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
Russian theater director and playwright go on trial over a play authorities say justifies terrorism
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Russian court on Monday opened the trial of a theater director and a playw2024-05-21This is why you should be taking fashion advice from Nigel Farage, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer
Trainers! Who knew they were this big a deal? Suddenly, the humble sports shoe is top of the news.Fi2024-05-21More misery as the UK's tax burden is set to hit an 80
The country's tax burden is set to rise to an 80-year high of 37.1 per cent by 2028, analysis sugges2024-05-21London mayor race: Labour's Sadiq Khan to secure record third term
LONDON (AP) — Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party’s mayor of London, romped to victory Saturday, securing a2024-05-21Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection after closing some restaurants
Red Lobster, the casual dining chain that brought seafood to the masses with inventions like popcorn2024-05-211 dead in Atlanta area apartment fire that forced residents to jump from balconies
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (AP) — An apartment fire Sunday in metro Atlanta’s DeKalb County that forced peop2024-05-21
atest comment