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A.J. Foyt chuckled when he thought about how much cars have changed since he won the 1961 Indianapolis 500.
He'll drive a 2011 Camaro SS convertible pace car for the 100-year anniversary race on May 29, an upgrade from the ride he claimed the first of his four Indy 500 victories with.
"I'm quite sure 50 years ago, if I would have had this car, it would have been a hell of a lot better than the one I drove," he joked. "Probably could have won and listened to the radio."
The 76-year-old Foyt might drive faster this year, too. His average speed in 1961 was 139.130 miles per hour.
Foyt was asked to be the celebrity pace-car driver when real-estate mogul Donald Trump backed out to focus on a possible presidential run and amid complaints that his presence would take attention away from the race itself.
Trump's decision left Foyt, one of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's icons, with an unexpected opportunity. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser are the only four-time winners in race history.
"I'm just glad to be able to say, 50 years later, I'll lead this race one more time," Foyt said.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and CEO Jeff Belskus said he is pleased to have Foyt lead the way.
"The greatest race car driver in the history of the Indianapolis 500, and maybe in the history of the world," he said. "So we are very fortunate to have him and glad that he was willing to drive this year."
Foyt made a record 35 consecutive starts in the 500, and this will be the 54th consecutive year he's competed at the track as a driver or an owner. A.J. Foyt Enterprises will try to get Brazil's Vitor Meira and Bruno Junqueira into the race.
Foyt was humble when discussing his place in racing history.
"A lot of people feel they made the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," he said. "I've always felt the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is what's made A.J. Foyt."
Trump caused a stir by questioning whether President Obama was born outside the United States and whether he was qualified to attend Harvard and Columbia, the Ivy League schools where he earned his degrees.
It's the first time the speedway has changed pace-car drivers since 2001, when injured golfer Greg Norman could not drive. Race organizers replaced him with model Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, wife of music star John Cougar Mellencamp, and made her the first female to drive the car.
Foyt said his two favorite wins at Indy were his first in 1961 and his last in 1977, when he became the first driver to win four Indianapolis 500s.
"I'm glad to be named among a bunch of the great, great race drivers," he said. "I don't feel I'm no better than the other ones at their times."
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