INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will drive the pace car for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Griffey has attended “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in his second career as a photographer, but now his job will be much more visible. He’ll be behind the wheel of the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray that brings the field of 33 cars — led by record-setting pole sitter Scott McLaughlin — to the green flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Driving the Pace Car and leading the field to start the Indy 500 is one of the coolest experiences,” Griffey said Monday. “I came to the track a few years ago as a photographer and look forward to seeing the race from a different perspective.” The pace car driver has been a coveted job among athletes, actors and other celebrities since the 1970s, when actor James Garner and singer Marty Robbins handled it. Others that have driven the car include Jay Leno, Morgan Freeman and Patrick Dempsey and, in more recent years, NBA players Victor Oladipo and Tyrese Haliburton. |
USA Badminton leader's 5Harper hits grand slam, streaking Phillies rout Blue Jays 10The North Korean official whose propaganda helped build the Kim dynasty dies at 94Migrant camps spring up in gentrifying neighborhood with a Soho House and caviarBRICS summit expected to promote S. Africa's tourism sectorEflin allows 1 run in 7 innings as Rays beat White Sox 5Investing in China is a superior option for multinationalsPromotion of intangible cultural heritage to enhance tourism'Animal hoarders' are caught with dozens of live and dead pets inside hotel roomNets edge Raptors to snap six