IMS announces baseball great Ken Griffey Jr. as Indy 500 pace car driver
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ken Griffey Jr. has been named honorary pace car driver for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Griffey Jr. will drive the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray and lead the field of 33 drivers.
“Driving the pace car and leading the field to start the Indy 500 is one of the coolest experiences,”
Griffey Jr. said. “I came to the track a few years ago as a photographer and look forward to seeing
the race from a different perspective.”
Known as “Junior” and “The Kid,” he played 22 years as an outfielder in the Major League
Baseball. He spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds,
with a brief stint playing for the Chicago White Sox.
Griffey Jr. is one of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball history. His 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an excellent defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He was the first overall pick in the 1987 draft and a 13-time All-Star.
Corvette has paced “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” more times than any car. The 2024 race
marks the 35th time for Chevrolet to pace dating back to 1948 and the 21st time overall and since
1978 for America’s favorite sports car.
WISH-TV’s live pre-race coverage ahead of the Indy 500 will begin at 5 a.m. on Sunday, May 26. Fans can purchase tickets online at ims.com.