Victor Oladipo’s home environment may be the courts, but in a few short days he will be shooting his luck on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track.
On Thursday, Indianapolis Motor speedway announced in a press release the Pacers basketball player as the official driver of the 2019 Corvette ZR1 pace car.
"I'm so thankful Indiana continues to embrace me, from Indiana University to the Pacers and now the Indianapolis 500, the greatest race in the world,” Oladipo said in the release. “I would like to thank Chevrolet, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Pacers for allowing me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Excited is a huge understatement to how I feel about this. I can't wait."
A 505 pound difference stands between Oladipo, and the V-8 engine of the pace car. The pace car is said to have a 715 lb-ft of torque, while Oladipo weighs in at 210 pounds.
With an acceleration of 0-60 in 2.85 seconds, the pace car the speed outnumbers Oladipo’s rookie NBA combine stats of 75 feet in 3.25 seconds. The basketball player will soon have a top track of 212 mph at his feet.
The 6-foot-4 basketball player towers over the 19-inch front tires and the 20-inch rear tires. The pace car will include performance data and a video recorder, and as many Hoosiers know, Oladipo brings a mass of performance data.
This season, Oladipo average 23.1 points per game in the 2017-18 NBA season with the Pacers after being traded from Oklahoma City, according to the press release.
Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president performance vehicles and motorsports for Chevrolet, said he is excited to have Oladipo on the track.
"I can't wait for Victor to experience that performance, along with the energy and anticipation of all the fans, as he leads the field to the green flag at the iconic Indy 500," Campbell said in the release.
Both Chevrolet and Oladipo have a shared history with Indiana. Oladipo spent his college career playing basketball at Indiana University. As a Hoosier, he was honored as a first-team All-American in 2012-13.
Chevrolet’s history with the Indy 500 dates back 102 years before Oladipo was awarded that honor.
“Chevrolet was founded in 1911, the year of the inaugural 500-Mile Race, and company cofounder Louis Chevrolet, along with brothers Arthur and Gaston, competed in early Indy 500 races. Arthur Chevrolet competed in the 1911 race, and Gaston Chevrolet won it in 1920.”
The two will meet in just a few short days on the track at the 102nd Indianapolis Sunday, May 27, and many Hoosiers had things to say about the matchup:
Contact Pauleina Brunnemer, a guest reporter from the Indiana Academy, with comments at pdbrunnemer@bsu.edu or on Twitter @pauleina15.
Read More
Water outage L.A. Pittenger Student Center
By Staff Reports / 23 hours agoThe repair should take a minimum of four hours. There will be no water available in the building and the bathrooms will be without water service.
