Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to lead Indianapolis 500 field in Corvette pace car
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will drive the pace car for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
Griffey has attended “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in his second career as a photographer, but now his job will be much more visible. He’ll be behind the wheel of the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray that brings the field of 33 cars — led by record-setting pole sitter Scott McLaughlin — to the green flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Driving the Pace Car and leading the field to start the Indy 500 is one of the coolest experiences,” Griffey said Monday. “I came to the track a few years ago as a photographer and look forward to seeing the race from a different perspective.”
The pace car driver has been a coveted job among athletes, actors and other celebrities since the 1970s, when actor James Garner and singer Marty Robbins handled it. Others that have driven the car include Jay Leno, Morgan Freeman and Patrick Dempsey and, in more recent years, NBA players Victor Oladipo and Tyrese Haliburton.
Related articles
Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
The music world is in mourning this Sunday, with word that original Staind drummer Jon Wysocki passi2024-05-21Queen Camilla 'hurt' by Prince Harry's blistering attack in Spare which branded her a 'villain'
Queen Camilla was 'hurt' by Prince Harry's memoir Spare, in which she was labelled 'dangerous' and a2024-05-21The Talk CANCELLED! Daytime series to end with season 15
CBS' long-running daytime staple, The Talk is set to end this year after 15 seasons. The network mad2024-05-21Distressing moment horse is rescued after falling into a Florida pond
An exhausted horse was rescued by a group of brave firefighters after it fell into a retention pond2024-05-21- Israel’s defense minister said Monday the military would expand its operations in the southern Gaza2024-05-21
The Talk CANCELLED! Daytime series to end with season 15
CBS' long-running daytime staple, The Talk is set to end this year after 15 seasons. The network mad2024-05-21
atest comment