Global business icon Donald Trump will drive the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Pace Car to lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"It's a great honor to be selected as the pace car driver for such an American institution as the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500," Trump said. "The Indianapolis 500 has been the gold standard of motorsports for a century, and I can't wait to get behind the wheel of the Camaro and bring the famous field of 33 drivers to the green flag."
A native of New York, Trump is the chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, the preeminent developer of quality real estate around the world. Trump is also a world-class golf course developer, best-selling author, successful television producer and star of the hit reality television series The Apprentice.
"We're thrilled to welcome Donald Trump as the driver of the Pace Car for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500," said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and CEO. "He is an iconic American success story, a business leader without peer who is a fitting choice to bring the field for 'The Most Important Race in History' to the green flag."
Equipped with a 400-horsepower V-8 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Pace Car requires no performance modifications to perform its duty in front of the 33-car racing field. The color combination is similar to the design used on 1969 Camaro Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replicas, which have become among the most popular Camaros in the collector world.
Joining Trump ahead of the Indianapolis 500 field on one of the parade laps will be Addison Brown of Scottsdale, Ariz., who will drive a special-edition Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible 2011 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replica that she won at the Barrett-Jackson auction Jan. 22. Chevrolet donated Brown's winning bid of $225,000 to the David Foster Foundation (http://www.davidfosterfoundation.org), a charity devoted to supporting families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants. David Foster, the 16-time Grammy-winning music producer and songwriter, founded the organization in his native Canada.