Check Out The 17 Times The Chevy Corvette Has Paced The Indy 500

It took until 1986 for a Corvette to return as the Indy 500 pace car. 

The year also marked the return of the convertible body style for the first time since 1975, so Chevy made sure to put the droptop at the front of the field.

It wasn't until 1995 that a Corvette returned as the pace car for the Indy 500.

The car had a very 1990s paint job with a purple upper portion of the body, white lower area, and swirling stripes running over the sides.

It was hard not to notice the Corvette Convertible that was the Indy 500 pace car in 1998.

Bright yellow wheels, matching stripes, and an eggplant-colored body aren't an attractive combination, but the car's glaring array of hues is hard to look away from.

After a few years away from the race, a burgundy 50th Anniversary Edition Corvette returned for pace car duties in 2002.

In 2004, the Corvette kicked off a five-year streak of being the Indy 500 pace car.

This droptop featured an American flag motif along the side of the body, and actor Morgan Freeman (seen here) was the honorary driver for the opening lap.

Photo Credit: Lesley Ann Miller / LAT Images

Another Corvette convertible was at the front of the pack in 2005. This time it was a red and silver droptop with General Colin Powell behind the wheel.

Once again, there was a Corvette pace car in 2006. In a patriotic touch, the body was white and had red and blue stripes, in addition to white stars on the rear fenders. 

In a move organizers might regret today, Lance Armstrong drove the pace car that year. In 2012, he had his seven consecutive Tour de France victories from 1999 to 2005 voided because of doping.

The streak of Corvettes as Indy 500 pace cars continued in 2007 with this attractive convertible.

The car had an eye-catching, copper-colored body with yellow stripes emerging from the vents behind the front wheels. Actor and successful race car driver Patrick Dempsey was in the driver's seat for the opening lap.

Chevy brought a colorful Corvette Z06 to the Indy 500 in 2008. This one was in an interesting shade of green and ran on E85 ethanol in an effort to be a little more Earth-friendly. Or at least as low emissions as a coupe with a 7.0-liter V8 can be.

Two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi drove the green 'Vette on the opening lap.

After three years away from the front of the Indy 500, a Corvette ZR1 returned to lead the race in 2012 with celebrity chef Guy Fieri in the car for the opening lap.

After taking a year off, the Corvette returned in 2013 with the 2014 Stingray leading the pack just in time for the seventh-generation model's debut. It featured a gorgeous, blue body with the addition of a few decals for the event.

The Corvette skipped a year and returned to the Indy 500. NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon drove the 'Vette for the first lap, and the car featured a fairly simple body with the race decals on the doors and sponsor stickers at the front end.

For 2017, a Grand Sport with the optional carbon-fiber aero package did the duties. It featured a patriotic livery with a white body with a blue stripe running up the center of the coupe, in addition to red accents for the sides and fenders.

This year, a new ZR1 will lead the pack with basketball player Victor Oladipo in the car at the start of the race.

With 755 horsepower (563 kilowatts) from a thanks to a  6.2-liter supercharged V8. This 'Vette is the most powerful machine to ever be the race's pace car. It will be interesting to see how much of the 212-mph (341-kph) top speed the ZR1 gets to use on the track.

For the 2019 Indy 500, a C7 Corvette Grand Sport had the honor of leading the race. The vehicle wore a Long Beach Red Metallic body, carbon fiber ground effects kit, and special decals.

The new generation of the Corvette takes over the pace car duties for the 2020 Indy 500. Specifically, the car is Torch Red with Carbon Flash trim and special graphics for the race. It has the Z51 performance package and the high wing. Inside, there are GT2 seats. GM President Mark Reuss is behind the wheel.