INDY 500 Gets ’50 Car Salute’ from Chevrolet Camaro SS
Indy 500 is almost here and as a reminder, 50 2023 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible ‘Festival Event Cars’ lined the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The month of May is almost here. That means the Indy 500 is almost here. And there is a lot more to the Indy 500 than just the actual race. There are practice days, concerts, family events, and more. Basically, the entire month of May is a racing celebration. And kicking things off are the traditional “Festival Event Cars” that signal to local residents that race month is coming.
This year, the special cars were 50 identical 2023 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertibles. On April 3 they were all lined up on the front straight at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Presenting the cars were J. Douglas Boles, IMS president; Pat Merna, 500 Festival vice president strategic partnerships; Sarah Fisher, 500 Festival board chair and Mike Quinn, Chevrolet Indianapolis district sales manager.”
The Camaro and the Indy 500 have been linked for decades. A Camaro has paced the race nine times throughout history. And as you likely already know the Camaro will no longer be produced after January of 2024. We may see one again at sometime in the future but that is not promised. So, having the Camaro act as the festival event car this year is special. And so is the car itself.
Festival Event Cars
The fifty Camaros may all be identical but that doesn’t mean that they are run of the mill examples. They are a unique option code that is based off the 2023 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible. Naturally they are powered by the LT1 6.2L small block V8. It kicks out 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque.
Each car is painted Sharkskin Metallic and features special graphics representing the 107th running of the Indy 500. On the inside is an Ash Gray leather interior. “These Camaro convertibles are a symbol of the shared passion Chevrolet, INDYCAR and the 500 Festival board have for the Indianapolis 500,” Quinn said. “Living and working in Central Indiana, seeing these Camaros on the road always reminds me we’re one step closer to May.”
The 2023 Pace Car
As cool as these special Camaros are, they have not been announced as pacing the Indy 500 this year. Last year, it was a 70th Anniversary Corvette Z06 that had the honor.
In fact, a Corvette has served as the pace car more than any other car in the history of the race. But it is conceivable with the current generation Camaro leaving us and no successor in sight that the task could fall to the Camaro in 2023.
Indy 500
The race is scheduled for Sunday, May 28, 2023. You can get your tickets now by clicking HERE. Not only can you buy a race ticket but you can get tickets to all of the events right now. Practice starts on May 16, so the on track events start then. You can also get tickets to qualifying, autograph sessions, drivers meeting, and more. It is the “greatest spectacle in racing” for a reason.
If you are a race fan, Indy has to be on your list. And if you are a Camaro fan keep an eye out for this unique fleet of them as they are driven around Central Indiana.
Photos: Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Chevrolet
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