The Indianapolis 500 has been around for 102 years, but this year's race will have a pace car that outpowers the racecars behind it.
The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is already the fastest and most powerful Corvette ever, but on Sunday May 27th, it will also be the most powerful Indy 500 pace car!
The new ZR1 has been in the news a lot since it was introduced last year, but the fact that this pace car is more powerful than the racecars it will be pacing is mind-blowing. The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 features a supercharged 6.2-liter LT5 V-8 rated at 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque.
For the sake of comparison, today's turbocharged IndyCar racers have outputs that vary from 550 to 700 horsepower. Don't think that the ZR1 can take an IndyCar racecar out on the track, though. The ZR1 can hit a top speed of 212 mph, while last year's Indy 500 pole qualified at a speed of 232.164 mph.
No other car has been used for an Indy 500 pace car more than the Corvette with this year's race marking the 15th such time for a 'Vette. Overall, a Chevrolet has paced the Indy 500 29 times including this year, and Chevy has been dominating on the track, too, with seven consecutive manufacturer championships.
"Chevrolet and [Indianapolis Motor Speedway] enjoy one of the longest-running and strongest bonds in motorsports. This year's Pace Car, the 2019 Corvette ZR1, is an incredible fast machine that is a perfect fit to lead the 500 field to the green flag," said J. Douglas Boles, IMS president.
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