Longtime Indiana resident Jeff Gordon longed to drive in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

On May 24, the NASCAR champion who is retiring at the conclusion of the current stock car season will lead the 33-car field to the green flag as the honorary pace car driver in the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 for the 99th Running of the Indy 500.

"This is as close as I think I'm going to get. What an honor for me to come back on Race Day," Gordon said. "This is my version of the 'double.' ''

After laps as the honorary Pace Car driver, he'll watch a portion of the race with his family and then head to North Carolina to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that evening.

"I enjoyed it so much the first lap I thought I'd take some more," said Gordon, who took the Z06 out for a few laps on the 2.5-mile oval before the announcement on the Yard of Bricks. "What a perfect car to lead the field in the Indy 500."

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It is the 13th time a Corvette has been the official pace car, dating to 1978, and the 26th time a Chevrolet has led the pack.

Gordon, 43, who grew up in Pittsboro, Ind., won the first NASCAR race in the history of the 2.5-mile oval in 1994 and has won the Brickyard 400 four other times, including 2014.

"Jeff is a great choice to lead this year's starting 33 drivers in the Indianapolis 500 to the green flag," said J. Douglas Boles, president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Jeff has such a strong connection to the state of Indiana and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his appearance in the Corvette Z06 pace car reinforces Chevrolet's important place in the past, present and future of the Indianapolis 500. We also look forward to seeing him back here on July 26, to see if he can make it six wins in the Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard."  

Gordon has an open-wheel racing background. He competed in quarter midgets and moved to USAC competition. In 1989, Gordon was named USAC Midget Car Racing Rookie of the Year, which was highlighted by winning the Night Before the 500 race. In 1990, Gordon won his second consecutive Night Before the 500 on his way to winning the USAC national Midget title. In 1991, Gordon captured the USAC Silver Crown championship.

Fans can follow Gordon and his Corvette Z06 pace car experience on Twitter: #JGPace2Race.