To unveil the Camaro Z/28 Indy 500 Pace Car, set to pace the 98th Indianapolis 500 on May 25, Chevrolet enlisted services of one of the greatest name in the sport, Dario Franchitti. He will be the pace car driver this time, instead of fighting on the track for his fourth Indy title.

Franchitti, who is a Scottish/Italian hybrid, retired form professional racing in 2013 after a horrific accident at Huston Grand Prix. He remains connected to Indy though, as he has accepted a driver development role with Chip Ganassi Racing, which will use Chevrolet power in the 2014 IndyCar season. Franchitti won the Indy 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012.

Chevy’s pace car for the 2014 Indy 500 is the new Camaro Z/28, of which they are immensely proud. The Z/28 is the first muscle car in the history that handles properly. I mean really good. The car has already beaten the Porsche 911 round the Nurburgring, and is said to one of the best track-focused cars money can buy today.

Said Franchitti: “It is a tremendous honor for me to be asked to drive the Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500. As a historian of motorsport and as a three-time winner of this great race, I will appreciate every minute of getting to pace the field in the new 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. Although I won’t be competing in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, this will be as close as one person can get to the action. I can’t wait until May in Indianapolis.”

Finished in a menacing black, the Camaro Z/28 Indy 500 Pace Car features a supercharged V8 engine developing 505 horsepower, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The car boasts Brembo brakes, sophisticated computer-controlled suspension all-around, and 305-section tires on all four corners.