Indiana University Athletics
‘Wow’ -- Cignetti prepares for Indy 500 pace car role and more
5/19/2026 10:00:00 AM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A man’s gotta know his limitations, and Curt Cignetti knows his.
As a college football coach, he’s as good as there is with last season’s 16-0 Indiana national championship topping the list.
But as a race car driver, even in the narrow role of honorary pace car driver for the upcoming Indy 500, Cignetti defers to those who know better.
In this case, that includes retired race car driver Sarah Fisher, a seven-time Indy 500 competitor who is his mentor for the historic May 24 race, and who will take over as official pace car driver for the 33-car event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“She’s a vet,” Cignetti says at the recent Victory & Vision: A Night with IU Athletics at Carmel’s Payne & Mencias Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. “She knows the ropes. She knows the track. She knows when to start the turn, when to come out of the turn, how the car can function.
“You have to trust you have a good car. She knows the program. Most importantly, she wants to know that I can get my (butt) out of that car real fast because she is the official pace car driver when the race starts. I got to get out quick so she can get in.”
Fisher competed at the Indy 500 seven times between 1999 and 2010. Her second-place finish at the 2001 Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami was the best placing ever by a woman in the Indy Racing League until Danica Patrick won the 2008 Indy Japan 300.
Fisher guided Cignetti during a recent test drive at the Speedway.
“Sarah Fisher is a great teacher,” Cignetti says, high praise from a coach known for his teaching excellence. “It’s intense. I enjoyed myself. We’ll have another little test run the evening before the race. It will be a lot of fun.”
Fun won’t involve pressure.
“I have a much more secondary role,” he says. “I’ll get out of the way after three to four laps and let the talented guys take over.”
During Cignetti’s test run, the Speedway was empty. On race day, a couple of hundred thousand people will be there, as will a national television audience.
“I have to be focused because you’re not going super, super fast, but at the end you’re going at a pretty good clip,” Cignetti says. “After about 15 to 16 laps, I got it going a little bit. I think the car could go 230 mph. That’s the max it could go. We didn’t hit that.”
Arie Luyendyk still has the Speedway’s fastest lap ever recorded at 239.260 in 1996.
“I didn’t come close to that,” Cignetti says. “I can’t imagine doing the turns and then doing a lap at that speed. It’s intense. And you think, it’s 200 laps at the speeds they go and maintain that kind of focus and concentration. Wow.”
The Indy 500 opportunity was one of many offers Cignetti received after the Hoosiers’ unprecedented national title, but one of the few he accepted. He’s focused on sustaining the historic football run that has produced a two-year record of 27-2.
With returning standout veterans such as offensive lineman Carter Smith, defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker and linebackers Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy, plus heralded transfers such as quarterback Josh Hoover, running back Turbo Richard, and defensive linemen Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor, anticipation is high for another championship quest, starting with the Sept. 5 season-opener against North Texas.
“We had a lot of requests,” Cignetti says. “That happens when anybody accomplishes what we accomplished. We said no to about 95 percent of them. A couple we said yes to. I thought the Indy 500 was one of them we said yes to because it’s part of the fabric of the state. There’s a lot of history. It’s a national event.”
The result will be even more national exposure for the program and the university, which can help land the talent (athletically and academically) and financial resources necessary to maintain elite performance.
“We turned down a lot of nice opportunities so I can sit in that chair and run that remote with that tape I like to watch,” Cignetti says with a smile.“It was a special group of guys of high character who played together and were consistent. Our fans recognized that. What attracted them wasn’t just that we went all the way but the way we did it.”
Hoosier Nation embraces Cignetti’s film watching -- and everything else -- that delivered victory to what was once college football’s losingest program. Hoosier fans turned out in stunning fashion from the Big Ten title game win over Ohio State to victories in the Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and national championship contest.
“It’s impressive,” Cignetti says of the fan support. “We do have the largest alumni base in the country (at 805,000), and they’re coming out.
“They came out in the playoffs. They traveled. They’re fired up. Excited. It’s our job to keep them excited in a competitive sport.”
Excitement was evident at the Carmel event, which drew Cignetti, basketball coach Darian DeVries and athletic director Scott Dolson, with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer as emcee.
“I appreciate everybody’s support and love for the program,” Cignetti says. “You get to the point that everybody wants to be associated with a winner. Our guys earned that. They paid the price.
“It was a special group of guys of high character who played together and were consistent. Our fans recognized that. What attracted them wasn’t just that we went all the way but the way we did it.”
