[PICS] 2026 Corvette ZR1X Indy 500 Pace Car Official Revealed

Apr 30, 2026

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[PICS] 2026 Corvette ZR1X Indy 500 Pace Car Official Revealed

Photo Credit: Chevrolet

The new 2026 Corvette ZR1X Indy 500 Pace Car has been officially revealed for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. America’s quickest production car will lead the field of 33 IndyCars to the green flag on Sunday, May 24th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Corvette ZR1X Pace Car will feature Indiana University head football coach Curt Cignetti as the honorary pace car driver. Coach Cignetti led the IU Hoosiers to their first undefeated season culminating in winning the National Championship.

“America’s hypercar will be front and center at the Indianapolis 500, and it has the speed to stay there,” Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tony Roma said. “The ZR1X is made for the race track. This Corvette, inspired by America’s 250th anniversary, will absolutely give Coach Cignetti and the fans a thrill.”

This year’s Indy 500 livery design leans heavily on Chevrolet’s Stars & Steel Collection, which saw 250 specially designed Corvettes offered as Chevrolet salutes America’s 250th Anniversary this summer. One half of the car features an Artic White exterior with the unique Blue/Red Stars & Steel graphics while the other half is painted in the new Admiral Blue. Inside the car is a Santorini Blue interior with Red seat belts and a red-stitched floor mats.

“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, this pace car design reflects both where we’ve been and where we’re headed,” Chevrolet Global Executive Design Director Phil Zak said. “Every element – from the badging to the colors – were deliberately crafted to honor this milestone while expressing a forward‑looking vision of Chevrolet design.”

The ZR1X offers 1250-horsepower across all four wheels, combining its 1,064-hp 5.5L twin-turbo V8 engine with a front-mounted electric motor capable of 186-hp to the front wheels. The AWD ZR1X offers incredible acceleration – 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds – and can reach 233 mph. That’s just as fast as the grid of race cars featured in “The Greatest Spectacle in racing.”

This is the 37th time that Chevrolet has paced the Indianapolis 500 and the 23rd time overall since 1978 for a Corvette to lead the pack.

“Having America’s sports car, the Corvette, pacing the field feels especially fitting this year as we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary,” INDYCAR and IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “With race car-like performance, the Corvette ZR1X is the perfect choice to pace the field of 33 in the Indianapolis 500.”

Source:
Chevrolet

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7 COMMENTS

Doug Apr 30, 2026 At 8:24 pm

He can’t do worse than Mark…at least I hope not.
Robert Apr 30, 2026 At 9:49 pm

Don’t care for how they split it right down the middle and made it half blue and half white. Was there no one with any artistic style in the room when they designed the livery of it?
Rc May 1, 2026 At 5:56 am

Color layout is fugly. Maybe Trump will paint the beast in the same way.
BOB May 1, 2026 At 7:32 am

What a ridiculus paint job …not impressed at all
IPD May 1, 2026 At 8:39 am

Of course they don’t have any clue about aesthetics. This is the same crew of people who gave us such a pathetic livery on the 2026 ceremonial cars.
Terry May 1, 2026 At 1:44 pm

Not crazy about the half and half look….did they the white stars on the blue side? I liked the white Z06…guess they are just changing it up….
Bob in FL May 2, 2026 At 6:11 am

I hate to be too critical about styling, but that mix is pretty bad. Perhaps there’s enough time to change it to something else before the race. This should have been “social media” tested on Corvette Blogger before release.

Honestly I don’t like the standard/mandatory black nacelles, “A” pillars and (black) exposed carbon fiber roof of the ZR1 convertibles. Makes the car look like it was half burnt up in a car fire. That stuff was optional on my 2024 Stingray convertible – and should have stayed that way. Well, you can only buy what they sell…