DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Even when Jeff Gordon isn’t racing in the Daytona 500, he still finds his way to the front of the pack.
The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion – and three-time Daytona 500 winner – will lead the field to the green flag Sunday in "The Great American Race" behind the wheel of the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pace car.
Gordon said he’s thrilled to pilot the 650-horsepower Chevy.
“This car is capable of pacing the field if they went green,” he smiled.
Unique to this year’s proceedings is how the pace car will be incorporated into the television broadcast. Gordon, a member of FOX’s broadcast booth as a race analyst, will communicate directly with his partners from on the track just before the race goes green.
“For the first time ever, I’m going to be inside this car, looking in my rearview mirror, looking at that front row of two Chevrolets – Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading the field behind me,” he said. “And we’re going to be able to interact with the booth, with Mike Joy and D.W. (Darrell Waltrip) up there.”
It should make for some exciting TV, and Gordon can’t wait.
“I just can’t think of a bigger thrill to kick off the Daytona 500, the 59th running, than to do it that way,” he said.
Check out a Periscope of the announcement below, courtesy of Team Chevy Racing’s Twitter account.