Today the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport was announced as the official pace car for the 2017 Indianapolis 500 later this month.
It will mark the 14th time a Corvette has led the field green in the race’s storied 101-year history, no other car has paced the Indy 500 more than Corvette.
The pace car takes a fully loaded Corvette Grand Sport–complete with a carbon-fiber aero package and carbon ceramic-matrix brake rotors–and tacks on a set of unique Indy 500 graphics. Out of the box, the Grand Sport is capable of accelerating to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, pulling 1.2g through the corners, and cutting the quarter mile in 11 seconds.
“Chevrolet is proud to once again pace the Indianapolis 500,” said Steve Majoros, marketing director for Cars and Crossovers. “The Corvette Grand Sport’s performance capability and motorsports heritage make it the perfect choice to pace the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
SEE ALSO: 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Review
The GM brand will forever be linked with Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Company founder Louis Chevrolet, along with brothers Arthur and Gaston, competed in early Indy 500 races, including the inaugural race in 1911, the same year the company was born.
“Chevrolet and Indianapolis are inextricably linked, sharing one of the longest racing heritages in all of motorsports,” said J. Douglas Boles, president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “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.”
