Indiana Univ. football coach Curt Cignetti will be the honorary pace car driver for the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24, Fox Sports and the NTT IndyCar Series confirmed on Tuesday night. Fox made the announcement during the World Baseball Classic championship game. SBJ had previously reported that Indianapolis Motor Speedway was preparing to honor the IU football team during this year’s 500, and that IndyCar President Doug Boles was coy when asked specifically about Cignetti. Cignetti will drive a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X car around the 2.5-mile oval before the race. That means Cignetti is not being named grand marshal, the dignitary who tells drivers to start their engines, a position reserved in recent years for series majority owner Roger Penske. Past pace car drivers for the race include Morgan Freeman, Ken Griffey Jr., Tyrese Haliburton, Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan.
Cignetti led what used to be a perennial cellar dweller in IU to an undefeated season and national championship this year, instantly vaulting him to a rarified status in the history of the game. Fox utilizing the big stage of the WBC championship to make the announcement is the latest example of its robust promotion of IndyCar.
