Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson enjoyed an entertaining weekend as the grand marshal for the IndyCar championship finale at Sonoma.
This year at the IndyCar season finale, the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, two-time NBA champion Klay Thompson, the shooting guard for the Golden State Warriors, gave the command to start engines as the race’s Grand Marshal. Last season at the race, the wife of his teammate and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, Ayesha Curry, gave the command.
It’s not too often that a key talking point of an IndyCar race, much less the championship race, is the grand marshal’s command to start engines. However, that was the case at Sonoma.
The words of the command “Drivers, start your engines!” are often referred to as the most famous words in motorsports and even in all of sports. For IndyCar races, there is often a celebrity giving that command, and that was the case at Sonoma, as referenced above, with Klay Thompson.
Here is what Thompson had to say about the opportunity to give the command to start engines as the race’s grand marshal this season.
"“I am beyond excited to be Grand Marshal for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. I have heard so many good things about this race, and I can’t wait to see everything up close in person.”"
More from IndyCar
- IndyCar: Two teams with no drivers confirmed for 2024
- IndyCar: Chip Ganassi Racing news hints Alex Palou announcement
- IndyCar: ‘Addition by subtraction’ could pay off in a big way
- Team Penske should make a bold driver signing for 2024
- IndyCar: 5 teams that still have open seats for 2024
Thompson had a great weekend at Sonoma leading up to giving the command in his role as the race’s grand marshal, a weekend that included a ride in the Honda two-seater driven by IndyCar and racing legend Mario Andretti.
His command itself was more so entertaining for the fans as it was for him, however, as it left a lot to be desired from the average grand marshal’s standpoint. It almost sounded and looked as though he was able to start rapping.
You can watch Thompson give the command in the video below. He gives the command at 10:50 in the video.
All jokes aside about Thompson’s rap-like command, it’s great that IndyCar is able to get high-profile athletes such as Klay Thompson to be at these races. It’s even better that the two-time NBA champion Thompson had a great time at the event both for his sake and for the sake of the exposure to the sport (IndyCar), which is on the rise again after several down seasons.
Next: IndyCar Post-Season Driver Grades
Do you like the fact that IndyCar gets celebrities and athletes from other sports to participate in its race weekend? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.