2025 Indy 500 Corvette ZR1 Pace Car: All The Details

Chevrolet's most powerful production car ever, the 2025 Corvette ZR1, has been named the official pace car for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Images: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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By AutoGuide.com Staff

The announcement comes just weeks ahead of the iconic race, scheduled for Sunday, May 25.

2025 indy 500 corvette zr1 pace car all the details

The ZR1 features a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 delivering a staggering 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm.

The ZR1 is both the most powerful Corvette ever and the most powerful production V8 engine ever built by an American automaker.

It’s capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and running the quarter-mile in just 9.6 seconds at 150 mph.

To meet the demands of pace car duty, the ZR1 is equipped with Chevrolet’s Carbon Aero package.

The ZTK high-wing pack includes front dive planes, underbody strakes, and a functional rear wing capable of generating over 1,200 pounds of downforce at high speeds.

The 2025 Indy 500 ZR1 Pace Car is finished in Arctic White with Jet Black interior accents.

The ZR1 Indy 500 pace car sports Indianapolis 500 graphics along with emerald green and gold highlights, matching this year’s official race logo.

Carbon fiber wheels complete the race-inspired design.

“With a top speed of 233 mph, the Corvette ZR1 is the perfect fit to lead the Indy 500 field to green,” said Scott Bell, global vice president of Chevrolet.

“We’re proud to have our fastest Corvette ever pace this legendary race.”

This year’s event marks the 36th time a Chevrolet vehicle has served as the Indy 500 pace car since 1948 and the 22nd time for a Corvette.

IndyCar confirmed that Michael Strahan—Pro Football Hall of Famer, TV personality, and longtime “FOX NFL Sunday” analyst—will serve as the honorary pace car driver.

Strahan will lead the 33-car field to the green flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Chevrolet’s latest track-focused supercar.

“As we anticipate another iconic Indianapolis 500, we are once again excited to have the incredible American sports car Corvette pacing the field,” IMS and INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said.

“The race car-like performance of the Corvette ZR1 makes it the perfect car to pace the Indianapolis 500, and the distinctive sound of the Chevrolet V8 engine will echo brilliantly inside the walls of IMS.”

Corvette is the longest-running car nameplate in automotive industry history, so it’s no surprise Corvette has paced “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” more times than any car.

The 233-mph top-end speed of the Corvette ZR1 is just shy of the 234-mph qualifying time set for the 2024 Indy 500 by Scott McLaughlin.

Speeds should increase in 2025 thanks to the addition of a new hybrid system.

Indianapolis 500 practice and qualifications begin on May 13 with Fast Friday on May 16, and qualification weekend on Saturday May 17 and Sunday May 18.