Next to competing in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, being the honorary pace car driver was the next best thing for NASCAR champion and former Indiana resident Jeff Gordon.
Gordon, driving a Chevrolet Corvette Z06, led the 33-car field to the green flag and then vacated the seat for three-time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, the regular pace car driver for Verizon IndyCar Series oval events.
“To be honored as the pace car driver, this whole experience is a bit overwhelming,” Gordon said. “I feel like I’ve accomplished more than I ever expected or hoped to in racing, but the one thing that did elude me was getting the chance to race in the Indianapolis 500. I’ve said this many times and I still believe it, winning the inaugural Brickyard 400, to me, fulfilled that dream. Now I've had a chance to win it four more times. This is a special place for me.”
Gordon left Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23 following practice for the Coca-Cola 600, and after watching with his family a few laps to get a sense of the speed and the spectacle, he returned to North Carolina to prepare for the NASCAR race.
“(Indy cars are) cool, they're fast, the grip level that they have, the speed that they carry through the corners,” Gordon said.
It’s an honor for Franchitti to honor his racing hero 50 years later
“This car is a time warp from 1965,” three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti said.
Franchitti drove the Lotus 38/1, which fellow Scott and racing hero Jim Clark drove to victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 50 years ago, during a parade of historic race cars during pre-race ceremonies.
“Apart from two pieces, it’s completely original. It did one race and they parked it,” Franchitti said. “In 2009, when they started to restore it, it still had the original oil in it.”
Other drivers of vintage cars:
1968 Eagle – Alex Gurney; 1973 Eagle – Justin Gurney; 1975 Eagle – Jimmy Gurney; 1981 Eagle – Danny Gurney; 1940 Maserati (75th anniversary Indy 500 win) – Al Unser; 1990 Lola (25th anniversary Indy 500 win) – Arie Luyendyk.
And honoring David Letterman
David Letterman, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and recently retired late-night talk show host, watched the race from the pit stall of the No. 15 Steak 'n Shake Honda driven by Graham Rahal.
Before the race, Letterman signed autographs and thanked fans for watching his network shows over the past 33 years. The crew wore T-shirts with a Top Ten list on the back, and Oriol Servia's No. 32 Honda was carrying the "Late Show" logo on the sidepods.
"With everything that's happened, it's the highlight of my career," said Letterman, an Indianapolis native.
By the numbers
Oldest driver in field: Alex Tagliani, 41 (four other drivers competing are 40 this year are Townsend Bell, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Oriol Servia)
Youngest driver in field: Sage Karam, 20 (next youngest are Gabby Chaves, 21; Conor Daly, 23; Carlos Munoz, 23)
Average age of the 33 starters: 30.5 years old
Driver with most previous Indianapolis 500 starts: Castroneves with 14
Honoring U.S. Military and fallen heroes
Active U.S. Military members marched in uniform down the frontstretch during pre-race ceremonies and were joined by a number of World War II veterans.
"Taps" was followed by a rifle volley to honor America's fallen heroes. Speaking on behalf of our nation's military was Dennis L. Via, Commanding General United States Army Materiel Command.
An A-10C Thunderbolt from the Indiana Air National Guard 122nd Fighter Wing from Fort Wayne provided the flyover. The A-10C Thunderbolt is recognized as the first U.S. Air Force aircraft designed solely for close air support for ground forces.
Of note
The Firestone tires used by inaugural Indy 500 winner Ray Harroun in 1911 were 34 inches in diameter but only 4.5 inches wide. The rear tires of Verizon IndyCar Series cars are about 27 inches in diameter and more than 15 inches wide. They weigh about 18 pounds each.