2025 Indy 500: Which is the official pace car, and who will drive it?

The 2025 Indy 500 is on the horizon with the qualifications done and dusted. As the grid is set and drivers prepare for the biggest race of the IndyCar season, let's have a look at which is the official pace car and who will be driving it to take the Indy 500 field to green flag.

The pace car is more or less like the safety car in F1, which dictates the pace of the cars during cautions. However, in IndyCar, the pace cars also lead cars out on the track for the warm laps before the start of the race.

For the 109th running of the Indy 500, Chevrolet has brought out their latest and fastest car. The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is the official pace car for the 2025 Indy 500. It is not only the fastest Chevrolet ever made but also the fastest car ever manufactured by an American manufacturer.

The pace car is usually driven by a celebrity at the Indy 500 as they dictate the pace for the warm-up laps. In 2024, Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. drove it. Pro Football Hall of Fame member Michael Strahan will drive the pace car and take the 2025 Indy 500 grid to green flag.

Michael Strahan is a former NFL player who played as a defensive end for the New York Giants. He works as an NFL analyst with FOX and is the co-host of the Good Morning America show.

The celebrity only drives the cars for the warm-up laps and then hands them over to a professional racing driver, who drives the car during the caution. Former motorsport driver Sarah Fisher has been serving as the pace car driver for IndyCar since 2016.

Specifications of the 2025 Indy 500 pace car, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

The Corvette ZR1 features a 5.5 L Twin Turbo flat plane V8, which produces 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb/ft of torque at 6,000 rpm. The engine is mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, which sends the power to the rear wheels only.

The ZR1 boasts a 0-60 mph time of 2.3 seconds and completes the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds at 150 mph. The car reaches a top speed of 233 mph, the fastest by an American-made car.

IndyCar President Doug Boles hailed the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 as he said:

“As we anticipate another iconic Indianapolis 500, we are once again excited to have the incredible American sports car Corvette pacing the field.The race car-like performance of the Corvette ZR1 makes it the perfect car to pace the Indianapolis 500, and the distinctive sound of the Chevrolet V8 engine will echo brilliantly inside the walls of IMS.”

The Indianapolis 500 pace car is equipped with the Carbon Aero package, which adds aerodynamics elements like a dive plane and a huge rear wing for improved downforce.