DARLINGTON, S.C. — Just before the green flag drops for the Cook Out Southern 500 on September 4, Dawn Staley will be at the front of the field.
The South Carolina head women's basketball coach will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the event which will be the first race of NASCAR's playoffs.
The last time Staley was at the Track Too Tough To Tame, it was in 2017 and it was five months after she won her first national championship with the Gamecocks. With her second national championship secured, Staley will return to the Pee Dee where she will literally have a front row seat for the start of the race as she leads the field to green.
“Dawn Staley is a true basketball legend that has achieved monumental success as both a player and coach throughout her collegiate and professional career,” Kerry Tharp, Darlington Raceway President said in a statement.
“We are proud to welcome Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and two-time National Champion Coach Dawn Staley, back to Darlington Raceway for a Too Tough To Tame experience as the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the Cook Out Southern 500.
In her previous trip to the Darliington, Staley was on the big stage where she received a special plaque commemorating her 2017 title. Five seasons later, Staley will have a more visible presence at the iconic race track.
“I can’t wait to get back on the track again! My first time at a NASCAR event was when I was invited to Darlington after our 2017 National Championship, and, now that I know what I’m in for, I can’t wait to get back,” Staley said in a statement.
“The staff, the drivers and the fans are so welcoming and connected – just like women’s basketball fans are to their teams – and that’s energy I’m always happy to be associated with.”
The Shriners Children’s presents Darlington Labor Day Race Weekend on Sept. 3-4, featuring the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3:00 p.m. and start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in the 73rd running of the crown jewel Cook Out Southern 500® over Labor Day weekend on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 6:00 p.m.