Before NASCAR drivers fire up their engines for a race, the pace car leads them to the starting line. But what is the purpose of this car and who gets to drive it? Here’s a short explanation of everything you need to know about the age-old tradition. A pace car in NASCAR has two main roles. It leads the grid through the warm-up laps before a race starts, and also heads the grid during cautions to keep the contenders’ speed in check.
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Also called a safety car, the pace car is often a car or a truck of the same make as the ones competing for the race. However, its appearance significantly differs from the other cars for recognition purposes.
The pace car comes into use during different scenarios, from leading the drivers to warm their engines up to every caution, including when there is debris or a crash on the track. The main reason behind this watch is to ensure that the cars don’t end up racing each other when there is a potential danger on the track.
A little sneak peek of the official pace car #NASCAR75 @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/A6OTQrHqIa
— NASCAR at COTA (@NASCARatCOTA) March 22, 2023
Over the last several years, pace car selection has become something left up to the individual tracks. These cars were used even before NASCAR was officially founded in 1948. One of the earliest pace cars that was used was the Cadillac Coupe of NASCAR Hall of Famer Raymond Parks at Daytona Beach in 1941.
Who drives the NASCAR pace car?
Very often, particularly in crown jewel races, a celebrity drives the initial lap of the pace car. Celebrity drivers in 2023 included Kal Penn (Watkins Glen) and Nick Cannon (Las Vegas). Others including Irish wrestler Sheamus and Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise have had the honor on past occasions. After the celebrity drives around for a lap, they are replaced by the driver who will pilot the car through the rest of the race. Brett Bodine served as NASCAR’s primary pace car between 2008 and 2018. He was replaced by Kip Childress in 2019.
The speed of the pace car varies from track to track. However, the average lies around the 45 miles-per-hour mark. With the 2024 Daytona 500 just a few weeks away, the Daytona International Speedway could announce the plans for the pace car anytime now. It has already been revealed that the USAF Thunderbirds will perform in the skies above the sold-out stands.
