Dawn Staley named honorary pace car driver at Southern 500
Darlington Raceway announces University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Head Coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Dawn Staley, will lead the field to green as the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the Cook Out Southern 500 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on Sept. 4.
“Dawn Staley is a true basketball legend that has achieved monumental success as both a player and coach throughout her collegiate and professional career,” said Kerry Tharp, Darlington Raceway President. “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.”
“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,” said Dawn Staley. “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.”
Dawn Staley has made the University of South Carolina Gamecocks a mainstay in the battle for Southeastern Conference (SEC) and national championships. Under her leadership, the Gamecocks have reached many firsts – National Championships (2017, 2022), four NCAA Final Fours (2015, 2017, 2021, 2022), two seasons with the final No. 1 ranking (2019-20, 2021-22), six SEC regular-season (2014-17, 2020, 2022) and tournament titles (2015-2018, 2020-2021), Players of the Year, National Players of the Year, WNBA No. 1 Draft pick and No. 1 recruiting classes – to name the most notable.