Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Caitlin Clark will serve as grand marshal for the 110th Indianapolis 500 this Sunday before the race begins.
- Her selection highlights her rapid rise as the face of Indianapolis sports, even with the Colts and Pacers in town.
- Clark joins elite company including Tamika Catchings, Peyton Manning and Larry Bird as grand marshals of the historic race.
The countdown to the Indianapolis 500 is on. This Sunday, 33 of the world's best open-wheel drivers will descend on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 110th running of the event.
And before the drivers take the green flag, one of the city's top athletes will serve as the event's grand marshal. That's right — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark will be calling the drivers to their cars before the start of the race. It's more proof that Clark has become the face of Indianapolis sports.
Caitlin Clark is the face of Indianapolis sports
This is Clark's first time serving in this role, but it's been coming since she was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever in 2024. Conflicts with Fever games prevented her from serving in the role, but a break for the team this week has opened up room for Clark to serve in the role.
The very fact that this is something that the Indianapolis 500 has apparently been wanting since she was drafted just underlines how important Clark is to the city.
Indianapolis is in a weird spot as a pro sports city. They only have teams in two of the Big 4 men's leagues, and the NFL team lacks a true "face," largely because the post-Andrew Luck quarterback situation there has been fluid. The Pacers were really good for a few years, but plummeted to 19-63 this past season with Tyrese Haliburton out.
That, plus the popularity that Clark earned in college before even starting her WNBA career, has opened up an opportunity that most female athletes are unfortunately unable to take (due, largely, to the way misogyny functions in the larger sports culture, though that's a discussion for a different day). Clark has transcended this and become the face of Indianapolis sports, and her spot as grand marshal proves it.
Clark joins prestigious list of grand marshals
Clark isn't the first Fever star to serve as grand marshal. In 2024, Tamika Catchings, the undisputed best player in franchise history and my personal pick for the GOAT of the WNBA, served in the role.
Other notable names to be the Indy 500 grand marshal over the years include Olivia Newton John, Anderson Cooper, Reggie Miller and Peyton Manning.
In fact, you could say that serving as grand marshal is a right of passage for Indianapolis sports greats. Larry Bird's done it. Scot Pollard's done it. And now, Clark is adding her name to a list that includes a former United States president (Gerald Ford) and also Mickey Mouse, who's done it twice. It's a real mark of who's who, and Caitlin Clark is decidedly a "who" in Indianapolis.
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