Jan 14, 2008

Indy 500 Names Pace Car, Driver

Two old favorites will be featured in this May's Indianapolis 500. Emerson Fittipaldi, who has two Indy 500 wins on his long list of credits, will set the pace for the famous race with two distinctly different Chevrolet Corvettes. 2008 will mark a record 19th time that a Chevrolet has served as the official pace vehicle for the race and the 10th time that Corvette has served as the pace car.

To start the race, Fittipaldi will drive an ethanol-powered concept version of the Corvette Z06. In addition to achieving speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour, the car will also be capable of changing colors from green, blue, gold and yellow. Meanwhile, a second special edition Corvette, designed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the iconic 1978 Corvette Indy 500 pace car with a similar black and silver design, will also be on hand. In addition to some one-track duties, this version of the Corvette will also serve as the Indy 500 Festival associate cars that are driven around Indianapolis by track officials and dignitaries during the month of May.