Caitlin Clark has been one of the biggest names in sports for a while now and Indianapolis keeps finding new ways to celebrate her. On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that the Indiana Fever guard will serve as grand marshal for the 2026 Indianapolis 500.
The 110th running of the race is set for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. EDT with coverage starting at 10 a.m. on FOX. Clark will deliver the traditional command that sends drivers to their cars before the race gets underway.
Her basketball schedule with the Fever had kept her away from race week in previous years, so this is a first for the two-time All-Star and a notable addition to one of the biggest sporting events in the country.
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Fever head coach Stephanie White was asked about the honor and didn’t try to hide how meaningful she thought it was.
"It's going to be a lot of fun to experience that," White said, per James Boyd. "I'm not sure if she's been there yet or not, but to experience that as the Grand Marshal, it's one of the highest honors you can get in the state of Indiana."
Caitlin Clark Joins Notable List of Indianapolis 500 Grand Marshals
White is an Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer herself so she knows what that kind of recognition means in this state.
Clark joins a distinguished group of past grand marshals that includes Peyton Manning, Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Tamika Catchings, Blake Shelton, Gerald Ford, Florence Henderson, and Nastia Liukin.
Clark has earned every bit of it. The Indiana Fever selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she delivered immediately, winning Rookie of the Year and setting the league's single-season assists record in her debut. Before that, she left college as the NCAA's all-time leading scorer.
This season she's averaging a career-high 24.3 points, 9.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds through her first four games. She also recently became the first player in league history to record a second double-double with at least 30 points and 10 assists.
Earlier this year, she returned from an injury-filled second season to lead Team USA at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament and walked away with MVP honors.
