After helping set the pace in Indiana’s run to the NBA Finals last month, Pascal Siakam will do the same ahead of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday.
The Indiana Pacers forward will serve as the honorary pace car driver for NASCAR’s Brickyard 400, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced Tuesday.
Already known for his shifty drives to the basket, Siakam will now have to drive a Chevrolet Blazer EV SS to lead the field of drivers around the 2.5-mile track to signal the start of the race and get the cars warmed up.
“Basketball and motorsports — Pacers and racers — go hand in hand in Indianapolis,” INDYCAR and IMS president J. Douglas Boles said in a release. “Following the Pacers’ electrifying post-season run, it’s only fitting to have Pascal join us to pace the field as NASCAR’s biggest stars compete to win the In-Season Challenge and add their name to the history books with a win at the Brickyard.”
Siakam, a beloved former Toronto Raptor, joined the Pacers via trade in the 2023-24 season. He earned a third All-Star nod last season and helped Indiana to their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years.
The Brickyard 400 is the final race in NASCAR’s five-race In-Season Challenge, a single-elimination tournament that debuted in the 2025 season. The winner of the race will earn a $1 million bonus.
