The 2009 Indianapolis 500 pace car was the 2010 Camaro SS. Photo from wikipedia.org

The pace car for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 was the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS. It was the first Camaro pace car since 1993, and the first time the Corvette was not the pace car since 2003. Actor Josh Duhamel, best known for his role in the Transformer movies, served as the driver. The 2009 Indianapolis 500 start is significant to racing history because of a waved off start by the flagman.

When the field came out of turn four for the start, the field was not well aligned in the eleven rows of three. For the first time in modern history, the flagman, Bryan Howard, decided to wave off the start by displaying the yellow flag. The lap was not scored. The field re-formed and received the green flag the next time by, with only a slightly better formation.

As for the pace car, Chevrolet’s newest version of the Camaro was tasked with the job. This was a rebirth for the Camaro, which had been on hiatus since 2002. The fifth generation Camaro began production on March 16, 2009 and went on sale to the public in April 2009 for the 2010 model year.

The Start of the 2009 Indianapolis 500:

The Indianapolis 500 pace car replica was a modified version of the 2010 Camaro SS with a 400hp 6.2L V8 model with RS package which includes the Inferno orange paint scheme with white rally stripes that ran the entire length of the car. Event logos on both doors with special badging on both front fenders signified the model. Other special trim items helped to define the special car.

Production was limited to 294 units, the majority of which were produced in automatics. The 2010 Camaro SS Indy 500 Pace Car is the second lowest production number Camaro pace car has been made available for public purchase since its debut at the Indianapolis 500 in 1967.