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. |
Revealed: Reservoir 'at heart of' Devon crisis that's left 40,000 homes with undrinkable waterThat's ONE way to hitch a ride! Moment teenager clings onto the back of a London doubleMan kills 2 officers at police station in Malaysia in a suspected Jemaah Islamiyah attackVenezuela's barred opposition candidate is now the fiery surrogate of her lesserMoment twins, 8, hilariously fume after discovering two ice creams will cost them a staggering £9'ALL Brits are welcome!' Mayor of Magaluf's message to UK holidaymakers following 'tourismDamaged air valve in field of cattle is blamed as the source of Devon's parasite outbreakMets beat Phillies 6Key Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems is laying off 450 after production of troubled 737s slows8 EU members say conditions in Syria should be reassessed to allow voluntary refugee returns