Fisher went largely unrewarded at the Speedway in her driving career with a highest qualifying position for the Indy 500 of ninth and a best finish of 17th, but she was able to prove her mettle elsewhere.
Driving for Walker Racing she scored podium finishes at Kentucky in 2000, and at Homestead in ’01, while in ’02 she put her Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry on pole position at Kentucky – the first woman in Indy car history to start a race from pole.
Fisher retired from driving in 2010 after 81 races but continued to run her IndyCar team, for whom she had driven part-time for three years. In 2011, Ed Carpenter won for the team at Kentucky, the following year she brought reigning Indy Lights champion Josef Newgarden into IndyCar, while in 2015 she merged her team into Carpenter’s eponymous outfit to form CFH Racing, for whom Newgarden won twice that year.
Since then, Fisher has often served as pace car driver at IndyCar events, and for the last five years has driven it during caution periods, taking over the role from legend Johnny Rutherford. On May 29, Fisher will be the celebrity “official” driver of the Pace Car.
“Every time I’ve had the opportunity to drive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it’s been special – from IndyCar Series cars to two-seaters to vintage cars,” she said. “Driving the Pace Car is just as special an honor. And to have served in that role for the NTT IndyCar Series since Johnny Rutherford retired, I’ve had many great memories to add to my career.
“I am humbled and proud to become the official Pace Car driver for the 106th Indianapolis 500 and to represent the hard work and development that Chevrolet puts into these fantastic pieces of automobile advancement and technology.”
The Corvette Z06 is powered by the all-new 5.5-liter LT6 engine which creates 670hp, making it the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 to reach the U.S. market in a production car. The Pace Car is equipped with the Z07 Performance Package, featuring a carbon fiber rear wing, ground effects, carbon ceramic brakes.
Acknowledging the Corvette’s 70-year history, the Pace Car is a model year 2023 70th Anniversary Edition Z06, finished in a special white pearl tri-coat metallic paint, special Corvette crossflags, red brake calipers and the 70th Anniversary Edition logo on seats, steering wheel and sill plates.
“The Chevrolet Team is proud to pace the Indianapolis 500 for the 33rd time, while celebrating 70 years of Corvette,” said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet’s VP of marketing. “It’s only fitting the Indianapolis 500 will be the first race the 2023 Corvette Z06 paces, a truly special moment for Corvette and IndyCar fans around the world.”
As well as being the 33rd time that a Chevrolet has paced the Indy 500 field, dating back to 1948, it’s the 19th time for a Corvette.
“Sarah Fisher is an Indianapolis 500 icon who always takes the time to appreciate her fans and represent the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ with class and humility,” said IMS president J. Douglas Boles. “She is such a fitting person for this honor, and it will be such a thrill and privilege to see her lead the field of 33 cars to the green flag before a huge crowd at the track and a global television audience.”
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