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Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to drive pace car ahead of 2024 Indy 500

The baseball legend will drive the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray as the honorary pace car driver for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" Sunday, May 26.

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. will lead the field of 33 ahead of the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Griffey Jr. will drive the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray as the honorary pace car driver for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" on Sunday, May 26.

"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." 

Griffey Jr. played 22 years as an outfielder in the Major League Baseball, with most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, as well as a short stint with the Chicago White Sox.

Credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is the honorary pace car driver for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

With 630 home runs, Griffey Jr. ranks seventh on the all-time home run list. He also won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field.

Griffey Jr. is one of 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in major league games in four different decades. 

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, receiving 99.32% of the vote, breaking pitcher Tom Seaver's record of 98.84%, which had stood for 24 years.

"Every baseball fan knows Ken Griffey Jr.," IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. "Two legends will come together as Griffey Jr. hops into the Corvette E-Ray to lead the field at the Racing Capital of the World."

The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ coupe features electrified all-wheel drive paired with naturally aspirated V8 power, giving the car 665 total horsepower. 

The Corvette has paced the Indy 500 more times than any other car, with 2024 marking the 21st time overall and 35th for a Chevrolet-branded car.

The 108th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 26 and will air on WTHR Channel 13. Click here to visit the IMS Ticket Marketplace.

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