Corvette Stingray to pace 2020 Indy 500

Delayed from its usual May timeslot due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Indianapolis 500 finally gets underway this weekend and a Chevrolet Corvette will serve as Official Pace Car for the race.

A 2020-model Corvette Stingray coupe will pace the 104th running of America’s great race, with General Motors President (and former head of GM-H), Mark Reuss behind the wheel.

“It’s truly an honour to have the opportunity to be behind the wheel of the mid-engine Corvette Pace Car at such a historic race as the Indy 500,” said Reuss. “The 2020 Corvette Stingray is the result of a close collaboration between the Corvette Racing and production engineering teams, setting a new benchmark for supercars around the world.”

Aside from mandatory lights and safety gear, the pace car will feature the Corvette Stingray’s optional Z51 Performance Package, with parts from the new Corvette’s accessories catalogue including a rear spoiler, ground effects package, carbon fibre exterior accents and GT2 bucket seats.

With its 6.2-litre LT2 V8 engine and 8-speed DCT, the latest Corvette Stingray can accelerate from 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds (3.0 seconds approx. for 0-100km/h) and hit a top speed of 312km/h.

Finished in Torch Red, the pace car is subtle in appearance compared to past cars to fill the role. Aside from the usual event branding on the doors, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo on the flanks and ‘104th Running’ on the mirror caps are the only other points of identification.

While pace car replicas have been produced for sale to the general public in the past, this year’s unprecedented circumstances make such an offering unlikely.

Corvette first paced the Indy 500 in 1978, then again in 1986 and 1995, but following Chevrolet’s 2002 deal with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to be the exclusive pace car provider, Corvette appearances have been more frequent, including seven of the past ten years.

“This is a continuation of our outstanding partnership with Chevrolet,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles. “We’re so grateful for all that Chevrolet has contributed to the success of our events. The Torch Red 2020 Corvette Stingray is a world-class machine rich with speed, performance and excitement, perfectly suited to pace the ‘500’ field.”

The 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, 23 August. In line with other motorsport events globally, this year’s race will be held without fans and under COVID-19 safety protocols.