Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam will serve as honorary Pace Car driver for the Brickyard 400 this Sunday, July 27.
Siakam, a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, will drive the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS and lead the field around the iconic 2.5-mile oval to start the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Siakam didn’t start playing organized basketball until age 17, but by age 26, he was an NBA champion.
Siakam’s journey began in Douala, Cameroon, in a family of six siblings. Even though his older brothers – Boris, Christian and James – all eventually went on to play Division I college basketball in America, Siakam had other plans. He was more interested in soccer.
After an invite to a Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa at age 16, Siakam went on to attend a prep school in Texas and later played college basketball at New Mexico State before being drafted in the first round by the Toronto Raptors in 2016.
Siakam went from a promising prospect in his rookie NBA season to a bench player in his second year and blossomed into the starting power forward of a championship team in his third season, earning the league’s Most Improved Player award while helping the Raptors capture their first-ever NBA championship in 2019.
In 2024, Siakam was traded to the Indiana Pacers, where he quickly emerged as a key veteran presence on a young, dynamic roster. His leadership and playoff experience were critical during the Pacers’ 2025 postseason run. Siakam’s standout performance earned him the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and he was instrumental in pushing the team to a hard-fought Game 7 in the NBA Finals — the franchise’s deepest playoff run in recent memory.
“Basketball and motorsports – Pacers and racers – go hand in hand in Indianapolis,” INDYCAR and IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Following the Pacers’ electrifying postseason 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.”
From a late basketball bloomer to an NBA champion, multi-time All-Star and respected veteran leader, Siakam’s story continues to be one of resilience, adaptability and relentless determination.
The Brickyard 400 is the final race in the five-race NASCAR In-Season Challenge.
The winner takes home a $1 million bonus.
Catch the race on WRBI starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 27.