INDIANAPOLIS — Winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway usually comes with a bottle of milk and a place in history.
For Curt Cignetti, it came with a lap around the Brickyard.
The no-nonsense Indiana football coach traded the sidelines for the driver’s seat Sunday, climbing into the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X as this year’s honorary Indianapolis 500 pace car driver. And true to form, Cignetti approached the assignment the same way he approached Indiana’s run to its first national championship: by wanting to finish first.
“I like being No. 1.” @IndianaFootball‘s @CCignettiIU is driving the #Indy500 pace car. He’s with Tom Rinaldi. pic.twitter.com/az1b3pE9a2
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 24, 2026
“I like being No. 1,” Cignetti said. “I get to start in front and finish in front.”
Before Sunday’s “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” Cignetti reached 177 mph during his final practice laps around the speedway, getting a feel for the massive oval under the guidance of Indy 500 veteran Sarah Fisher.
Fisher, who holds the record for most Indy 500 starts by a woman with nine, rode alongside Cignetti during Saturday’s preparation sessions, helping ease the football coach into one of racing’s most recognizable ceremonial roles.
BTS with the national champ getting into the pace car!@IndianaFootballpic.twitter.com/KnvujdSCfH
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 24, 2026
For Cignetti, accepting the opportunity meant stepping away from the routine that helped build Indiana’s unbeaten 2025 season. He’s turned down most public appearances after the championship run, but the Indy 500 was different.
Cignetti said the race’s deep roots and importance to the “fabric of the state” made the invitation impossible to pass up.
The honorary pace car role is one of the Indy 500’s most visible traditions. Cignetti led the 33-car field through ceremonial warmup laps and brought the field to the green flag before handing duties over to this year’s official pace car driver, Fisher, for caution periods.
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Curt Cignetti, Indiana football coach, drives Indy 500 pace car