Women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark said that she was a big NASCAR fan as a child ahead of appearing on the hood of a race car for the Brickyard 400.
Clark was featured on Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, driven by Josh Berry. The hood showed Clark in her college jersey from Iowa, along with the Donruss trading cards logo and the text “Raining 3s.” The car was sponsored by Panini Trading Cards.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Is this real?!'” Clark said, according to WNDY. “I want to drive the car. So sometime maybe I have to take a spin, but it’s super cool. … Hopefully it brings good vibes and we get the W.”
‘The amount of reach and popularity she’s gained over the last couple years has been really amazing to watch.’
The WNBA player then said she was a fan of the sport growing up, indicating that her mother was involved in the racing league in some way.
“Honestly, I grew up watching NASCAR. My mom was kind of involved in it. So I was a really big fan growing up. It’s super cool.”
It is unclear how Clark’s mother was involved with NASCAR, if it all; however, Sporting News reported that she was the vice president of product marketing at American Enterprise Group Inc.
Stewart-Haas driver Berry called it a “great opportunity” to have Clark’s image on the hood of the car.
“The amount of reach and popularity she’s gained over the last couple years has been really amazing to watch and just how it’s kind of transcended women’s basketball. Obviously, being a girl dad, you don’t necessarily put the two together right now, but as she grows older I’m sure it will be a pretty cool thing to look back on as she continues her career.” he added.
Unfortunately, Berry’s No. 4 car finished 35th, completing just 63 laps before getting into a crash that sent him to the infield medical center. He was reportedly evaluated and released.
Clark and and the racing team will partner again in August 2024 when the hood will be donated to an auction to raise money for the Matt Alexander Memorial Baseball Scholarship Fund. The fund honors a baseball player who was shot during a mass shooting in 2021 at a FedEx facility.
The fund annually awards a high school senior baseball player $1,600 to further his education.
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Fearless, Nascar, Caitlin clark, Basketball, Sports