his training on Sunday. He tweeted a picture of himself standing in front of the bright red Corvette he’ll be driving, with the caption “Amazing day at the Speedway today trying to learn the ins and outs of the Grand Prix track. I’m still shaking!”

Green is surely hoping the experience will be better than his last time on a race track. The writer raced fellow author Maggie Stiefvater last year for a charity event in Minnesota, and because of a fault in his car, the vehicle caught fire with him in it. (He wasn’t hurt.)

The Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis will be held May 14.

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