Past Indy 500 Pace Car Drivers… It’s Not Who You’d Expect…

Behind the wheel of every Indy 500 pace car is the face of victory. No matter what field that may be in.

This year, Jeff Gordon a three-time Daytona 500 winner, three-time champion of The Sprint All-Star Challenge, four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, five-time Brickyard 400 winner, seven-time winner at Darlington Raceway, and do I really need to continue? The guy’s a badass. It’s no wonder that after news of his retirement from racing surfaced, Gordon was given the opportunity to drive the Corvette Z06 pace car at the Indy 500 this year.

Now this responsibility isn’t just given to anyone. There is always somebody “special” behind the wheel of the pace car, race car driver or not.

From actors to the U.S. Secretary of State, the range of drivers goes across the board. Here’s a timeline of some names we think you’ll definitely recognize.

1999- Jay Leno – Talk Show Host, Comedian, Car Collector

2004- Morgan Freeman – Academy Award-winning actor

2005- General Colin Powell – U.S. Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

2006- Lance Armstrong – 7-time Winner of Tour de France

2007- Patrick Dempsey aka McDreamy – Actor

2010- Robin Roberts – Good Morning America show co-host

2012- Guy Fieri – Celebrity Chef

2013- Jim Harbaugh –  NFL Quarterback and Coach, IndyCar Owner

Wait, seriously? Morgan Freeman? General Colin Powell? Robin Roberts? Jim Harbaugh?

That group photo might be just as good as the group shot of Snoop Dog, Martha Stewart and Shaq from Justin Bieber’s roast.

Who will they choose next? And, can I get in on this gig?

Seriously, I could make some time in my schedule. Plus, I like to go fast. ;))

– Briana

2015 College Football Mini Preview

With the success of the first ever College Football Playoff, and the current boredom of summer baseball purgatory, it’s hard not to get excited for the 2015 football season (year of the quarterback perhaps?)

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer will now be faced with quite possibly the greatest quarterback dilemma ever. He is faced with the decision of starting third string quarterback Cardale Jones, who has started and won three games in his career: the Big Ten Championship, the Sugar Bowl and the National Championship. If he is not feeling comfortable with Jones, than Meyer could go with second-string quarterback Braxton Miller, who was a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2012 and 2013. Or don’t forget about freshman and former starter JT Barrett coming back from an ankle injury.

With the most highly talked about off-season move, former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson now heads to, yes, you guessed it, Seminole Country. Can he replace what Jameis Winston was on and off the field for Florida State? Is Florida State the right school for him? Will red shirt junior quarterback Shawn McGuire give up without a fight? There are still plenty of questions to be answered, but we all know he will be starting September 5^th and we will anxiously be waiting to see what happens. Golson is eligible to play right away due to the NCAA graduate transfer policy.

In this years “Early Bird” rankings, Florida State is sitting pretty at number 3, the Buckeyes are at number 4, and quite possibly the biggest surprise is the Big 12’s TCU at number 1.

Not to be forgotten is Jim Harbaugh, new head coach at Michigan. Harbaugh is returning to his alma mater in “Ann-Arbaugh” and trying to turn around a program that was once revered by so many.

The last and final question I have for you is: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL???

– Morgan