Curt Cignetti on driving Indy 500 pace car: ‘I’m going to put the pedal to the metal’
Cignetti will have the honor of leading the field of drivers onto the track in this year’s running of the Indianapolis 500.
Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti smiles at the champions press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 20. 2026.
| Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti, coming off of winning his first national championship, is set to take the wheel of the pace car this May in the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. Will it be the fastest he’s ever driven a car? Maybe.
He bought a new Audi SQ8 during his first summer as the Hoosiers’ head coach back in 2024. One night, as he and his wife were returning from visiting family in Ohio, they found themselves on an empty highway and, well. Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get: Improved notifications system! Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts “I would not be setting a good example for the young people that need to — but I laid it down pretty quick, but it’s got a little juice in it,” Cignetti said during a press conference on Thursday. Cignetti’s looking forward to taking to the Speedway here in two months with Spring practice in the figurative rearview mirror.