Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar have taken the wraps off this year’s Indy 500 pace car, announcing that the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ Coupe will lead the 33-car field to green later this month.
The Corvette is the first electrified Corvette ever produced, combining a typical naturally aspirated 6.2 liter V8 with electric all-wheel drive capabilities.
Instead of a typical hybrid production car which trades off between electric and internal combustion, the E-Ray combines the two power sources to create 655 combined horsepower.
The car can accelerate to 60 MPH in just 2.5 seconds, and is more than capable of leading a field of race cars around the IMS oval during the 108th running of the Indy 500.
“As we anticipate another record-breaking Indianapolis 500, it’s only fitting that the quickest production Corvette will pace the field,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
“The performance enhancements tested on the track make their way to the street, and the Corvette E-Ray is a prime example of that Chevrolet innovation.”
This year marks the 35th time Chevrolet has been chosen to provide a pace car for the great event, more than any other manufacturer.
Arctic White is the color for this year’s edition, which is accented by jet black and natural carbon fiber elements and, of course, the red Indy 500 logo on the doors.
The car will be fit with additional information and communication hardware to allow Sarah Fisher, the event’s official pace car driver, to be in contact with race control throughout the event.
On track running for the 108th Indianapolis 500 gets underway Tuesday, May 14 for the first of many practice sessions, and culminates in a 200 lap race around the oval on Sunday, May 26.
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