SPEEDWAY — Centuries ago, being a princess meant having the right father, and wearing the crown was about as exciting as breathing air, both things being inherited and not earned. Having been born at the top of the mountain, history’s princes and princesses never experienced the thrill and struggle of the climb.
Maxine Cosat’s coronation was altogether different. She was busy working at IU Health Urgent Care when she got the call, and she could not contain herself. When Cosat learned she was one of the 33, she screamed for joy and leapt from the ground, and for the moment, she was the only one around her who knew why.
“It was like I was in a dream,” Cosat said of the experience.
The Mooresville High graduate had been selected as an Indianapolis 500 Festival Princess, becoming one of 33 college-aged women to earn a crown that more than 700 applicants were seeking.
Every year, the princess program selects 33 civic-minded and academically-driven women from Indiana to serve as ambassadors for the 500 Festival. Each princess receives a scholarship, and in return, the princesses participate in outreach and charitable events throughout the state.
The culmination of the program is on race day, when each princess takes a lap on the track and waves at more than 300,000 subjects, all gathered to see the greatest spectacle in racing. After all their hard work, the princesses can sit back and enjoy 200 laps and 500 miles of speed, skill and grit.
Millions in person and at home saw what it took for Felix Rosenqvist to win the closest Indy 500 in history and cement his face in the Borg-Warner Trophy.
As for the 33 young women in sashes and tiaras, after months and years of studying and working and organizing charities — they are really the only ones who truly know what it took to earn their crowns.
Qualifying
In some ways, it actually seems Cosat was born to be a 500 Festival Princess. Racing is in her blood.
Cosat comes from a long line of go-kart racers, stretching back to her great-grandfather. Cosat herself has been racing go-karts since she was 8 years old, and when she was a teenager, she worked alongside racing icon Sarah Fisher at Whiteland Raceway Park, acting as a track marshal and later a manager.
Fisher, who still holds the record as the woman with the most Indianapolis 500 starts, “watched” Cosat grow up, and has been an inspiration and mentor to Cosat.
From her father’s line, Cosat inherited speed, and from her mother, she was handed the desire to serve. Cosat’s mother first put herself through nursing school and then got to work all while raising five children.
By the end of the year, Cosat will have her own nursing degree from IU Indy, and she plans to be a nurse just like her mom.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else,” Cosat said.
If her background in racing and service wasn’t enough, Cosat is also no stranger to the pageantry circuit, and her face will be familiar in Morgan County. In 2025, the 10-year 4-H member was the first runnerup for Miss Morgan County at the fair, and before that had been crowned Miss Congeniality.
But even all this isn’t a guarantee when it comes to the 500 Festival Princess program. Of the more than 700 women who applied for the program, about 100 moved on to the second round of interviews.
Around 70 women all experienced what it felt like to be David Malukas this past Sunday, 0.0233 seconds away from history. Around 70 women all had the same chance as the 33 who were picked.
Qualifying for the princess program is just another example of a lesson humans are always failing to learn: Winning is not easy.
Lasting friendships
Some of the perks of being a princess are quite glamorous, like dining with Indiana’s mayors or snagging autographs from racing legends. Being one of the 33 is not without its spoils.
But mostly, wearing the crown means emptying your calendar wherever possible.
For months, Cosat has been involved in outreach events in Morgan County and throughout the state, serving her community on top of being a full-time student and working a job at urgent care.
Several of Cosat’s events have been in her hometown of Mooresville, working with children at Neil Armstrong Elementary and Paul Hadley Middle schools, and she’s also volunteered at Gleaner’s Food Bank and the Mooresville Public Library.
She and her fellow princesses use what little spare time they have to do things like read to children, or hand out food to those in need. It’s a lot of work, but the experience seems to create a lasting bond year after year with each generation of princesses.
“I’m just so thankful that I got to do this,” Cosat said. “I wouldn’t trade these girls for the world. We’ve been together constantly for the last four months, and I know we’re all gonna be friends long after the month of May.”
Pretty soon, the 500 Festival will be looking for its next round of princesses, calling out across the state once again for all the ambitious young women hungry for one more feather in their caps. Many will apply, and many will deserve it, but most will be disappointed.
“The princess program can sound intimidating, but you should go for it anyway,” Cosat said when asked what advice she would give to the next generation of princesses. “If you don’t make it, you can always apply again. The experience is worth it.”
