A little note on Pace Car

A pace car has been used to begin the Indianapolis 500 since 1911. The first pace car was a Stoddard-Dayton driven by the Carl G Fisher. Further car and the motorcycle races have also used pace cars.
The intention of a pace car is to help and to give an organized running start to the race (as different to starting the race with all cars at a standstill). The racecars go after the pace car around the track, keeping their assigned pole positions.
The correct details can differ, but normally, there is one "parade lap" at a somewhat low speed. This is followed by greatly faster lap that directly leads to the proper start of the race, as the pace car turns off the track into the pit area.