Iowa native and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will serve as this year’s Indy 500 grand marshal.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that the former Iowa women’s basketball star will serve as grand marshal for the race on Tuesday, May 19. As part of the pre-race ceremonies, she’ll give the field of drivers the iconic command of “drivers, start your engines.”
“I’m honored to represent Gainbridge as grand marshal of the Indy 500,” Clark said in a news release. “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.'”
When is the 2026 Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 takes place Sunday, May 24, 2026.
How to watch Caitlin Clark at the Indianapolis 500
Clark’s appearance will be featured during the pre-race ceremony airing live on FOX starting Sunday at 9 a.m. CT. She will give the command to “start your engines” at 11:38 a.m. and the green flag, signaling the start of the race, is set to wave at 11:45 a.m.
The race is available for streaming at FoxSports.com, in the Fox Sports app or through Fubo.
Watch the Indy 500 on Fubo
“Since being drafted by the Fever, fans have been clamoring to share the epic celebration and thrilling excitement of Indy 500 Race Day with Caitlin,” INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said in the news release. “Through our incredible partnership with Gainbridge, everyone joining us for the world’s largest single-day spectator sporting event will get to do just that.
Recent Indy 500 grand marshals include Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Dylan Sprouse, Stephanie Beatriz and Blake Shelton. Indiana sports legends like Fever great Tamika Catchings, and NBA Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Reggie Miller have also served in the role.
Caitlin Clark stats
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Caitlin Clark named Indy 500 grand marshal for 2026 race
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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