Chevrolet Camaro SS Indy 500 Pace Car

The long and storied history between Chevrolet and the Indy 500 will run a new episode in 2016, when the brand-new Camaro SS will pace the iconic 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. Set to take place on May 29, this year’s Indy 500 will be the 100th running of the event and Chevrolet will provide the organizers with four pace cars based on the 2017 Camaro SS 50th Anniversary Edition. In other words, two of America’s most recognizable brands have chosen to celebrate their milestones together.

Chevrolet will supply the event with four identically prepared pace cars, which will be driven by motorsport legend Roger Penske. The 79-year-old is marking 50 years as a race team owner and seeks his 17th Indy 500 title in 2016.

"Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500 have a long, storied history and it’s an honor to mark the respective milestones of the Indy 500 race and the Camaro simultaneously," said Mark Reuss, executive vice president of Global Product Development. "It’s also a privilege to have Roger Penske perform the driving duties, as his team has helped Chevrolet earn four consecutive IndyCar manufacturer titles since 2012."

This year’s race will be the ninth time the Camaro has served as the pace car and the 27th time for Chevrolet. Chevy first paced the race in 1948, while the Camaro made its debut in 1967, less than a year after the first-generation model was unveiled to the world. The Camaro returned to Indianapolis in 1969, 1982, and 1993, before becoming one of Indy’s favorite pace cars in the late 2000s. The bowtie-badged car led the pack for three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011 and returned for the eighth time in 2014. The Camaro is the second most frequent Indy 500 pace car, surpassed only by the Corvette, which paced the race 13 times between 1978 and 2015. Interestingly enough, the 2016 Indy 500 will be the 20th consecutive race paced by a General Motors vehicle. The last non-GM car to pace the event was the Dodge Viper GTS in 2006.

Continue reading to learn more about the Chevrolet Camaro SS Indy 500 Pace Car.

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