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Caitlin Clark has been everywhere lately.
She’s walked out with Morgan Wallen, played in the Annika pro-am golf tournament, starred alongside celebrities in Nike commercials and has recently published her own children’s book. She’s done all that while starring on the court for the Indiana Fever, where she recently became the record-holder for the most games in a career where she’s tallied at least 20 points and 10 assists — doing so in less than three full seasons.
And now, the WNBA superstar is crossing over into motorsports.
Clark will serve as the grand marshal for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. She’ll give the command for drivers to report to their cars during the official pre-race ceremonies. That will be shown live on FOX during its pre-race broadcast, which begins at 10 a.m. ET on May 24.
"I'm honored to represent Gainbridge as grand marshal of the Indy 500,” Clark said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to experiencing an iconic piece of what makes Indiana so special and being part of the time-honored tradition of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”
The former Iowa Hawkeye — who is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Division I NCAA women’s basketball — was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Clark went on to have a stellar rookie season, winning Rookie of the Year, earning an All-Star and All-WNBA nod, and leading the league in assists with 8.4 per game.
After battling several injuries last season, Clark seems to have returned to form so far this season. Through four games she’s averaged 24.3 points and 9.1 assists per game, and is a perfect 23-of-23 from the free throw line.
“Since being drafted by the Fever, fans have been clamoring to share the epic celebration and thrilling excitement of Indy 500 Race Day with Caitlin,” INDYCAR and IMS President J. Douglas Boles said in a statement. “Through our incredible partnership with Gainbridge, everyone joining us for the world’s largest single-day spectator sporting event will get to do just that. Caitlin will bring unique energy and presence to a quintessentially Hoosier experience and an absolutely bucket list global sporting spectacle.”
This isn’t Clark’s first foray into motorsports, though. At the 2024 Brickyard 400, Josh Berry drove a car sponsored by trading card company Panini that had an image of Clark emblazoned on the hood of his No. 4 Ford. And last year at the NASCAR All-Star race, Carson Hocevar wore a Clark’s Fever jersey during driver introductions.
Having a record-setting woman athlete be the grand marshal for this year’s Indy 500 is fitting since it will feature a driver chasing her own history, as Katherine Legge attempts to be the first woman to pull off “The Double” — racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indy 500: Caitlin Clark will be grand marshal for 2026 race
Continue reading...
She’s walked out with Morgan Wallen, played in the Annika pro-am golf tournament, starred alongside celebrities in Nike commercials and has recently published her own children’s book. She’s done all that while starring on the court for the Indiana Fever, where she recently became the record-holder for the most games in a career where she’s tallied at least 20 points and 10 assists — doing so in less than three full seasons.
And now, the WNBA superstar is crossing over into motorsports.
Clark will serve as the grand marshal for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. She’ll give the command for drivers to report to their cars during the official pre-race ceremonies. That will be shown live on FOX during its pre-race broadcast, which begins at 10 a.m. ET on May 24.
"I'm honored to represent Gainbridge as grand marshal of the Indy 500,” Clark said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to experiencing an iconic piece of what makes Indiana so special and being part of the time-honored tradition of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”
The former Iowa Hawkeye — who is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Division I NCAA women’s basketball — was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Clark went on to have a stellar rookie season, winning Rookie of the Year, earning an All-Star and All-WNBA nod, and leading the league in assists with 8.4 per game.
After battling several injuries last season, Clark seems to have returned to form so far this season. Through four games she’s averaged 24.3 points and 9.1 assists per game, and is a perfect 23-of-23 from the free throw line.
“Since being drafted by the Fever, fans have been clamoring to share the epic celebration and thrilling excitement of Indy 500 Race Day with Caitlin,” INDYCAR and IMS President J. Douglas Boles said in a statement. “Through our incredible partnership with Gainbridge, everyone joining us for the world’s largest single-day spectator sporting event will get to do just that. Caitlin will bring unique energy and presence to a quintessentially Hoosier experience and an absolutely bucket list global sporting spectacle.”
This isn’t Clark’s first foray into motorsports, though. At the 2024 Brickyard 400, Josh Berry drove a car sponsored by trading card company Panini that had an image of Clark emblazoned on the hood of his No. 4 Ford. And last year at the NASCAR All-Star race, Carson Hocevar wore a Clark’s Fever jersey during driver introductions.
Having a record-setting woman athlete be the grand marshal for this year’s Indy 500 is fitting since it will feature a driver chasing her own history, as Katherine Legge attempts to be the first woman to pull off “The Double” — racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indy 500: Caitlin Clark will be grand marshal for 2026 race
Continue reading...
