Jeff Gordon to drive Indy 500 pace car (Update)
Dear Bill, IndyCar is doing its best to give their arch-enemy NASCAR maximum exposure. Talk about kicking the existing IndyCar fan base in the teeth. Mark C
04/29/15
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| NASCAR to steal IndyCar's thunder with Jeff Gordon driving the Indy 500 Pace Car |
| IMS for Chevy Racing |
Jeff Gordon will put a unique spin on his own Memorial Day weekend double next month, driving the pace car May 24 at the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 before competing in the Coca-Cola 600 later in the day at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Gordon and Indianapolis Motor Speedway made the announcement Wednesday during a break in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing.
"Indy is hallowed ground for racers like me and I couldn't be more thrilled to drive the Corvette Z06 pace car around the track that helped drive my success over the years," Gordon said in a release provided by Team Chevy. "The Indianapolis 500 is one of the most celebrated races of the year and an event I always dreamed of racing while growing up in California and in nearby Pittsboro. I've won five NASCAR races at IMS and the track will always be a special place for me, so to be able to participate in such a historic day will be something I remember for the rest of my life."
Gordon, who announced in January that 2015 would mark his final full season in NASCAR's premier series, holds the record for most stock-car victories at Indianapolis. He prevailed in the inaugural Brickyard 400 at the historic 2.5-mile track in 1994 and secured his fifth Indy win last season.
Gordon has competed in Chevrolets for Hendrick Motorsports for the duration of his 23-year career in stock-car racing. Next month, he'll drive a 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 with a special graphics package on Arctic White paint to pace the 33-car field at Indianapolis.
"Jeff Gordon is a NASCAR legend, an icon of global motorsports and has a special history of success racing at The Brickyard in Indianapolis and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte," said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. "This is a unique honor for him to be recognized in this way by our partners at Chevrolet and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The day certainly will be another special one in the storied history that Jeff already has written at Indianapolis and Charlotte."
Gordon, whose racing heritage is deeply rooted in the Hoosier State's sprint car scene, said during NASCAR Media Day in February that though 2014 would mark his final run at a fifth Sprint Cup championship, he didn't rule out competing in the Brickyard 400 in the future.
"While it's a white-knuckle qualifying experience, the race to me is methodical and with the right car, the right team, you can be very successful in that race," Gordon said Feb. 12. "I'm not saying I'm going to do that, I'm just leaving it open."
Chevrolets have served as the official Indianapolis 500 pace car every year since 2002. This year's duty will mark the 13th time a Corvette has been chosen to pace the field. Chevrolet — which was founded in 1911, the Speedway's inaugural year — has been chosen a record 26 times as the official Indy 500 pace car.
"It's great to have Jeff Gordon serve as this year's pace car driver," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. "He is a true champion who has earned the respect and admiration of competitors and race fans alike. It will be very special to have Jeff lead the Indy 500 field to the green flag, behind the wheel of the most powerful and capable production car ever from Chevrolet — on a day he'll also be competing in the Coca Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway."
NASCAR.com