Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham will ditch his maize and blue hat for a helmet at the NTT IndyCar Series Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday. Whittingham has been chosen to ride in the Fastest Seat in Sports as he leads the drivers to the green flag.
The 66-year-old coach will get to experience what it’s like to be in a custom IndyCar as it flies around the 1.645-mile street track in Detroit prior to the start of the race. Whittingham will join a long line of sports figures who have taken a ride in the Fastest Seat in Sports, including Michigan legend Tom Brady, Steph Curry and Alex Rodriguez.
Whittingham isn’t the only Big Ten coach who’s been in the IndyCar spotlight this year. Just last weekend, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti served as the honorary pace car driver at what turned out to be the closest Indianapolis 500 in history.
In Ann Arbor, Whittingham is hoping that he can get the Wolverines back on the fast track to success this year. After spending 22 seasons compiling a 177-88 record at Utah, Whittingham takes over one of the biggest brands in college football, and he isn’t shying away from the high expectations at Michigan.
“I would expect at Michigan, you challenge for the Big Ten title every single year. That should be a given,” Whittingham said in March. “Every single year, you should be in the hunt. And deep in the season, you should be right there with the top teams. Playoffs, obviously, is a lofty goal, but you can’t get there, most likely, unless you do well in the Big Ten, so you’ve got to take things a step at a time. But at Michigan, I would say if you’re not thinking Big Ten championship every year, then something’s wrong.”
The top of the Big Ten is loaded with championship contenders at the top of the conference, but no one questions Whittingham’s ability to get the most out of his roster. After all, he just landed in the top 10 of our 2026 Power Four coach rankings.
Whittingham will make his Michigan debut on Sept. 6 when the Wolverines host Western Michigan.
