For the 10th year in a row and the 23rd time overall, a Chevrolet Corvette will lead the field to the green flag at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this year’s 110th running of the Indy 500.
Chevrolet has locked in the new Corvette ZR1X for pacing duties, having last year called up the ZR1 to lead the field of 33 cars to the green flag.
The 2025 Indy 500 marked the first time in the race’s history that the pace car was more powerful than the racers behind it, though that gap has further widened this year with the arrival of the ZR1X.
While the ZR1’s twin-turbo 5.5-litre flat-plane crank V8 engine turns out a still impressive 783kW and 1123Nm, the addition of a front electric motor in the ZR1X brings outputs up to more than 932kW and 1200Nm – almost double the circa-485kW outputs of the 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6 engines in the back of the race-trim IndyCars.
With a top speed of 375km/h, the ZR1X is one of the fastest mass-produced cars ever made in America, however it’s still shy of the pole record at Indianapolis, set by Scott McLaughlin in 2024 with a four-lap average of 376.940km/h.
For the 2026 Indy 500, the Corvette ZR1X pace car will be adorned with a patriotic, stars and stripes themed livery, celebrating the semi-quincentennial anniversary of the United States, similar to the package available to private buyers through the ‘Stars and Steel Collection’.
This carries across to the interior, where Santorini Blue seats are paired with red accent seat belts and red stitched floor mats.
The Corvette ZR1X will be driven by Indiana University Head Football Coach, Curt Cignetti.
The 2026 Indy 500 is set to take place on Sunday, May 24 US time.
Watch the Chevrolet Corvette become America’s quickest production car
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