The roar of IndyCar engines will get a jolt of NFL energy in 2026. Sports Central News has learned that Jon Gruden, the fiery former head coach who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl championship, will have the honor of giving the command to start engines for the IndyCar Series season opener. The event, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, will kick off its new season on the streets of the Florida city, and organizers are bringing in a local sports icon to set the pace.
A Florida Legend Takes the Mic
While it's not the famed "Drivers, start your engines!" call at the Indianapolis 500, this role is a prestigious nod to Gruden's enduring legacy in the Tampa Bay area. The news was first reported by FOX motorsports insider Bob Pockrass, who posted on social media platform X: "Giving the command to start engines for the INDYCAR opener at St. Pete … former Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden." For fans in Central Florida, it's a perfect marriage of racing excitement and football history.
Gruden's connection to the region is the stuff of legend. He arrived in Tampa in 2002 via a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Raiders and immediately engineered a storybook season. With his trademark intensity and a ferocious defense, he guided the Buccaneers to a 12-4 record and a trip to Super Bowl XXXVII. In a poetic twist, the opponent was his former team, the Raiders. Gruden's Buccaneers delivered a masterclass, dominating Oakland 48-21 to secure the franchise's first and only Lombardi Trophy.
A Championship Legacy and a Complicated Exit
That magical 2002 season cemented Gruden's place in Tampa sports lore. He became the team's all-time winningest coach, though sustained playoff success afterward proved challenging. The Buccaneers made the postseason two more times under his leadership but could not recapture the Super Bowl magic, leading to his departure after the 2008 season.
Gruden's later return to coaching with the Las Vegas Raiders ended abruptly in 2021 amid a controversy surrounding leaked emails, a matter for which he is still engaged in legal action against the NFL. Despite the tumultuous end to his coaching career on the national stage, his standing in Tampa remains largely untarnished by those events. He is remembered first and foremost as the coach who brought the city its greatest football glory.
From the Sideline to the Start Line
This new racing honor highlights how Gruden's persona—combustible, knowledgeable, and fiercely competitive—translates beyond the gridiron. His decade-long stint as a top NFL analyst for ESPN also showcased his charismatic understanding of the game, making him a familiar and engaging voice for millions of sports fans.
For the IndyCar Series, tapping Gruden is a savvy move to generate crossover buzz and draw local fans to the prestigious street circuit event. It acknowledges that the heart of sports fandom in St. Petersburg isn't limited to one arena or track.
The 2026 Firestone Grand Prix promises high-speed action and fierce competition as the IndyCar championship begins anew. But before the first car screams into turn one, the command from a Super Bowl-winning coach will remind everyone that in Florida, sports legends are never far from the action, no matter the field—or in this case, the track.
