Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 to pace the
109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. IMS photo

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 _ a production car capable of posting Indianapolis 500-comparible lap speeds _ will pace the 109^th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25.

Designed for speed and performance, the Corvette ZR1 reportedly is capable of 233 mph _ highest top-speed of any car ever made in America by an auto manufacturer. In a remarkable comparison, 2024 Indy 500 pole-winner Scott McLaughlin recorded the fastest lap around the famed 2.5-mile oval during last week’s two-day Indy 500 Open Test at 232.686 mph in his No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet.

Michael Strahan will pace the traditional field of 33 drivers to the green flag for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Fox Sports photo

“Chevrolet is proud that the 2025 Corvette ZR1, our fastest Corvette ever, will be the Official Pace Car for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500,” said Scott Bell, global Chevrolet vice president. “With a top speed of 233 mph, the Corvette ZR1 is the perfect fit to lead the Indy 500 field to green.”

The Corvette ZR1 delivers 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm from a 5.5L, twin-turbo V8. It’s the most power ever packed into a factory Corvette and the most powerful V8 ever produced in America by an auto manufacturer. For Pace Car duty, the ZR1 is equipped with Chevrolet’s Carbon Aero package, including dive planes on the front bumper and underbody aero strakes and the rear wing to create more than 1,200 pounds of downforce at top speeds.

The Corvette ZR1 delivers incredible acceleration, capable of going from zero to 60 mph in 2.3-seconds before rushing through the quarter-mile in 9.6-seconds at 150 mph. That stamps it as the quickest Corvette ever, and a new challenge for honorary Pace Car driver Michael Strahan.

A Super Bowl champion at defensive end with the 2007 New York Giants, Strahan will pace the traditional field of 33 drivers to the green flag for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Strahan and the Giants won Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 3, 2008, posting an upset 17-14 victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots. That was the final game of Strahan’s 15-year career, all with the G-Men. Strahan is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, two-time Daytime Emmy Award-winner, longtime “FOX NFL Sunday” analyst and “Good Morning America” co-host.

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

Arctic White exterior paint and Jet Black interior accents pair with the Indianapolis 500 logos on the Pace Car. The jewel tone, emerald green and gold of the logo are highlighted in racing stripes and additional exterior design elements. Carbon fiber wheels complete the car’s race-ready look.

Launched in 1953, Corvette is the longest-running car nameplate in automotive industry history and has  paced the Indy 500 more times than any model. The 2025 Indy 500 marks the 36th time for Chevrolet to pace the event dating to 1948 and the 22nd time overall, all since 1978, for “America’s favorite sports car.”

Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on all Month of May events and activities at IMS.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles featuring engaging performance and design, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Chip Ganassi Racing has signed Bryce Aron to drive the team’s No. 9 Indy NXT by Firestone entry beginning at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.

A Chicagoland native, Aron’s 2024 rookie NXT season featured two podiums and three top-five finishes. From 2021-23, Aron competed in GB3 and Euroformula Open Championships, winning races at legendary European tracks like Spa, Hungaroring, Paul Ricard and Donnington.

“We welcome Bryce to Chip Ganassi Racing,” said Taylor Kiel, director, INDYCAR, Chip Ganassi Racing. “We were fortunate to be able to have him test with us at Mid-Ohio last week and get acclimated to the team and our car, so we’re looking forward to building that into a successful INDY NXT program.”

Aron also competed in the 2025 Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona, finishing sixth overall in a GTP entry.

“I’m very excited to be joining Chip Ganassi Racing. They are such a historic and accomplished team,” said Aron, a 21-year-old native of Winnetka, Ill. “I’ve already spent some time with the group at the INDYCAR Open Test, and it’s easy to see why they have so much success. I’m looking forward to working with everyone on the team and hitting the ground running at Barber this weekend.”

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 142; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 108; 3, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 96; 4, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 88; 5, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 86; 6, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 80; 7, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 73; 8, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 69; 9, Will Power, Team Penske, 63; 10, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 58;

11, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 58; 12, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 55; 13, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 51; 14, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 50; 15, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 48; 16, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 46; 17, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 45; 18, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 42; 19, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 40; 20, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 39;

21, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 32; 22, Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing, 30; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 26; 24, Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, 25; 25, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 25; 26, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 24; 27, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, 17.

FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE

Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif.  (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (FOX, 1:30 p.m.)

Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (FOX, 4:30 p.m.)

Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (FOX, 10 a.m.)

Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (FOX, 12:30 p.m.)

Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (FOX, 3:30 p.m.)

Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (FOX, 5 p.m.)

Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)

NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.