Spied: 2014 Corvette Stingray Indy pace car

UPDATE: The Stingray has indeed been named the 2013 Indy 500 pace car; check out details and photos here

We've suspected that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray would earn a place of honor as the pace car for the 2013 Indy 500. Now, spy photos of a safety-light-equipped C7 caught testing at the General Motors proving grounds in Milford, Mich. seem to confirm our hunch.

The C7 maintains an essentially stock exterior appearance. Even its paint, which is unmarked by pace car livery except perhaps on the camouflaged rocker panels, appears to be the standard Laguna blue.

What sets this Stingray apart -- and hints at its future in pacing motorsport -- are its front- and rear-mounted safety lights. The car's rear-window-mounted interior lightbar may replace the typical roof-mounted pace car safety light setup, keeping the Vette's aggressive styling relatively intact. Its front LED headlight clusters were also seen to be flashing a random safety pattern, and even more attention-grabbing flashers were installed in the car's grille.

There's no official word on what car will be tapped to kick off the Indy 500, but we won't have to wait long to find out. The race runs May 26, with or without the Stingray.

By Graham Kozak