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The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest event of the IndyCar Series year. It is always held over Memorial Day weekend and ahead of NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600.
There is plenty of pageantry that comes with any race, but the Indy 500 always seems to ramp it up a notch or two. This includes the IndyCar Series bringing in some heavy hitters to be the honorary starters. Sometimes, they go with actors who are promoting a new project, but this time they are turning to two highly accomplished athletes who have turned broadcasters.
The Indy 500 will air on Fox in 2025. The race organizers are tipping their caps to the broadcast partner and have tagged former MLB greats - and current MLB Fox broadcasters - Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to be the honorary starters for the 2025 Indy 500.
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Here is more on Jeter and Rodriguez and why they were chosen.
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Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez to be honorary starters at Indy 500
Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are one of the more recognizable duos in baseball history. Admittedly, though, the only thing tying them to this year's running of the Indy 500 specifically is the fact that they are broadcasters for Fox and that channel is airing the Indy 500 for the first time.
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Derek Jeter Yankees career
Jeter had a 20-year professional baseball career. In what is a rarity these days, he spent it entirely with one team- the Yankees. With a historic New York franchise, Jeter holds some esteemed records. The former shortstop has the most hits (3,465), doubles (544) and games played (2,747) in Yankees history.
He was a 14-time All-Star and won five World Series titles. Jeter was inducted into the MLB's Hall of Fame in 2020 with 99.7% of the vote in his first appearance on the ballot. He wasn't a unanimous decision but was considered a lock for Cooperstown and had one of the highest voting percentages in history.
MORE: The biggest differences between F1 and IndyCar
Alex Rodriguez MLB career
Rodriguez is also a Yankee great but didn't spend his full career in New York. The third baseman came up with the Mariners in 1994 and then joined the Rangers in 2001. Rodriguez then joined New York in 2004 and stayed there until the end of his career in 2016. The only year that he missed was 2014 because he was suspended the entire season due to his involvement in the Biogenesis PED scandal.
The third baseman had a much more controversial career than Jeter. He finished with 696 career home runs, the fifth-most all-time. Due to his inclusion in the PED scandal, though, there is an asterisk next to his name in the record books and it is likely what has prevented him from making it into the Hall of Fame. Rodriguez was a 14-time All-Star, a World Series champion and a three-time AL MVP. When he was granted his release in 2016, his roster spot was filled by Aaron Judge.
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