2017 Camaro SS 50th Anniversary Edition to Pace the 100th Indianapolis 500

With Camaro celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2017, Chevy announced that a special 2017 Camaro SS 50th Anniversary Edition will be the official pace car of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Driving the special pace car will be motor sports legend Roger Penske who is also celebrating his 50th anniversary as a race team owner.

This will be the ninth time Camaro has paced the Indianapolis 500 and the first since 2014 when the 2014 Camaro Z/28 coupe led the pack.

Chevrolet will prepare four identical pace cars to support the race. The Camaro pace cars feature an exclusive Abalone White exterior with the “100th Running of the Indianapolis 500” graphics on the doors and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo on the quarter panels. The Camaro SS is powered by the LT1 V8 and makes 455 horsepower.

“Chevrolet and Roger Penske are inextricably linked to the heritage of the Indianapolis 500,” said J. Douglas Boles, president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “When he leads the pack on May 29, behind the wheel of the Camaro SS, he will drive the race into its next 100 years and strengthen the bond Chevrolet and Indianapolis forged a century ago.”

Roger Penske first tackled the Indianapolis 500 as a team owner in 1969 with driver Mike Donohue. Later, his stable of drivers would include some of the great names in racing including Mario Andretti, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Penske will be going for his 17th Indy 500 win as a team owner in 2016.

Camaro has paced the Indianapolis 500 nine times with the first generation Camaro RS/SS Convertible pacing the 1967 race. Here are the Camaro Indy 500 Pace Cars over the years:

• 1967 – RS/SS convertible
• 1969 – RS/SS convertible
• 1982 – Z28 coupe
• 1993 – Z28 coupe
• 2009 – SS coupe (2010 model)
• 2010 – SS coupe
• 2011 – SS convertible
• 2014 – Z/28 coupe
• 2016 – Camaro SS (2017 50th Anniversary Edition)

Here is some 50th Anniversary Camaro video footage showing the car on the famous 2.5 mile track:

The 100th running of the greatest spectacle in racing is Sunday, May 29th at 12 noon.

Source:
Chevrolet

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