IndyCar
Curt Cignetti to drive the Pace Car at the 2026 Indianapolis 500
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (March 17, 2026) — Indiana University head football coach Curt Cignetti will lead the field of 33 drivers to the green flag as the pace car driver for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Cignetti, who guided the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and national championship in 2025–26, is a Pittsburgh native and the son of the late Hall of Fame coach Frank Cignetti. Frank Cignetti served as head coach at West Virginia University from 1976 to 1979 and at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1986 to 2005.
Cignetti will drive the all-new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, a 1,250-horsepower hybrid hypercar that began production in December 2025 at the Bowling Green, Kentucky, assembly plant. Additional pace car details, including its one-of-a-kind Indianapolis 500 livery, will be unveiled at a later date.
“Coach Cignetti will lead our field in a special pace lap formation as he brings the stars of the NTT IndyCar Series to the green flag at this year’s Indy 500,” said J. Douglas Boles, president of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “His Hoosiers have been nothing short of remarkable, and their national championship run inspired our entire state. He’s the perfect choice to drive the Chevrolet pace car, and I know his introduction on Race Day will bring out a tremendous roar from our crowd.”
Cignetti is the first Division I head coach to start 8–0 or better in consecutive seasons at different institutions and just the third to open back-to-back seasons at 10–0. He and the Hoosiers have compiled a nation-leading 27 victories over the past two seasons, including two College Football Playoff appearances and the program’s national championship.
Cignetti joins an impressive list of Indianapolis 500 pace car drivers that includes Michael Strahan, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Harbaugh, Robin Roberts, Gen. Colin Powell, Morgan Freeman, Henry Ford II, and Louis Chevrolet.
The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will take place Sunday, May 24, 2026, with FOX Sports coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET.
Tickets for all Month of May activities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are available at IMS.com/tickets or through the IMS Ticket Office at 317-492-6700.
Cignetti graduated from Morgantown High School and played quarterback at West Virginia University. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Foge Fazio at the University of Pittsburgh from 1983 to 1984, later returning to Pitt to coach quarterbacks and tight ends from 1993 to 1999. He followed in his father’s footsteps as head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2016.
Football runs deep in the family, as Cignetti’s brother, Frank Jr., has joined Mike McCarthy’s staff with the Pittsburgh Steelers after previous stints as offensive coordinator at IUP and Pitt.
LONG BEACH, CA (April 19, 2026) – A great pit stop helped Alex Palou pass Felix Rosenqvist in the pits and Palou did the rest, winning Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
“Incredible,” said Palou, who picked up his third win of the season and 22nd of his IndyCar career. “Feel so, so lucky with the opportunity I had to win the 500 last year, the Long Beach GP this year, it just feels like I’m living on this amazing cloud of happiness.”
Rosenqvist was out front when the caution flag flew on Lap 57 for debris in turn four, which set up the showdown between the Meyer Shank Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing pit crews.
“This full-course yellow put everything on that pit stop,” said Palou. “The guys did an incredible job once again.”
“Having the pit location and the pit crew we have, it certainly was on the top of our minds coming down pit lane knowing we have a shot at getting the win here,” said Barry Wanser, No. 10 Team Manager. “Again, the guys came through.”
“That last pit cycle was kind of the defining moment,” said Rosenqvist, who led a race-high 51-laps. “I don’t even think we had that bad of a stop. We had to come around the 14. I don’t know if Alex had an open in. Details like that matter. It didn’t seem like a super slow stop, but he probably nailed it or his crew.”
Despite falling short of a win, Rosenqvist said there were plenty of positives to take away from the team’s trip to the West Coast.
“I think all in all we got to be happy as a weekend for us at Meyer Shank Racing. We had a win yesterday with Nick in IMSA. We had a pole there as well, then a pole here and a P2. We just fell short of a grand slam.”
Scott Dixon finished third in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda, giving team owner Chip Ganassi two cars on the podium and the 6-time series Champion his best finish of the season
“Huge weekend for the Ganassi cars,” said Dixon. “I think probably one of the best for qualifying between all us, which was really good. It was nice just to have a clean weekend, no major issues, no damage, no mess-ups or anything like that. That was a lot of fun.”
Palou and Dixon’s teammate Kyffin Simpson brought the No. 8 Sunoco Honda home in tenth place, so all three CGR cars finished in the Top 10.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood finished fourth after starting third and gave up the Championship lead to Palou. Kirkwood now trails the four-time Series Champion by 17-points.
Pato O’Ward rounded out the Top 5 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Next up for the IndyCar Series is two days of testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 28-29 as teams get ready for the Indianapolis 500.
The next race is the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 9, on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at IMS, which kicks off the Month of May.
LONG BEACH, CA (April 18,, 2026) – Felix Rosenqvist is on the pole position for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach after turning a fast lap of of 1 minute, 7.4635 seconds in the No. 60 SiriusXM/Acura Honda.
The pole capped a great day for Meyer Shank Racing who on the IMSA race on Saturday.
“So great to put it on pole here and it’s been a long time, so it feels good,” said Rosenqvist. “But what a day for Meyer Shank Racing with the win in the IMSA race today and now the pole for the IndyCar race.”
Pato O’Ward, Rosenqvist’s good friend and former teammate, will start from the front row after qualifying a season-best second at 1:07.5076 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
“That was nerve-wracking to watch my ole buddy Pato do his run, and I wasn’t sure if we’d get it,” said Rosenqvist. “But the SiriusXM Green Day Acura has been great and hope we can have a good day tomorrow.”
“This is by far the best qualifying day I’ve had,” said O’Ward. “I’ve been happy with the car I’ve been given from practice one. Hats off to Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy. I know we’re leading their pack.”
Four-time Series Champion Alex Palou will start from the third position in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda with 2026 Championship points leader Kyle Kirkwood right beside in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Andretti Global Honda.
David Malukas will start fifth in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, the best qualifying car for Team Penske.
Six-time Series Champion Scott Dixon will start sixth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The qualifying effort was Dixon’s best of 2026.
Next up is a 30-minute warmup Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (FS1, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).
The 90-lap race around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile iconic temporary street circuit starts at 5:30 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).
LONG BEACH, CA (April 18, 2026) Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood is picking up right where he left off at Long Beach. The 2025 winner of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach was quickest in the second NTT IndyCar Series practice session at the iconic street circuit.
Kirkwood’s fast lap of 1-minute, 7.5417-seconds was 0.2333-seconds quicker than Team Penske’s David Malukas.
Saturday’s practice session was sort of similar to Friday’s session as Andretti Global and Team Penske were 1-2 on the timing chart, except Friday’s session was led by Will Power, who beat out Scott McLaughlin for the top spot.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was fourth quickest on both days in the No. 10 OpenAI Honda.
Knockout style qualifying takes place at 6:30 p.m. ET with the Firestone Fast Six shifting to single car attempts.
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