2008 Daytona 500 Pace Car

[FRC Tom]

The 50th Running of the Daytona 500 - Daytona International Speedway - February 17, 2008



Special anniversary gold design to commemorate the 50th running of “The Great American Race”

As if the 2008 Central Florida International Auto Show didn’t already have enough eye candy, automotive aficionados were treated to something a little extra on Thursday.

With defending Daytona 500 Champion Kevin Harvick at the unveiling, surrounded by Chevrolet, General Motors and Daytona International Speedway officials, hundreds watched the much-anticipated unveiling of the 2008 Corvette Z06 Daytona 500 Pace Car – the Official Pace Car of The Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious race. The 505-horsepower vehicle, which has more horsepower than the NASCAR Sprint Cup race cars it will pace, was unveiled with the pomp and circumstance worthy of automotive royalty at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

“Chevrolet has been inextricably linked to NASCAR from its inception and we are honored to support the golden anniversary of the sport’s premier race – the Daytona 500 – with a very special Corvette Z06 Pace Car,” said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. “The Corvette Z06 has established a tradition in leading the pack at Daytona, which reflects Chevrolet’s commitment to racing and the fans.”

It is the fifth consecutive year that Chevrolet has chosen the Corvette to pace the iconic NASCAR event and the Corvette Z06’s special “anniversary gold” appearance represents one Chevy’s most uniquely designed pace cars. GM Design developed a striking paint scheme with an exotic array of stunning hues of Gold, Red, Blue and White. The graphics scheme is accented with unique, gold iridescent-coated wheels.

“Talk about a ‘wow-factor,’” said Speedway President Robin Braig. “It’s the perfect piece of machinery to help pace a star-studded field at ‘The World Center of Racing’ for the historic 50th running of the Daytona 500.

Apart from its special paint and the addition of a GM-designed, integrated light bar and strobe system, the Z06 Pace Car is almost identical to the street version. A few of the Z06’s super car-challenging specs include:

[Zippy]

Nice pic Tom...thanks for sharing.

Now waiting for pics of the Indy 500 Corvette Pace car.

[FRC Tom]

Originally Posted by Zippy

Nice pic Tom...thanks for sharing.

Now waiting for pics of the Indy 500 Corvette Pace car.

Think that will be near years end Tony or Jan.................

[Z06Pat]

I'll be at the race in Feb! As soon as I get the tickets I am also picking up a set of pre-race tickets too. I'll be signing my name on the start/finish line. I'll try to snag some photos of the pace car if we're allowed close to it.

I picked up a set of 4 tickets last month on ebay. My siblings and I decided to split my dad's ticket for Christmas. I lucked out to have a friend from high school that moved to Orlando a few years ago so I have a place to stay for a few days. He and his wife are going with us. My wife and mother are joining us on the road trip to FL (my dad does not fly). They will have a mini-vacation as well. Our seats are ~ 12 rows slightly right of the entrance of pit row.

- Pat

[spdrcrj]

I'm wondering why the C6 Z06 has become the Pace car for the two big NASCAR races so much lately. Didn't they usually pic an american car that was new and represented anerican horsepower in a new way? '08 is the year of the Viper. I wonder why it's not being used.

[BiPlaneFlyer]

The Pace Car has to make a lap without hitting something. That's why they use a ZO6 instead of a Viper :-)