Function

• Pace cars, or safety cars, are used in professional race car event. They set a certain speed for cars behind to follow. At the start of the race, they help cars out of a pole position and into a racing formation. When crashes occur or race marshals are present on the race track, pace cars keep the racing vehicles from attaining dangerous high speeds.
  
  

Identification

• Pace cars meet the same safety specifications as race cars, such as four-point racing harnesses. These specifications vary depending on the event (NASCAR as opposed to Indy 500, for example). The flashing lights situated on top of the car, much like those found on police cruisers, also identify pace cars. These lights replaced flags, which were previously used to denote the pace car.
  
  

Types

• The type of car used as the pace car depends on the event. The 2010 Chevy Camaro, for example, was the official pace car for the 2010 Daytona 500. Since 1996, Mercedes-Benz has supplied the pace cars for Formula One races, according to the Official Formula 1 website. All of these cars are driven by skilled race car drivers, since they are, in essence, forms of race cars themselves, though usually with less powerful engines and heavier frames.