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
What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?
JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’2024-05-21Israel, Iran show restraint. But for how long?
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden can breathe a bit easier, at least for the moment, now that Is2024-05-21- PHOENIX (AP) — Special LP releases, live performances and at least one giant block party are schedul2024-05-21
- Roman Gabriel, the former North Carolina State quarterback who was the 1969 NFL MVP with the Los Ang2024-05-21
Candice Swanepoel stuns in a form
Candice Swanepoel looked incredible as she arrived at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival premiere2024-05-21Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg hit back
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg hit back-to-back homers for Baltimore off2024-05-21
atest comment