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
Minnesota Uber and Lyft driver pay package beats deadline to win approval in Legislature
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A plan to boost pay for Uber and Lyft drivers in Minnesota that lawmakers bel2024-05-21West Ham's European hopes hit again with 2
LONDON (AP) — West Ham’s European hopes received a second blow in the space of four days after a mee2024-05-21Dog owners to shoulder all responsibility if banned large dog injures someone: top court
(Global Times) 08:46, February 06, 2024Dog owners will shoulder all the responsibility if a banned l2024-05-21Former desert land transformed into oasis for relocated villagers
(Xinhua) 10:59, December 27, 2023YINCHUAN, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Liu Kerui said it was a dream come tr2024-05-21Elon Musk gets approval from FDA to implant his Neuralink brain chip into a second patient
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has been given a green light to implant its brain chip in a second patient aft2024-05-21New Year's Day holiday travel plans heating up
(China Daily) 08:38, December 21, 2023Train tickets and tour products are hot sellers for the coming2024-05-21
atest comment