The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 is just a couple weeks away, and as expected, GM just announced that the brand new C7 Corvette will be the official pace car of the event. This comes as little surprise to those in the performance car world, as Chevy has been doing everything in their power recently to get their new cars in the spotlight at every event possible. Not that we’re complaining!

The Indianapolis 500 will kick off on May 26th to the sound of thousands of excited fans and dozens of rumbling engines. But for Chevy fans, it may not be the race they’re all that interested in.

That’s because, in addition to the 2014 Hot Wheels Camaro Edition convertibles serving as the official event cars for the race, Chevy will have its newest heavy hitter on the track, the new C7 Stingray, to pace the event.

The C7’s appearance as the official pace car for the 2013 Indy 500 will mark the 12th time a Corvette has paced the iconic motorsports event since 1978. The appearance of the seventh-generation car will also continue the celebration of Chevrolet returning as an engine supplier to the circuit last year. With so many features of the Corvette born on the track, it’s a true return to home territory for the C7.

Fitted with official Indy 500 graphics, the Laguna Blue Tintcoat pace Corvette only differs from future production models in track-required features, like flashing strobe lights. But with a 6.2L LT1 under the hood and lightweight body materials, we doubt the latest Corvette addition will have any trouble handling pace car duties for the IndyCar field.