The University of Iowa will be represented in sports starpower this weekend at Iowa Speedway, which has named Caitlin Clark and Kirk Ferentz as the grand marshals for the NTT IndyCar Series Hy-Vee doubleheader race weekend.
Clark, the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and Naismith Player of the Year who led the Hawkeyes women’s basketball team to the NCAA championship game, will give the command to start engines for Saturday’s Hy-Vee Homefront 250.
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“Caitlin Clark means so much to fans in Iowa and we are excited to welcome her back to Iowa Speedway as our Saturday Grand Marshal for Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend,” Hy-Vee Race Weekend general manager Anne Fischgrund said in a release. “With Hy-Vee’s support and partnership, we look forward to Caitlin’s participation this weekend, and we know our fans will be excited to see her and have a chance to meet her at the track.”
Collegiate Women Athlete of the Year ✔️
— Hy-Vee INDYCAR Weekend (@INDYCARatIowa) July 19, 2023
Naismith Player of the Year ✔️
Grand Marshal for the #HyVeeHomefront250 🔜
@CaitlinClark22 will serve as Grand Marshal for Saturday's race! pic.twitter.com/OMKR1uWaGd
Clark, a Des Monies native and two-time first-team All-American who became the first player in Division I women’s basketball history with more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in a season, will sign autographs Saturday and Sunday morning.
Ferentz, a three-time Big Ten coach of the year with a 198-136 record over 24 seasons as Iowa’s head football coach, will give the command for Sunday’s race.
Music star Ed Sheeran will wave the green flag and also perform in a postrace concert on the frontstretch. The Zac Brown Band will perform before Sunday’s race, and country stars Carrie Underwood (prerace) and Kenny Chesney (postrace) will play sets Saturday.
