Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X to Pace the 110th Indianapolis 500

The 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X will lead the field of 33 to the green flag at the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. America’s most powerful and quickest production car brings 1,250 horsepower, a 233mph top speed and a livery built around the US semi-quincentennial to the most watched single-day event in motorsport. It is the 23rd time Corvette has paced the Indy 500, every one of those appearances coming since 1978, and the 37th overall for Chevrolet dating back to 1948. Indiana University Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti, celebrating IU Football’s undefeated National Championship season, has been named honorary Pace Car driver.

Key Points: Corvette ZR1X Indy 500 Pace Car

• The 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X is the official pace car for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, race day Sunday May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• 1,250 horsepower combined output: 186hp front electric motor paired with a 5.5L twin-turbo V8 producing 1,064hp to the rear wheels. Zero to 60 in under two seconds, 233mph top speed
• Carbon Aero package fitted for pace car duty: dive planes, underbody aero strakes and rear wing generating more than 1,200 pounds of downforce at top speed
• Custom two-tone livery: Arctic White from the driver side, Admiral Blue from the opposite profile, stars-and-stripes decals running the length of the car, tied to America’s 250th anniversary
• 23rd time Corvette has paced the Indy 500, all since 1978. 37th Chevrolet pace car appearance overall, dating back to 1948. No other nameplate comes close to that record at IMS
• Indiana University Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti named honorary Pace Car driver following IU Football’s undefeated National Championship season

America’s Hypercar at America’s Race

The ZR1X is not a show car dressed for the occasion. Chevrolet fitted the Carbon Aero package for pace car duty, the same hardware that puts dive planes on the front bumper, underbody aero strakes underneath and a rear wing across the back. The result is more than 1,200 pounds of downforce at top speed. On a car that reaches 233mph and clears zero to 60 in under two seconds, that is not a styling exercise. The powertrain is a hybrid setup that Chevrolet describes as combining the best of both. A 186hp electric motor drives the front axle. A 5.5L twin-turbo V8 puts 1,064hp to the rear wheels. Combined output is 1,250 horsepower across all four wheels. Tony Roma, Global Corvette and Performance Cars Team Executive Chief Engineer, didn’t dress it up.

The 110th Indianapolis 500 field includes some of the fastest single-seaters in open-wheel racing. The ZR1X, at 233mph, is not out of place leading them to the green flag.

23 Times and Counting

Corvette has paced the Indianapolis 500 23 times, all since 1978. That is not a coincidence or a legacy booking. It reflects a relationship between America’s sports car and America’s most iconic race that has held across five decades of both product and competition change. Chevrolet’s total stands at 37 pace car appearances dating back to 1948, more than any other manufacturer in IMS history. J. Douglas Boles, INDYCAR and IMS President, framed it simply.

Corvette is also the longest-running nameplate in automotive industry history. The connection to Indianapolis is not a marketing arrangement. It is part of what both the car and the race mean in American culture.

The Livery

Chevrolet built the pace car livery in tandem with the Stars and Steel Collection, and the brief was clearly not subtle. The ZR1X was custom painted to appear Arctic White from the driver side and Admiral Blue from the opposite profile. Stars-and-stripes decals run the length of the car. Painted striping follows the carbon fibre spine on the rear hatch. Inside, Santorini Blue seats are paired with red accent seat belts and red stitched floor mats. Phil Zak, Chevrolet Global Executive Design Director, framed it clearly.

The livery anchors the pace car to America’s 250th anniversary. Whether that reads as purpose-built or promotional depends on your view of how sport and national identity interact. At the Indy 500, that line has never been particularly clear, and nobody at IMS has ever complained about that.

Curt Cignetti

Indiana University Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti will drive the ZR1X to pace the field of 33 on May 24. The honorary role follows IU Football’s undefeated National Championship season, which gave Indiana its first college football title and gave Cignetti the kind of year that earns you a seat in America’s most powerful pace car at the biggest race in the country. It is a local story with national weight, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the right place for it. Further event details are available via IMS.com.

Coffee Corner Take

The ZR1X is a legitimate machine. 1,250 horsepower, 233mph, downforce figures that belong in a conversation about race cars rather than production vehicles. When Chevrolet says America’s quickest production car, that is not a stretch for the marketing team. It is accurate, and it matters for why this pace car works. The 23-appearance Corvette record at Indianapolis is the detail that does not get enough attention in announcements like this. 23 times since 1978 across drastically different eras of both the car and the race. That continuity is rare in motorsport, where pace car selections rotate for commercial reasons and brand relationships shift. Corvette at Indianapolis has held. That says something about what both mean to the same audience. The anniversary livery will divide opinion, as it is designed to. Stars and stripes running the length of a two-tone hypercar is not a quiet statement. But the Indy 500 has never been in the business of quiet statements, and a 250th anniversary only happens once. The ZR1X wearing that livery on May 24 in front of the largest single-day sports crowd in the world is exactly the occasion Chevrolet built it for. The field of 33 will follow it to the green flag. Very few of them will go faster.