Indianapolis 500 pace cars

The pace car (a Chevrolet Corvette) leads the field past an accident site at the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

The Indianapolis 500 auto race has used a pace car every year since 1911. The pace car is utilized for two primary purposes. At the start of the race, the pace car leads the assembled starting grid around the track for a predetermined number of unscored warm-up laps. Then if the officials deem appropriate, it releases the field at a purposeful speed to start the race. In addition, during yellow flag caution periods, the pace car enters the track and picks up the leader, bunching the field up at a reduced speed.

Prior to the first "500" in 1911, in the interest of safety, Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl G. Fisher is commonly credited with the concept of a "rolling start" led by a pace car. Nearly all races at the time, as well as all Formula One races even to the present, utilize a standing start.

In almost every year since 1936, it has been a tradition that the winner of the Indianapolis 500 be presented with one of that year's pace cars (or a replica). In most years since 1911, the driver of the pace car at the start of the race has been an invited celebrity, a former racing driver, or notable figure in the automotive industry. Historically, the honor of supplying the pace car was, and continues to be, a coveted honor by the respective automobile manufacturers and a marketing showcase for the particular make/model. ^[1]

Pace lap formats

1911–1956

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Pace Car

The pace car was used to take the starting field on one unscored lap. The field would use the lap to warm up their engines, tires, and then at the conclusion of the lap, at a prescribed speed, the pace car would pull off the track and allow for a rolling or "flying" start. Fisher himself drove the pace car in several early years, but it eventually became an honorary position, with invitations extended to former winners, notable figures in auto racing or the automobile industry. The invited driver was given the honor of "pacemaker," and manufacturers used the honor of providing the car as marketing exposure.

During his tenure as Speedway president, Tony Hulman rode in the pace car nearly every year, immediately after giving the command to start engines. His primary duty was to marshal the start and in some years, his responsibilities included operating a film camera that would be housed inside the car's trunk.

Dating back to the very early years, the pace cars were often painted with special liveries complete with logos, lettering, pinstriping, and other decorative markings. In addition, sometimes flagpoles, lights, and other motoring paraphernalia were installed to further identify the pace car. Most manufacturers used the opportunity to showcase their higher end or luxury models. Since in the early years, the pace car was only used for one lap at the start (and not during caution periods), the need for a high performance machine (i.e., sports car) was not necessarily the top priority. In many years, the pace car was a convertible, which along with increasing the luxury status of the vehicle, it aided in the officials' ability to marshal the start.

1957–1976

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car

In most years through the early 1950s, the pace car led the field around the track for one warm up lap, and then the race began. The pace lap concept was popular with fans, as many drivers commonly waved at the fans and the rolling grid made for spectacular photographs. By 1957, the procedure was changed so the pace car led the field for two warm up laps. This allowed extra time to warm up the engines, oil temperatures, and tires, and allowed the drivers the chance to survey the conditions of the entire track at least once before receiving the green flag. This also allowed the fans on the main stretch (where the largest grandstands are located) to see the entire field parade by one time before the start. Previously only fans on other parts of the track got to actually see the grid go by for photographs and waving.

For the 1957–1958 races, the grid was lined up and exited single-file from the newly constructed pit lane. The two laps allowed the field to properly form up, however, in practice it turned out to be difficult and both races saw incidents at the start. In 1959, the field went back to lining up the grid on the main stretch, and continues to do so to this day.

By the late 1960s, not only would a special driver be behind the wheel of the pace car, but numerous celebrities would be invited to ride along as passengers. Automotive executives, NASA astronauts, reporters from ABC Sports and the IMS Radio Network, and other celebrities were among those invited to ride in the pace car.

In 1971, local Indianapolis Dodge dealer Eldon Palmer was involved in a crash driving the pace car. He crashed into a photographer's stand at the south end of the pit area, injuring several persons. In the years immediately following, the pace car driver utilized would only be an experienced race driver. Former Indy winner Jim Rathmann served six times (and once for caution periods only). Celebrities James Garner and Marty Robbins were chosen in part due to their experience in racing.

1977–present

1978 Chevrolet Corvette 25th Anniversary Edition pace car

In 1977, the format was changed to three warm up laps - two "parade laps" and one "pace lap". During the parade lap(s), often several replica festival pace cars join the field, usually carrying celebrities and/or special guest drivers. The 1978 race was the first to feature multiple pace cars on the track during the parade lap. Since 2010, the IndyCar "two-seater" (a retired Indy race car modified with a special passenger seat) has also been at the front of the field, carrying a celebrity or special guest. The non-participating vehicles pull off the track after one or two circuits, and the lone official pace car leads the field on the pace lap. In 2012, it was further expanded to four warm up laps (three "parade" laps and one "pace" lap), coinciding with the introduction of a new engine and chassis formula.

Starting in about 1994, the field was observed to be quite straggled about during the parade lap(s), and often circulated the track single-file. Drivers were known to weave back and forth, sometimes vigorously, in an effort to build up tire temperature. On the final pace lap, the field would finally form up into the eleven rows of three on the backstretch, but oftentimes it was still loose and not in pristine order. This practice was often the subject of harsh criticism from fans and media, especially when the start was strung out single file, breaking tradition. In 2010, officials announced they were going to police the parade and pace laps closer, requiring the drivers to stay in the rows of three during the extent of the warm up period.

In later years, the Speedway began experimenting with using pop culture celebrities driving the pace cars, a change that has met with mixed responses from fans. Racers have taken the position in more recent years. A. J. Foyt drove in 2011, Dario Franchitti drove in 2014, Jeff Gordon, a five-time Big Machine Vodka 400 winner, drove in 2015, and with the new broadcast partner NBC Sports, their motorsport broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr., who made 16 Big Machine Vodka 400 starts and a two-time Indiana 250 winning car owner at the Speedway, drove in 2019.

Extra pace laps

1967 Chevrolet Camaro

1957: A new state-of-the-art pit lane was built. For the first time, the pit area was separated from the racing surface. For 1957–1958, the field was lined up in single file on the pit lane, rather than the traditional 11 rows of three on the race surface. This required the cars to pull away, then assemble into formation. This caused tremendous confusion in 1958, as the front row escaped from the pace car, and the field needed an extra pace lap to assemble before the green was displayed.

1967: The race was red-flagged for rain after 18 laps. The conclusion of the race was moved to the following day. At the time, the pace car was not used for caution periods. However, officials decided to utilize the pace car for the resumption on lap 19. The original pace car driver Mauri Rose drove the car for the restart as well. Two unscored laps (one parade lap and one pace lap) preceded the resumption at lap 19.

1970: Jim Malloy hit the outside wall in turn four as the field was about the take the green flag. The start was waved off, and the next time by, the field was red flagged to clean up the incident. The teams were allowed to replenish a few gallons of used up fuel, and a short time later, the field pulled away for two new pace laps.

1973: A crash occurred as the field was about to take the green flag. The start was red flagged, and the cars circulated around back to the pits. After clean up, the field restarted, with two pace laps before the green flag.

1986: Tom Sneva crashed on the backstretch on the pace lap. The start was waved off, and the next time around the cars were halted on the frontstretch with a red flag. During the cleanup, officials decided to replenish the teams' fuel tanks with 3 gallons of methanol. After that was completed, the field restarted, and took two warm up laps before the green flag.

1992: Additional pace laps were run (unscored) after Roberto Guerrero crashed during a parade lap. Instead of halting the proceedings, officials decided to simply extend the number of warm up laps. The race itself ended up having 85 laps of yellow flag conditions, therefore the fuel allotment did not become a factor.

1997: Additional laps were run (unscored) due to a three-car crash on the original pace lap.

2009: When the field came out of turn four for the start, the field was not well aligned in the eleven rows of three. For the first time in modern history, the flagman decided to wave off the start, by displaying the yellow flag. The lap was not scored. The field re-formed, and received the green flag the next time by, with a slightly better formation.

Caution periods

Through 1978, the pace car was only used at the start of the race, and was not used during caution periods. Since 1979, the pace car has also been used to pack up the field during caution flag periods. The ceremonial driver drove only at the start of the race. During caution periods, when the pace car is utilized to pace the field, a trained official has been the driver. In some cases, the officials utilize two separate pace cars (exactly the same models) one each for the start of the race, and the caution periods. Currently, the pace car driver for the caution periods is the same driver who drives the pace car for the IndyCar Series during all other events.

Cars

1974 Hurst/Olds festival car

1991 Dodge Stealth "Official Car"

1983 Buick Riviera Festival Car

Starting in the mid-1950s, the auto manufacturer who provided the official pace car started selling replica pace cars to the general public. In many cases, the official on-track pace car was modified from its street-legal counterpart. Strobe lights, roll bars, multi-point harnesses, television camera mounts, two-way communication (for officials), and removing the air conditioning, are among some of the more routine modifications made for the actual pace car. Some official pace cars, however, have undergone extensive performance modifications, including suspension, transmission, or even engine modifications from their production counterpart (the 1990 Chevrolet Beretta is an example of this). Race-duty pace cars may also have the factory fuel tank replaced with a fuel cell, and usually have an on-board fire extinguisher installed. The special edition production replicas available to the public usually come with full paint and "Indy 500" decals, and may be part of a performance package upgrade.

In addition, the track typically is provided with dozens of lower-end ("base model") pace car production replicas (or different makes by the same manufacturer) for use as festival cars throughout the month. ^[2] Examples of this practice date back to the mid-1920s. The company who provides the pace car also often provides safety trucks for use at the track. For instance, in 1994, the Ford Mustang Cobra was chosen as the primary pace car. Ford Motor Company provided numerous Mustang GTs (a "stripped-down" model) for festival use. In 1996, the Dodge Viper GTS was chosen as the pace car. Rather than providing a fleet of Vipers, Chrysler provided numerous Stratus, Intrepids, and Special Edition Rams for festival use.

The replica pace cars and the festival cars are usually worth significantly less than the actual car used to perform the pace car duties. Few festival cars may actually have been driven on the track. Actual pace cars are rare and most are kept and owned by the Speedway museum and the manufacturers.

Traditionally, the make of the pace car has always been a domestic American brand. In 1991, the Dodge Stealth was originally named the pace car. However, the UAW, along with traditionalists, protested since the Stealth was a captive import built by Mitsubishi in Japan. Shortly before the race, the Stealth was downgraded to be the festival car. The pre-production Dodge Viper RT/10 was substituted on race day.

In 2001 and 2003, trucks were used instead of pace cars. In 2005, a specially restored 1955 Bel Air pace car was commissioned by the Indianapolis Race Committee to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Chevrolet V-8 engine. Only one car was built and it was displayed and used on the speedway. It differed from the first 1955 track cars in that it was black. The original 1955 Chevrolet pace cars were red and cream two-tone. This car is currently on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana.

Since 2002, Chevrolet has had an exclusive contract with the Speedway to provide the pace car and other official vehicles for the Indianapolis 500. Prior to that, series engine provider Oldsmobile (1997-2001) had a similar arrangement, and provided the pace car three times over a five-year period. Chevrolet has had a contract to provide the pace car for the Brickyard 400 since 1994.

Since 1936, the winner of the race has traditionally been awarded a pace car. In some years, and in most cases for the past several decades, the winner is actually presented with one of the official street-legal pace car replicas.

Pace cars and drivers

Pacemakers (1911–1941)

1911 Stoddard-Dayton

1956 DeSoto

1984 Pontiac Fiero Indy Pace Car replica

1990 Chevrolet Beretta Festival Car

1992 Cadillac Allanté

1994 Ford Mustang

2010 Chevrolet Camaro

2011 Chevrolet Camaro

2014 Chevrolet Camaro

Image	Year	Car	Pacemaker
	1911	Stoddard-Dayton	Carl G. Fisher
	1912	Stutz	Carl G. Fisher
	1913	Stoddard-Dayton	Carl G. Fisher
	1914	Stoddard-Dayton	Carl G. Fisher
	1915	Packard Six Model 5-48	Carl G. Fisher
	1916	Premier 6 (Model 6-56)	Frank E. Smith
	1919	Packard Twin Six	Jesse G. Vincent
	1920	Marmon 6 (Model 34)	Barney Oldfield
	1921	H.C.S. 6	Harry C. Stutz
	1922	National Sextet	Barney Oldfield
	1923	Duesenberg	Fred Duesenberg
	1924	Cole V8	Lew Pettijohn
	1925	Rickenbacker 8	Eddie Rickenbacker
	1926	Chrysler Imperial 80	Louis Chevrolet
	1927	LaSalle V-8 Series 303	Willard "Big Boy" Rader
	1928	Marmon 8 (Model 78)	Joe Dawson
	1929	Studebaker President Roadster	George Hunt
	1930	Cord L-29	Wade Morton [3]
	1931	Cadillac Series 370 V-12	"Big Boy" Rader
	1932	Lincoln Model KB	Edsel Ford
	1933	Chrysler Imperial Convertible Roadster	Byron Foy
	1934	LaSalle Model 350	"Big Boy" Rader
	1935	Ford Model 48	Harry Mack
	1936	Packard 120	Tommy Milton
	1937	LaSalle Series 50	Ralph DePalma
	1938	Hudson 112	Stuart Baits
	1939	Buick Roadmaster 80	Charles Chayne
	1940	Studebaker Champion Two Door Sedan	Harry Hartz
	1941	Chrysler Newport Parade Phaeton	A.B. Couture

Pacemakers (1946–1978)

Image	Year	Car	Pacemaker	Passengers
	1946	Lincoln Continental V-12	Henry Ford II	Wilbur Shaw [4]
	1947	Nash Ambassador	George W. Mason
	1948	Chevrolet Fleetmaster Six	Wilbur Shaw
	1949	Oldsmobile 88	Wilbur Shaw	Jack Wolfram
	1950	Mercury Eight Convertible	Benson Ford
	1951	Chrysler New Yorker V8	David A. Wallace
	1952	Studebaker Commander Convertible	P.O. Peterson
	1953	Ford Crestline Sunliner	William Clay Ford Sr.
	1954	Dodge Royal 500	William C. Newburg
	1955	Chevrolet Bel Air	Thomas H. Keating	Tony Hulman
	1956	DeSoto Fireflite	L.I. Woolson	Tony Hulman
	1957	Mercury Turnpike Cruiser	F.C. Reith	Tony Hulman
	1958	Pontiac Bonneville	Sam Hanks *	Tony Hulman
	1959	Buick Electra 225	Sam Hanks *	Tony Hulman
	1960	Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight	Sam Hanks *	Tony Hulman
	1961	Ford Thunderbird	Sam Hanks *	Tony Hulman
	1962	Studebaker Lark Daytona Convertible	Sam Hanks *	Tony Hulman
	1963	Chrysler 300	Sam Hanks *	Tony Hulman
	1964	Ford Mustang	Benson Ford	Tony Hulman
	1965	Plymouth Sport Fury	P.M. Buckminster	Tony Hulman
	1966	Mercury Comet Cyclone GT	Benson Ford	Tony Hulman, Gus Grissom
	1967	Chevrolet Camaro	Mauri Rose	Tony Hulman
	1968	Ford Torino GT	William Clay Ford Sr.	Tony Hulman, Duke Nalon
	1969	Chevrolet Camaro SS	Jim Rathmann	Tony Hulman, Pete Conrad
	1970	Oldsmobile 4-4-2	Rodger Ward	Tony Hulman, Pete Conrad
	1971	Dodge Challenger	Eldon Palmer	Tony Hulman, John Glenn, Chris Schenkel
	1972	Hurst/Olds Cutlass	Jim Rathmann	Tony Hulman, Pete Conrad, Chris Schenkel, Bob Draper, Dolly Cole
	1973	Cadillac Eldorado	Jim Rathmann	Tony Hulman, Alfred Worden, Chris Schenkel, Bob Lund, Dolly Cole
	1974	Hurst/Olds Cutlass	Jim Rathmann	Tony Hulman, Frank Borman, Chris Schenkel, Bill Kay
	1975	Buick Century 455 c.i.d. V8	James Garner	Tony Hulman, Jim Rathmann
	1976	Buick Century 231 c.i.d. turbo V6	Marty Robbins	Tony Hulman, Jim Rathmann, Chris Schenkel
	1977	Oldsmobile Delta 88	James Garner	Tony Hulman, Jim Rathmann, Chris Schenkel
	1978	Chevrolet Corvette C3	Jim Rathmann

• Note: From 1958 to 1963, retired driver Sam Hanks was named "Director of Racing" for USAC, and assumed the pace car duties. No "celebrity" drivers were used during that period.
• Note: The car assignments for the 1975 Indianapolis "500" Mile Race had the VIN number for pace car #1 as 4H57H5-H125041 and VIN number for pace car #2 as 4H57H5-H125135. The VIN engine code identifies as a 350 c.i.d (5.7 litre) V8 and was actually the modified 455 c.i.d. (7.5 litre) V8. Additionally, each VIN number for the total of the 55 Buick Century coupe Pace car replicas. ^[5]

Pace cars (1979–2023)

Image	Year	Car	Driver (Start of the race)	Driver (Caution periods)
	1979	Ford Mustang	Jackie Stewart	Jim Rathmann
	1980	Pontiac Trans Am Turbo	Johnnie Parsons	Don Bailey
	1981	Buick Regal V6	Duke Nalon	Duke Nalon
	1982	Chevrolet Camaro Z28	Jim Rathmann	Don Bailey
	1983	Buick Riviera Convertible	Duke Nalon	Don Bailey
	1984	Pontiac Indy Fiero	John Callies	Don Bailey
	1985	Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais	James Garner	Don Bailey
	1986	Chevrolet Corvette C4 convertible	Chuck Yeager	Don Bailey
	1987	Chrysler LeBaron	Carroll Shelby	Don Bailey
	1988	Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme	Chuck Yeager	Don Bailey
	1989	20th Anniversary Pontiac Trans Am	Bobby Unser	Don Bailey
	1990	Chevrolet Beretta Convertible	Jim Perkins	Don Bailey
	1991	Dodge Viper RT/10	Carroll Shelby	Don Bailey
	1992	Cadillac Allanté	Bobby Unser	Don Bailey
	1993	Chevrolet Camaro Z28	Jim Perkins	Don Bailey
	1994	Ford Mustang Cobra	Parnelli Jones	Don Bailey
	1995	Chevrolet Corvette C4 convertible	Jim Perkins	Don Bailey
	1996	Dodge Viper GTS	Bob Lutz	Don Bailey
	1997	Oldsmobile Aurora	Johnny Rutherford	Don Bailey
	1998	Chevrolet Corvette C5	Parnelli Jones *	Don Bailey
	1999	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Jay Leno	Don Bailey
	2000	Oldsmobile Aurora	Anthony Edwards	Don Bailey
	2001	Oldsmobile Bravada *	Elaine Irwin Mellencamp	Don Bailey
	2002	50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette C5	Jim Caviezel	Joie Chitwood, III
	2003	Chevrolet SSR *	Herb Fishel	Johnny Rutherford
	2004	Chevrolet Corvette C5	Morgan Freeman	Joie Chitwood, III
	2005	Chevrolet Corvette C6 convertible	General Colin Powell	Joie Chitwood, III
	2006	Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 coupe	Lance Armstrong *	Johnny Rutherford
	2007	Chevrolet Corvette C6	Patrick Dempsey	Johnny Rutherford
	2008	Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 E85 *	Emerson Fittipaldi	Johnny Rutherford
	2009	Chevrolet Camaro SS	Josh Duhamel	Johnny Rutherford
	2010	Chevrolet Camaro SS [6]	Robin Roberts	Johnny Rutherford
	2011	Chevrolet Camaro	A. J. Foyt * (Mari Hulman George as passenger)	Johnny Rutherford
	2012	Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1	Guy Fieri	Johnny Rutherford
	2013	Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray	Jim Harbaugh	Johnny Rutherford
	2014	Chevrolet Camaro Z28	Dario Franchitti	Johnny Rutherford
	2015	Chevrolet Corvette Z06	Jeff Gordon	Johnny Rutherford
	2016	Chevrolet Camaro	Roger Penske	Johnny Rutherford
	2017	Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport	Jeffrey Dean Morgan	Sarah Fisher
	2018	Chevrolet Corvette ZR1	Victor Oladipo	Sarah Fisher
	2019	Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Sarah Fisher
	2020	Chevrolet Corvette Stingray	Mark Reuss	Sarah Fisher
	2021	Chevrolet Corvette Convertible	Danica Patrick	Sarah Fisher
	2022	Chevrolet Corvette Z06	Sarah Fisher	Sarah Fisher
	2023	Chevrolet Corvette Z06	Tyrese Haliburton	Sarah Fisher

• 1998: Professional golfer Greg Norman was originally selected to drive the pace car in 1998. He participated in testing runs in the early spring. However, Parnelli Jones was named a last-minute substitute after Norman was forced to withdraw because of shoulder surgery.
• 2001 & 2003: Pace truck or SUV
• 2006: This was before doping scandals erased his sporting records in 2011. (See Lance Armstrong doping case.)
• 2008: There were two Chevrolet Corvette pace cars for the 2008 race; a metallic green pace car that runs on E85 driven by Fittipaldi at the start, and a pace car painted to resemble the 1978 pace car that runs on gasoline (used during caution periods)
• 2011: Donald Trump was initially named the driver, but resigned the honor due to speculation about his candidacy in the 2012 presidential race as well as the negative fan reactions against his selection, including a Facebook campaign. ^[7]

Two-seater

Starting in 2010, a modified Dallara IR03, converted to a two-seater, has also led the field during the parade and pace lap. Billed as the "Fastest Seat in Sports," it is driven by a former Indy driver, and carries a special passenger. This is featured at many IndyCar Series races. ^[8]

The IndyCar "Two-seater"

Year	Driver	Passenger	Notes
2010	Michael Andretti	Mark Wahlberg	Mario Andretti coached from the pits
2011	Mario Andretti	Sgt. Latseen Benson	Benson was a retired Iraq War veteran (U.S. Army) [9]
2012	Mario Andretti	Thomas Patton	Contest winner [10]
2013	Mario Andretti	Cpl. Barry Walton	Wounded veteran (U.S. Marines) [11]
2014	Mario Andretti	Gracie Gold
2015	Mario Andretti	Adam Carolla
2016	Mario Andretti	Lady Gaga	Keith Urban withdrew due to back injury [12]
2017	Mario Andretti	Zedd
2018	Mario Andretti	Nick Cannon
2019	Mario Andretti	Matthew Daddario
2020	Mario Andretti	Michael Andretti	Marco Andretti qualified for the pole position
2021	Not used
2022	Not used

Multiple appearances

Carl G. Fisher

Chuck Yeager

By driver (for start of the race, not caution periods only)

Appearances	Driver	Races
6	Sam Hanks	1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963
	Jim Rathmann	1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1982
5	Carl G. Fisher	1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915
3	"Big Boy" Rader	1927, 1931, 1934
	Benson Ford	1950, 1964, 1966
	James Garner	1975, 1977, 1985
	Jim Perkins	1990, 1993, 1995
2	Barney Oldfield	1920, 1922
	Wilbur Shaw	1948, 1949
	William Clay Ford	1953, 1968
	Duke Nalon	1981, 1983
	Chuck Yeager	1986, 1988
	Carroll Shelby	1987, 1991
	Bobby Unser	1989, 1992
	Parnelli Jones	1994, 1998

By car

1986 Chevrolet Corvette

The process of varying the selection across different models, which existed from 1911 through 2001, has been abandoned since 2002, with all pace cars exclusively provided by the Chevrolet marque since that year.

Appearances	Car	Races
20	Chevrolet Corvette	1978, 1986, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
9	Chevrolet Camaro	1967, 1969, 1982, 1993, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016
3	Stoddard-Dayton	1911, 1913, 1914
	Packard	1915, 1919, 1936
	LaSalle	1927, 1934, 1937
	Ford Mustang	1964, 1979, 1994
2	Chrysler Imperial	1926, 1933
	Hurst/Olds Cutlass	1972, 1974
	Buick Century	1975, 1976
	Pontiac Trans Am	1980, 1989
	Dodge Viper	1991, 1996
	Oldsmobile Aurora	1997, 2000

By manufacturer

A list of manufacturers and the frequency in which they either provided official pace cars, or one of their vehicles were selected to pace the Indianapolis 500. This list counts all subsidiary marques, current and defunct, from each manufacturer along with vehicles made by a company that later merged with another on the list.

The process of varying the selection across different manufacturers, which existed from 1911 through 1996, has been abandoned since 1997, with all pace cars exclusively provided by General Motors since that year.

Manufacturer	Official pace cars fielded	Notes
General Motors	52
Chrysler	13	Includes the National Sextet, Nash Ambassador and Hudson 112, and the former Chrysler Corporation, all of which were later merged into Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The 1971 Dodge Challenger was provided by the Indianapolis area Dodge dealers, not by Chrysler Corporation, and driven by Eldon Palmer of Palmer Dodge in Indianapolis.
Ford	11
Studebaker	6	Including Packard vehicles
Stoddard-Dayton	3
Harry C. Stutz	2	Including the 1912 Stutz, made during his ownership of Stutz Motor Company and the H.C.S. 6 of 1921

References

1. Koenig, Bill (May 22, 2014). "Detroit's Lost Love Affair With The Indy 500". Auto. Forbes. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
2. "Chevy presents Camaro SS Convertible Indy 500 Festival Cars". Racer.com. April 3, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
3. The Talk of Gasoline Alley - May 6, 2011
4. "Clipped from the Indianapolis News". The Indianapolis News. 30 May 1946. p. 1.
5. Antique Automobile Club of America: https://forums.aaca.org/topic/2946-1975-indy-500-pace-car/
6. Powell, Eric (2009-12-18). "Chevrolet Camaro SS To Pace 2010 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
7. "Sports Now". Los Angeles Times.
8. "Wahlberg, Andrettis Team Up For IZOD Fastest Seat In Sports At Indy". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-26. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
9. "Wounded Warrior Rides With Andretti at Indy 500". Operation Homefront. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
10. Honda Indy 500 Talking Points
11. America's Bravest Meets Honda's Fastest
12. Keith Urban won’t be in town for Indy 500 after hurting back