In just a few months, Caitlin Clark has become a household name in Indiana. Now, the basketball sensation will be featured prominently at the state’s most iconic venue.
The Indiana Fever rookie, who has already made a significant impact in the WNBA, is expanding her reach into NASCAR for this weekend’s Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where she will have her own representation on a car.
To be precise, Clark’s image from her record-setting college basketball career at Iowa will adorn the hood of driver Josh Berry’s car in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC). The paint scheme on the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford is sponsored by Panini America, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company and NASCAR’s official trading card partner. It features one of Clark’s trading cards – “Raining 3s” – part of Panini’s newly launched Caitlin Clark Collection.
Like Clark, Berry is a newcomer to the NASCAR scene, competing in his rookie season in the premier series. The 33-year-old currently leads the Rookie of the Year standings and aims to secure a spot in the playoffs with only five races left in the regular season.
“Our No. 4 team has an incredibly talented group of people who devise strategies, build fast cars, and give me the opportunity to compete at a high level,” Berry remarked. “Our objective this year was to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award, and we are on the brink of achieving that.”
After the Brickyard race on Sunday, NASCAR will take a two-week hiatus as the Paris Olympics dominate the spotlight before returning for four consecutive races, followed by the 10-race playoffs starting on September 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Clark signed a sponsorship deal with Panini in March while still playing collegiate basketball at Iowa. This month, Panini unveiled the “Caitlin Clark Collection,” a set of trading cards celebrating her illustrious career with the Hawkeyes.
Berry, in his inaugural full season in the NASCAR Cup Series, currently sits 21st in the standings with 386 points, having secured two top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes in 21 races.
