Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady will get a feel for IndyCar’s speed when he rides with seven-time NASCAR Cup series champ Jimmie Johnson during the parade laps ahead of the start of the Indianapolis 500.
Before the 109th running of the Indy 500 on May 25, IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will bring back a two-seat version of the IndyCar for the first time since 2019. Brady, who is now an in-game NFL analyst for Fox, will ride with Johnson as part of an agreement between Penske Entertainment and Fox Sports, who will serve as IndyCar’s exclusive broadcast partner for the first time this year.
Johnson raced in the Indy 500 just once, in 2022, when he finished 28th after crashing with several laps remaining. He qualified in the 12th position.
Brady made a cameo in one of the Fox IndyCar commercials that was aired during Fox’s NFL coverage. In the ad, the narrator said two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden might have “the greatest jawline in sports” before Brady appeared on camera and quipped, “He’s not that handsome.”
Fellow Fox NFL analysts Michael Strahan and Rob Gronkowski also will have roles at the event. Strahan will serve as the celebrity pace car driver ahead of the drop of the green flag, and Gronkowski will be a roving reporter around the grounds throughout the six-hour window of Fox’s coverage.
