With the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 comes this Sunday, and just a few minutes ago, we got official confirmation on the identity of the next Grand Marshal. Caitlin Clark will lead the sold out Indianapolis Motor Speedway crowd this holiday weekend, helping them get fired up for the start of the race.
The two-time WNBA All-Star and face of the Indiana Fever franchise was the number #1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and Rookie of the Year that season.
Clark helped lead the Fever to the WNBA Playoff semi-finals last season, and they are considered among the contenders to win the championship this season. You can bet on all kinds of activites at Betwright casino, and that includes the WNBA. The New York Liberty (+220) are the current favorites to win the 2026 WNBA title on the young season, followed by the three-time champion Las Vegas Aces (+395) and Clark’s Indiana Fever (+450). The Fever are currently 2-2 through the first four games.
“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,” reads a statement attributed to Clark.
There is no doubt it, on both the collegiate level at the University of Iowa and in the professional ranks in Indianapolis, Caitlin Clark has raised the profile of women’s basketball, not just in America, but around the world.
As the face of not just the Fever, but the WNBA itself, it is not a stretch to refer to her as the potential Michael Jordan of women’s basketball. Clark is becoming another Indianapolis sporting institution, of which there are many, given how the city is considered among the world’s best for hosting large sporting events.
And of course, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which hosts the world’s highest attended single day sporting event, is at the very top of the list. With that in mind, seeing the IMS Museum, to take in Indy 500 history and Indy 500 culture, is a must.
It is not open on raceday, so you’ll have to go on a different day, but it’s well worth the price of admission. Fittingly, and appropriately, the first IndyCar of Danica Patrick is way behind the rest of the other cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum.
It’s appropriate, given her pejorative nickname of “One Lap Downica.”
Maybe the Indy 500 Motor Speedway museum has a dry sense of humor?
They also placed Patrick’s car next to one that was once driven by “The King” Richard Petty. That’s funny, given that whole tiff they had in 2013.
The museum’s highlight however, is the first ever Indy 500 Champion race car; from 1911. It is perfectly placed near the front, and you can’t miss it. In addition to Caitlin Clark leading the drivers to start their engines, we’ll have additional in-state sports royalty as honored guests at the Indianapolis 500.
Curt Cignetti, head coach of the national champion Indiana Hoosiers football team, will drive the pace car on Sunday. Cignetti led IU football to the first 16-0 college football season since Yale in 1894.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.