Indiana's Curt Cignetti secures another job amid massive extension

Curt Cignetti received an outstanding honor this week. The Indiana Hoosiers football coach will take on duties as the pace car driver for the 2026 Indy 500, per an announcement by IndyCar on Tuesday.

Cignetti led the Hoosiers to victory in the CFP National Championship Game last season. The best season in school history and college football's first 16-0 team in 132 years.  

Indiana beat Miami, 27-21, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza took care of business when it mattered the most. He was key in a 38-3 win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, along with a 56-22 blowout over Oregon in the Peach Bowl. 

Under Cignetti’s direction, Indiana has gone 27-2 over the last two seasons. In both campaigns, the Hoosiers earned trips to the College Football Playoff with different quarterbacks. In 2024, Indiana went 11-2. Their two losses that season came to Ohio State and Notre Dame. As fate would have it, the two teams played in the national championship game that year. 

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For his efforts, Cignetti received a massive extension to make him college football's highest paid coach over Georgia's Kirby Smart. In two years, he has proven what's possible in the NIL era with good coaching and roster management. 

Cignetti will drive the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X at this year’s Indy 500 scheduled for Sunday, May 24 (10 a.m. ET, FOX). 

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