ICONIC ’93 Chevrolet Silverado Indianapolis 500 Pace Truck Edition

Owning an icon is a tough task if you stick to the script. Keep it clean, replace anything that breaks, and make sure all the parts are OEM originals in perfect condition. Don’t adjust the suspension, don’t mess with the motor, simply leave it in its factory form and maintain it until the time comes to part ways.

Some say that’s the only way to represent the past and respect the future, but we are hot rod street truck enthusiasts, and we are very well aware of how incapable these unmistakable trucks were when originally released.   

…he eventually let his son drive it to high school before modifying it to the form you see now.

Case in point is this 1993 Chevrolet Silverado Indianapolis 500 Pace Truck Edition. Chevy decided to build a 1,235-unit production run of trucks in celebration of the 77th running of the Indy 500 in 1993. The Silverado didn’t actually serve as the pace truck that year (it was actually a Camaro Z/28) but the truck was the “Official Truck of the 77th Running of the Indianapolis 500,” hence the creation of the limited-edition Silverado.

Preston Woolery originally picked up this ’93 C/K 1500 truck in the year 2000, and he eventually let his son drive it to high school before modifying it to the form you see now. It was in pristine condition—including absolutely no rust in the engine bay or any minor exterior and interior cosmetic blemishes—however, it still sported the original 350 V-8 engine and original automatic transmission. Other notable factory options that remained on this truck include a roof-mounted visor, a tonneau cover, a locking tailgate, and air conditioning, which makes the perfect platform for modifying and making it your own.

That’s exactly what Preston decided to do when he brought it back to Horizon Motorsports in Colorado once his son graduated high school. But first, some Horizon Motorsports history.

In April 1994, Preston Woolery and James Hamil started Horizon Motorsports in an old 500-square-foot gas station located on the outside of Sterling, Colorado.
It grew into a business with fun in mind and motorsport vehicle sales as the primary goal. As any successful business does, Horizon Motorsports expanded in April 1996. Preston and James bought out another local business named Leisure Sports, they acquired a Kawasaki Franchise, and they moved to a larger facility on 805 West Main Street, Sterling, Colorado. Needless to say, times were good for this hard-working crew of fun-loving individuals.

In August 2009, Horizon Motorsports expanded again and opened another store in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The business was doing great, and Preston was getting the itch to have something super custom in his driveway—that ’93 C/K 1500 he picked up in 2000.

First on the list for this ’93 OBS was an all-new suspension as well as a new wheel/tire setup. QA1 Suspension is no doubt one of the leaders in the coilover conversion space for these amazing street trucks, which is exactly why the kit was ordered from Switch Suspension. It gave this standard cab shortbed sport truck a completely new driving experience, including the ability to carve corners like a modern sports car. With a suspension of this level, Preston knew that wheels and tires were important aspect on this build. They decided to run a set of 20-inch US Mag wheels, so the order was placed and the teardown began.

With the suspension and wheel complete, Preston left the truck in the hands of some very capable painters at Havasu Customs in Lake Havasu, Arizona. The original paint scheme was recreated, including the original graphic package that is very noticeable in traffic.

The plan is to enjoy the truck for now but bring it back to the shop in due time for some additional upgrades, including a complete LS swap, bigger brakes to match the power and, of course, lots of burnouts.

Identifying an icon is easy, but customizing and modifying one to make it better is something we’ve seen done wrong plenty of times. In this case, we think Preston and his crew at Horizon Motorsports nailed the look, and we wouldn’t change a thing about it. What are your thoughts?