A Festival Princess takes...
A Festival Princess takes a parade lap in an '06 LeMans Blue track-car convertible prior to the start of the 90th Annual Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2006. Photo by Jef Richards/IMS
Multiple Tour de France winner...
Multiple Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong leads the field into Turn 1 on the pace lap of the 2006 race. Photo by Dan Helrigel/IMS
Actor Patrick Dempsey was...
Actor Patrick Dempsey was chosen to pace the 91st Annual Indianapolis 500 on May 27, 2007; he drove an '07 Corvette pace-car convertible. "I'll never get the opportunity to race here, so this is the closest I'll come," said Dempsey. "It's a memory I'll always cherish." Photo by Ron McQueeney/IMS
Dempsey leads the drivers...
Dempsey leads the drivers during a yellow-flag lap in the middle of the race. A total of 500 Indy 500 Pace Car replica convertibles were sold to the public during the '07 model year. Photo by Steve Snoddy/IMS
Two-time (1989 and 1993) 500...
Two-time (1989 and 1993) 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi drove two different Corvette pace cars for the 92nd Annual Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2008. The first was an experimental E85-powered Z06 used to promote both Chevy's flex-vehicle program and the IndyCar Series' involvement with the ethanol industry. It saw action only during the parade and pace laps. Photo by Steve Snoddy/IMS
The second vehicle was a modern...
The second vehicle was a modern interpretation of the '78 Corvette Indy Pace Car, and was intended to commemorate the 30th anniversary of that seminal model. These Black/Silver Corvettes (one coupe and one convertible) paced the yellow-flag laps. A total of 500 similar-looking replicas (234 coupes and 266 convertibles) were sold to the public. Photo by Steve Snoddy/IMS
A lineup of Indianapolis 500...
A lineup of Indianapolis 500 replica Corvette pace cars was collected for a National Corvette Museum exhibit in 2007. Among them was the only authorized '04 Indy Pace Car Corvette replica and a 1-of-2 '05 Indy Pace Car Corvette replica. Photo by Ron McQueeney/IMS
Corvette Pace Car Facts and Figures (2002-2008)
2002
Event: 86th Annual Indianapolis 500
Date: May 26, 2002
Pace Car Driver: Actor Jim Caviezel
Pace Cars Produced: 3 (The actual pace car was a pilot-line '03 50th Anniversary Corvette.)
Track/Festival Cars Produced: 66 (Due to the early kickoff of Corvette's 50th Anniversary celebration and a lack of '03 Anniversary cars, Chevy sent 33 QuickSilver and 33 Yellow '02 Corvette convertibles with a limited graphics package to IMS to serve as track/festival cars.)
Replica Pace Cars Produced: 0
2004
Event: 88th Annual Indianapolis 500
Date: May 30, 2004
Pace Car Driver: Actor Morgan Freeman
Pace Cars Produced: 3
Track/Festival Cars Produced: 67/0 (Chevy sent 44 LeMans Blue Corvette convertibles to the event; each carried a member of the U.S. Military during a prerace parade lap. A total of 23 Arctic White convertibles with red and blue decals were used as track cars by event officials. Both the blue and the white convertibles wore a variation of the graphics used on the actual Z06 pace car.)
Replica Pace Cars Produced: 1
2005
Event: 89th Annual Indianapolis 500
Date: May 29, 2005
Pace Car Driver: Retired Army General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell
Pace Cars Produced: 3
Track/Festival Cars Produced: 8/0 (A total of eight Victory Red Corvette convertibles were used on race day. These did not have the silver center stripe, logo-embroidered headrests, and graphics that appeared on the actual pace cars.)
Replica Pace Cars Produced: 2
2006
Event: 90th Annual Indianapolis 500
Date: May 28, 2006
Pace Car Driver: Multiple Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong
Pace Cars Produced: 3
Track/Festival Cars Produced: 71 (Estimated total. A total of 30 LeMans Blue Corvettes were sent to the track, and eight additional Victory Red Corvette convertibles assisted on race day. No Corvette festival cars were provided.)
Replica Pace Cars Produced: 0
2007
Event: 91st Annual Indianapolis 500
Date: May 27, 2007
Pace Car Driver: Actor Patrick Dempsey
Pace Cars Produced: 3
Track/Festival Cars Produced: 57+
Replica Pace Cars Produced: 500
2008
Event: 92nd Annual Indianapolis 500
Date: May 25, 2008
Pace Car Driver: Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi
Pace Cars Produced: 5 (Three were Black/Silver base cars; the remaining two were E85-powered, Gold Rush Green Z06s.)
Track/Festival Cars Produced: Produced 60 (42 convertibles and 18 coupes; all were Black/Silver)
Replica Pace Cars Produced: 500