Since the enigmatic Chevrolet SSR performed the role in 2003, the Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro have taken turns pacing the Indianapolis 500. The Z06 took center stage in 2015 with Jeff Gordon at the wheel, and the 50th Anniversary Camaro SS paced the 100th running of the race last year with Roger Penske at the helm. This year it’s once again the Corvette’s turn and a Grand Sport will lead the way.
This will be the 14th time a Corvette has been used as Indy’s pace car, the most of any nameplate and the 28th time a Chevrolet has paced the race. After featuring dozens of wildly colored cars in past decades, organizers have kept it clean recently, using white cars in four of the past six years, and the 2017 Grand Sport follows suit. A new logo tags both doors, while red hash marks on the front fenders and a wide blue center stripe on the hood and roof give it the Grand Sport vibe. This particular car also has the Z07 package (suspension tuning, carbon-ceramic brake rotors, and Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 summer tires), the carbon-fiber ground-effects package, and staggered 19- and 20-inch chrome wheels.
?Chevrolet and Indianapolis are inextricably linked, sharing one of the longest racing heritages in all of motorsports,? Indianapolis Motor Speedway president J. Douglas Boles said. ?We are proud of the longstanding relationship between Chevrolet and the Speedway, and we love having the Corvette Grand Sport lead the 500 field to the green flag.? ...