The Daytona 500 is
billed as the “Great American Race,” so it would seem the event would require
an equally great pace car. Chevrolet isn’t a stranger to the Daytona 500 as the
company has paced the race 12 different times in the past. The Camaro has been
featured seven times, while the Corvette has made five appearances.
While it would be
natural to assume Chevrolet would use another Camaro or Corvette for this
year’s pace car duties, the company decided not to use a car at all. Instead,
they’re going with the 2019 Silverado.
This is certainly
an odd choice, but Chevrolet needs the truck to be a success especially now
that General Motors is eliminating cars such as the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac
CT6, Chevrolet Cruze, Impala and Volt in North America. Featuring the truck at
the race could certainly help to improve awareness about the redesigned model
as ESPN reports the 2017 Daytona 500 was watched by nearly 12 million people.
While the Silverado
isn’t exactly sporty, the pace truck will feature a 6.2-liter V8 engine that
develops 420 hp and 622 Nm of torque. For
comparison, the Chevrolet Camaro SS has 455 hp and 614 Nm of torque.
The truck will be
driven Dale Earnhardt Jr. who has previously won the race on two occasions. It
will mark the first time the race has paced by a pickup and Earnhardt doesn’t
seem to mind as he said “I’ve driven Chevy trucks all my life and I’m excited
to have this unique experience of pacing the Daytona 500 with the Silverado.”
Let’s just hope the
stunt goes a little more smoothly than Chevrolet’s attempt to promote the
Silverado at a Detroit Red Wings game.
