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
Ben Whishaw lights up the Croisette as he joins his co
Ben Whishaw was all smiles at the world premiere of Limonov: The Ballad at the 77th annual Cannes Fi2024-05-2120th CPC Central Committee to hold its third plenary session in July
The third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee will be held2024-05-21- . A meandering array of illuminated lanterns is a millennium-old intangible cultural heritage item2024-05-21
Luzardo leads Marlins to third consecutive shutout win, 8
MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Luzardo and three relievers combined on the Miami Marlins’ third consecutive shut2024-05-21Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin committed Monday to keeping U.S. weapons moving to2024-05-21- The Wenchang Space Launch Site has said it is ready for the launch of China's Chang'e-6 luna2024-05-21
atest comment