Dario Franchitti has led the field to the checkered flag three times in the Indianapolis 500. On May 25, he'll lead the field to the green flag for the first time.
Franchitti, introduced as the celebrity Pace Car driver for the 98th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, will be behind the wheel of a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. It’s the eighth time a Camaro has served as the Pace Car since 1967, and the 25th time a Chevrolet has paced the race. ABC will televise the race for the 50th consecutive year, beginning at 11 a.m. (ET).
“It is a tremendous honor for me to be asked to drive the Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500,” said Franchitti, who won the race in 2007, 2010 and '12. “As a historian of motorsport and as a three-time winner of this great race, I will appreciate every minute of getting to pace the field in the new 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. Although I won't be competing in 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,' this will be as close as one person can get to the action. I can't wait until May in Indianapolis.”
In 10 starts on the 2.5-mile oval, he recorded six top-10 finishes and led 329 laps. He had a high starting position of third on four occasions. Franchitti's 2012 victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the last of his 31 career wins, which is tied for eighth on the all-time list. He retired from motorsports competition in November 2013.
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Franchitti is embarking on a driver development role with Chip Ganassi Racing, which will use Chevrolet power in the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season that opens March 30 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on ABC (3 p.m. ET)
“It’s great to have four-time IndyCar series champion and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti driving the 2014 Camaro Z/28 Pace Car,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. “He is a true champion who has earned the respect and admiration of competitors and race fans alike. It will be very special to have Dario lead the field to the green flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
Tony Kanaan, who has replaced longtime friend and competitor Franchitti in the Chevrolet-powered No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, is the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion. Chevrolet was founded in 1911, the year of the inaugural 500 Mile Race, and the Chevrolet brothers – company co-founder Louis, Arthur and Gaston – all competed in early Indy 500 races. Arthur Chevrolet competed in the 1911 race and Gaston Chevrolet won it in 1920.
Four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt was the last (2011) Indy car driver to be the celebrity Pace Car driver. Franchitti will turn over the wheel for the race to three-time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, who is INDYCAR's official Pace Car driver.
“We are excited to have Dario Franchitti lead this year's Indianapolis 500 starting field to the green flag,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway president J. Douglas Boles said. “Dario's appearance in the Camaro Z/28 Pace Car will be special for race fans and it underscores Chevrolet’s important place in the past, present and future of the Indianapolis 500.”