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
‘The Blue Angels,’ filmed for IMAX, puts viewers in the ‘box’ with the elite flying squad
If you’re looking for a little bit of that “ Top Gun: Maverick ” spectacle and thrill at the movie t2024-05-21McDonald's is dishing out Chicken McNuggets at a discounted price
For the first time ever, McDonald's has reduced the price of boxes of six, nine and 20 Chicken McNug2024-05-21Hong Kong's leading bookstores decline to stock new book by last governor Chris Patten
At least three leading bookstore chains in Hong Kong have declined to stock a new book written by th2024-05-21Outrage as Tesla starts shipping $3,000 Cybertruck tent that looks nothing like as advertised
Cybertruck customers are once again outraged over broken promises after Tesla started shipping the f2024-05-21Company wins court ruling to continue development of Michigan factory serving EV industry
GREEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A judge has ordered a Michigan community to stop blocking efforts to br2024-05-21I ate cricket meat mince and it was delicious
In the UK, eating insects might seem something only horrified showbiz personas on I'm A Celebrity...2024-05-21
atest comment