Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti added yet another bucket list moment for himself on Sunday afternoon, as he jumped into the cockpit of the Indianapolis 500 pace car as its honorary driver.
Cignetti was in charge of leading the way in his USA-themed Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X for the 33-car field that would embark in the 110th running of the signature IndyCar race.
OutKick’s Dan Dakich caught up with the Hoosiers’ head coach at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the race, which Felix Rosenqvist won in the closest finish of all time, where he asked Cignetti if there’s something people don’t know about his 2025 team that went 16-0 and won the title.
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Indiana University football coach Curt Cignetti attends the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 24, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
“I’m going to go off topic here since we’re at the [Indy] 500. I had to coach the hell out of that team so I could be the pace car driver,” Cignetti joked. “Look, we had a great bunch of kids. When you get 11 guys doing their job at a high standard, play in and play out, consistency and performance. They accomplished a lot of things, and you can’t lose a game before you win it. We made the plays that had to be made and won the close games.”
Dakich followed up with Cignetti about his latest side quest, which is a prestigious honor. However, it’s one that the entire state of Indiana loved seeing after leading the Hoosiers to its first-ever national championship in football.
INDIANA COACH CURT CIGNETTI IS PUTTING IN SOME PACE CAR REPS BEFORE THE INDIANAPOLIS 500
There has been a star-studded group of honorary pace car drivers over the years, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Ken Griffey Jr. and Michael Strahan. Cignetti, as you’d expect, took the role very seriously, which began days before the race to make sure he was up to snuff with the vehicle.
“We hit 177 [mph] yesterday, so we’ll see how it goes today,” he told Dakich.
Indiana University football coach Curt Cignetti attends the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 24, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Cignetti added that he was supposed to go 175 miles per hour, followed by 190 twice, and the last lap would be “sort of TBD,” as he wasn’t sure what exactly the pace would be.
Either way, Cignetti, like his players on the gridiron, made sure to make the best of practice before the big day.
“Well, I had two different sessions,” he told Dakich. “So, it took me a while to get to know the track, the car. My biggest thing on the turns is where I need to work because it’s natural to want to slow down. The car will take the turn, so you just got to let it.”
When the race came down to its final lap, after dealing with rainy weather and multiple caution flags on the track, Rosenqvist overtook American David Malukas down the final stretch to spoil the youngster’s first-ever IndyCar win and pick up his first Indy 500 victory.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti celebrates after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
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Rosenqvist finished 0.023 seconds ahead of Malukas, with Scott McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward finishing in third and fourth place, respectively.
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