Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to Lead the Field at the 108th Indianapolis 500

The Kid is coming to the Brickyard, and they're giving him the keys to the car.

Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. has been selected to drive the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray pace car to lead the field for the 108th Indianapolis 500 on May 26. Griffey retired from Major League Baseball following the 2010 season and was a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection in 2016.

“Driving the Pace Car and leading the field to start the Indy 500 is one of the coolest experiences,” Griffey said. “I came to the track a few years ago as a photographer and look forward to seeing the race from a different perspective.”

Griffey, who is still known as "The Kid" and "Junior," spent his playing career mainly with the Seattle Mariners, but also saw time with his hometown Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. He was a 13-time All-Star, and his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field and is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (eight, with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).

“Every baseball fan knows Ken Griffey Jr.,” IMS president J. Douglas Boles said. “Two legends will come together as Griffey hops into the Corvette E-Ray to lead the field at the Racing Capital of the World.”

Corvette has paced the Indianapolis 500 more times than any car. The 2024 race marks the 35th time for Chevrolet to lead the race, dating back to 1948.