IU football coach Curt Cignetti named honorary pace car driver for 2026 Indy 500

Written from press release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University head football coach Curt Cignetti will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24, Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced Tuesday night.

Cignetti was selected in recognition of IU football’s undefeated national championship season, capping a rapid rise for the Hoosiers under his leadership.

According to IMS, Cignetti will drive the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X to lead the 33-car field to the green flag for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. More details about the pace car, including its race-day livery, will be announced later.

The race is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, with live coverage on FOX beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Cignetti has transformed Indiana football since being hired in December 2023. Over two seasons, the Hoosiers have posted a nation-leading 27 wins, reached the College Football Playoff twice and won the program’s first national championship in the 2025-26 season.

IMS President J. Douglas Boles said Cignetti’s success made him a natural fit for the ceremonial role.

“His Hoosiers have been nothing short of remarkable, and their National Championship run inspired our entire state,” Boles said in a statement. “He’s the perfect choice to drive the Chevrolet Pace Car, and I know his introduction on Race Day will bring out a special roar of appreciation from our crowd.”

Cignetti’s accomplishments have included a long list of coaching milestones and national honors. IMS said he is the first Division I head coach to start 8-0 or better in consecutive seasons at different institutions and one of only three coaches ever to open consecutive seasons at 10-0. He also became the first Football Bowl Subdivision coach to win consecutive national coach of the year honors from the American Football Coaches Association, The Associated Press, ESPN, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Foundation.

He also swept both of the Big Ten’s major coach of the year awards — the Hayes-Schembechler Award, voted on by fellow coaches, and the Dave McClain Award, voted on by media — in consecutive seasons.

Previous honorary pace car drivers for the Indy 500 have included Michael Strahan, Morgan Freeman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Robin Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Griffey Jr. and Tyrese Haliburton.

The Indianapolis 500 remains the centerpiece of the Month of May at IMS and is widely regarded as the largest single-day spectator sporting event in the world.

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