Fox Sports is celebrating its upcoming inaugural season of NTT IndyCar Series coverage by unveiling an NFL crossover.
According to an announcement made during "Fox NFL Sunday," Hall of Fame defender Michael Strahan will take part in the pre-race festivities to kick off Motorsports Christmas on May 25, 2025. He will drive the 1,064-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 as the honorary pace car driver.
This packed day of racing also includes the F1 Monaco Grand Prix and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race.
Our very own @michaelstrahan has been named honorary pace car driver for the 109th Indianapolis 500! 👏@IMS | @IndyCar pic.twitter.com/znuvBlnbA4
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 24, 2024
Strahan joins a packed list of honorary pace car drivers. The group includes such names as Morgan Freeman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Robin Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Griffey Jr., and Tyrese Haliburton among many others.
"Michael is an impressive addition to the lineup of all-star athletes and celebrities to serve as honorary Pace Car driver for the Indianapolis 500," Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said in a statement.
"From the gridiron to the broadcast studio, Michael is no stranger to leading a fast-paced field. As we kick off a new era of IndyCar and the Indy 500 on Fox, Michael will have one of the best seats in the house for the start of the world's greatest race."
The 2025 season will be the first year of Fox Sports' coverage as part of a media rights agreement. Fox will air all 17 IndyCar races while Fox Deportes will carry exclusive Spanish-language television coverage.
Strahan is a member of two different Hall of Fames. The first is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which he earned a spot in while playing on the football field. The second is the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, which highlights his post-NFL life.
Strahan, a second-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, spent his entire 15-year career with the New York Giants. He racked up 141.5 career sacks and set the single-season record with 22.5 sacks in 2001. He won a Super Bowl after upsetting the previously undefeated Patriots and earned a trip to seven Pro Bowls.
Once Strahan retired, he moved into the world of broadcasting. He has continued to make an impact while co-hosting such shows as "Good Morning America," "Live! with Kelly and Michael," and "Fox NFL Sunday." He and the entire "Fox NFL Sunday" cast were inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.