Indiana is, among other things, a sanctuary of sorts for basketball excellence. The Hoosier State has a long and sordid history with the sport, with many of hoops' grandest talents hailing from the Midwestern territory.
Fever phenom Caitlin Clark isn't one of them, as her roots are entrenched in Iowa, not Indiana. Given her contributions to the sport in recent years, however, you can make a case that she's one of Indiana basketball's greatest imports.
On Sunday, Clark's influence — classed by many as the "Caitlin Clark Effect" — sets its sights on a new target: stock car racing.
Cup Series regular Josh Berry will escort Clark around Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday's Cup Series race, the Brickyard 400 — just not in the way you might expect. Berry's No. 4 car will feature an image of Clark, snapped just as she attempted one of her patented parking lot triples while she was at Iowa.
Clark won't be attending the festivities this year, as a duel with A'ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, and the rest of the U.S. women's basketball 5v5 team looms for her in the WNBA All-Star Game.
Still, she's set to be introduced to an entirely new fanbase by Berry and Co. Here's why.
Why is Caitlin Clark on Josh Berry's NASCAR vehicle?
Clark takes center stage on Berry's gleaming chariot, finding a home for herself on the front hood of Berry's car. Behind her reads the words "Raining 3s", an apt statement for Clark's prowess from beyond the arc.
"The amount of attention the car has gotten this week through social media and everything's been really cool, and I'm sure it'll continue to build through the weekend," Berry said before Friday's practice session. "Hopefully, we can have a good race and make them all proud."
Her placement on the surface of the car appears to be at least somewhat related to the location of this week's Cup Series race, slated to be held at Indianapolis. Clark famously shines in the same city, an impetus for Berry to build ties between the two disparate sports.
Also worth noting is the fact that Berry and the team he belongs to, Stewart-Haas Racing, are sponsored by Panini America, the trading card company that also has an exclusive partnership with Clark. Panini recently released its Caitlin Clark Collection of trading cards. One of those decals features the "Raining 3s" design that will appear on Berry's whip.
“Every racecar driver wants to compete at Indy. It’s hallowed ground that all of us treat with a tremendous amount of respect,” Berry said in a news release. “To be there with Panini and promote its new Caitlin Clark Collection just adds to the prestige of racing in the Brickyard 400. Indy is a great sports town and it’s an honor to have Caitlin Clark as a part of our effort.”
Clark is far from the first celebrity to leave their mark on a Cup Series car. Earlier this month, an image depicting a young Michael Jordan leaping through the streets of Chicago appeared on Tyler Reddick's No. 45 car. Luke Combs also nabbed the honor in June, gracing Bubba Wallace's vehicle. Even Kim Kardashian herself has made an appearance, scrawling across the surface of Mike Bliss' No. 36 car in 2010.
UPDATE: Here's a view of Berry (and Clark) in action on Sunday:
When is the Brickyard 400?
- Date: Sunday, July 21
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Brickyard 400 will take place at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 21. The race will last 160 laps and 400 miles, two times as long as the 200-mile trek drivers took during last year's race at Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is best known for hosting the Indy 500, perhaps the most popular racing event in the United States. Like the Indy 500, the Brickyard 400 requires drivers to go around the full oval. The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, the race that preceded this year's Brickyard 400, would have drivers go through IMS' road course rather than the 2.5-mile oval.
