As was the case in 2019, the 33 drivers racing in Sunday’s Open-Wheels 500 presented by Mitchell Transmissions will be paced to the green flag by a General Motors vehicle. On Thursday, Open-Wheels announced that the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will be the 2020 pace car at the Open-Wheels 500.
“It is a great day to announce the pace car for our 2020 event, which is a clear signal that race day is nearing as the weekend approaches,” said Tanner Watkins, president of the Open-Wheels 500.
“Following up last year’s Cadillac CTS-V with the brand new Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in 2020 is a great succession of cars to pace the first two editions of the Open-Wheels 500. We hope that the competitors and fans alike enjoy seeing the new Corvette on-track in the pace and parade laps before the race, leading the field of 33 to green.”
With Chevrolet’s move to a mid-engine layout for the eighth-generation Corvette, the brand’s IMSA program made the same shift for the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Corvette C8.R builds upon six successful years of racing for its predecessor C7.R, and debuted at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona.
Six months later, it returned to Daytona and won in just its second race out with drivers Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, and the week after that, it scored its first 1-2 finish at Sebring International Raceway.
The latest entry in Chevrolet’s lengthy sports car racing history features a 5.5-liter powerplant that produces 500 horsepower at 7400 rpm. It’s the fourth Corvette built by Pratt & Miller since partnering with General Motors in 1999, a relationship that has brought eight victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, three at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and 11 in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
In total, the car has won six times in the 10 races it has entered into for 2020. Over the summer, the car made its debut on iRacing – thus creating the opportunity to serve as the pace car for the 2020 Open-Wheels 500 presented by Mitchell Transmissions.
You can view additional photos of the 2020 pace car below.
Open-Wheels Motorsports Sanctioning is proud to announce that three-time iRacing Indianapolis 500 top split race winner Brandon Traino will drive the pace car for Sunday’s race, with instruction during the parade and pace laps by race director and Open-Wheels 500 president, Tanner Watkins. Traino is the defending champion of the iRacing Indianapolis 500’s featured race, and is the only two-time winner of the feature race.
“To get the chance to lead the field to the green in one of the fastest-growing IndyCar special events is truly an honor,” said Traino this week. “It will be pretty cool to lead the 33 of the best iRacing IndyCar drivers to the green on Sunday. Hopefully next year my schedule will allow me to join them and put on a great show!”
The 2020 Open-Wheels 500 presented by Mitchell Transmissions will be held on Sunday, November 15. Coverage of the race begins with the live pre-race show on Open-Wheels TV beginning at 9:00 AM Eastern. The race itself will be shown live worldwide via RaceSpot TV beginning at 11:30 AM, with the green flag scheduled for 11:45 AM Eastern.
