Corvette ZR1 to pace the 2025 Indy 500

Chevrolet’s 2025 Corvette ZR1, the fastest volume production car ever made in America, will serve as pace car for this year’s Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on Sunday, 25 May.

Michael Strahan, a former NFL player and Pro Football Hall of Fame member that’s now a TV presenter, has been named as honorary pace car driver

“Chevrolet is proud that the 2025 Corvette ZR1, our fastest Corvette ever, will be the Official Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500,” said Scott Bell, global Chevrolet vice president. “With a top speed of 233mph, the Corvette ZR1 is the perfect fit to lead the Indy 500 field to green."

The new Corvette ZR1 can accelerate from 0 to 60mph (97km/h) in 2.3 seconds en route to its 233mph (375km/h) top speed, thanks to a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces 1,064hp (793kW) at 7,000rpm. The ZR1 can also cover the quarter-mile in 9.6 seconds at 150mph (241km/h), making it the quickest Corvette ever.

For pace car duty, the ZR1 is equipped with the optional Carbon Aero package, which includes dive planes on the front bumper, underbody aero strakes and a large rear wing that creates more than 1,200 pounds (544kg) of downforce at top speeds.

Finished in Arctic White with Jet Black interior accents, the pace car features unique Indianapolis 500 logos in emerald green and gold. These colours extend to racing stripes and additional exterior design elements.

Carbon fibre wheels in black are supplied by Australian company, Carbon Revolution, who also provided the wheels for last year’s Corvette E-Ray pace car.

“As we anticipate another iconic Indianapolis 500, we are once again excited to have the incredible American sports car Corvette pacing the field,” said IMS and INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles. “The race car-like performance of the Corvette ZR1 makes it the perfect car to pace the Indianapolis 500, and the distinctive sound of the Chevrolet V8 engine will echo brilliantly inside the walls of IMS.”

This year will be the ninth successive time that a Corvette has paced the Indianapolis 500 and the 22nd time overall - more than any other car. A Corvette first paced “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in 1978, then again in 1986, 1995 and 1998, before regular appearances in the 2000s. The ZR1 version of the Corvette first paced the Indy 500 in 2012.

Chevrolet has had an exclusive contract with IMS to provide the pace car and other official vehicles for the Indianapolis 500 since 2002.