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.
Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
Katie Price 'has vowed to name and shame the celebrity who raped her in explosive new book'
Travis Kelce cast in FX's 'American Horror Story: Grotesquerie'
Medics remove 150 MAGGOTS from a woman's mouth after dental procedure left her with rotting tissue
House Republicans will turn to K
WBC strips Jermall Charlo of middleweight title following DUI arrest. Carlos Adames is new champion
Kim Kardashian being booed by crowd at Tom Brady roast edited out of final Netflix cut
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
Prada focuses generational transition on artisans, expanding production and workforce in Italy
Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Maryland ban on rifles known as assault weapons
Fred Sirieix cosies up to his fiancé Fruitcake who wows in a figure