To surprise of absolutely no one, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 has been selected to pace the field at the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. As the long-reigning poster child for domestic performance, the Corvette Z06 being paired with the Indy 500, a storied and distinctly American celebration of the all that is right in the world—at least for that one fleeting moment—is the stuff gasoline-marinated marketing dreams are made of.
-The 13th time a Corvette has been chosen for the honor, the Corvette has served as the Indy pace car more than any other single model in the race's history. But unlike pace cars of yore that often required modifications for race-day duty, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 pace car will be leading the pack in showroom trim. In fact, the only things separating this version from a standard-issue Z06 are its hyperbolic Indy graphics package and safety strobe lights. When the field rounds turn four and stands on the accelerator, the Corvette will be relying solely on the factory-issued 650-hp provided by its supercharged, 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 and seven-speed manual transmission as it scrambles to get out of the way and into pit lane.
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The Corvette pace car will be piloted by NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, whose five Brickyard 400 wins are a testament to his intimate knowledge of Indy's relatively flat surface. How, exactly, piloting a NASCAR stocker around the 2.5-mile circuit translates to doing the same in factory Corvette, even one with the performance bonafides of the Z06, is a question very few can answer truthfully, which will put Gordon on a very short list. After finishing his pace-car duties, Gordon will head to Charlotte to compete in a 600-mile NASCAR event, making for a busy day. It appears Gordon, who announced earlier that this would be his final season in NASCAR, is trying to pack as much into his final season as possible.
-from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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