The WNBA star joined USA Network as an athlete contributor at Gateway, but her connection to NASCAR goes much deeper than a one-day broadcasting appearance.
MADISON, Ill. — Sophie Cunningham has worn a lot of hats lately.
WNBA player. analyst. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model. UFC ring girl. Caitlin Clark defender and women's sports advocate. Apparently, we can add NASCAR fan to the list.
Cunningham was seemingly everywhere Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, joining USA Network’s coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 as an “athlete contributor.”
But it didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t simply another athlete making a promotional appearance in a different sport.
“I love it here, and these are my people,” Cunningham said on the NASCAR on USA X account. “I’m wearing the all leather and pulling out my Talladega Nights, baby.”
And she certainly looked at home. Cunningham spent time around pit lane, joined NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett at the USA Network desk and got an up-close look at the No. 23 team of 23XI Racing.
That also led to quite the basketball crossover, as Cunningham dapped up 23XI co-owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan. NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon got a dap, too.
Cunningham also spent time with some of NASCAR’s biggest current stars, including Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, along with Carson Hocevar and Austin Hill. There was even a photo of Cunningham with Team Penske while holding up Blaney’s whiskey.
Yet when Cunningham reflected on her experience with the USA Network crew, it wasn’t the cars, famous names or photo opportunities that seemed to leave the biggest impression. It was the people.
“Salt of the earth people and great men,” Cunningham said. “I got to hang out with Ryan and Chase, Carson. Austin was absolutely amazing. It’s cool to talk to them about racing cars, but getting to know them outside of the track. You guys are truly amazing, and the day has been a lot of fun.”
That probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Cunningham’s NASCAR connection didn’t begin when she arrived at Gateway on Sunday.
She grew up in Columbia, Missouri, the same hometown as NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards. Cunningham recalled watching NASCAR with her dad when she was younger and being a fan of Edwards, particularly his signature backflips after victories.
Years later, Cunningham returned to her roots not merely to watch a NASCAR race, but to help broadcast one. It was a natural fit for someone who has increasingly found herself behind a microphone.
Cunningham has already worked as a WNBA analyst, giving viewers the perspective of a current player. Sunday gave her an opportunity to take that personality into a completely different sports world.
She conducted interviews around pit lane, interacted with drivers and teams and later joined Jarrett and the USA Network crew at the desk.
What stood out was how little Cunningham tried to pretend she was suddenly a NASCAR expert. Instead, she brought the same outgoing personality that has helped make her one of the WNBA’s more recognizable players, while allowing the people who spend every weekend at the racetrack to explain their world to her.
That made the “athlete contributor” role work. She knows what it takes to compete professionally. She knows the pressure that comes with performing in front of thousands of people. She knows what it’s like to have fans, media and critics analyzing everything an athlete does.
What she doesn’t know about driving a Cup Series car at nearly 200 mph, she could ask. And she seemed genuinely interested in the answers. That curiosity extended beyond what the drivers do when they climb into their cars.
Cunningham’s comments about getting to know Blaney, Elliott, Hocevar and Hill away from racing said plenty about what she took from the experience. For someone already developing as a broadcaster, learning who athletes are beyond their results is valuable no matter the sport.
I got a small taste of just how much ground Cunningham covered Sunday myself. While making my own way around the track, I happened to run into her and grabbed a quick picture.
I’ve jokingly introduced Cunningham in my own videos on YouTube as our favorite SI Swimsuit model, UFC ring girl and Caitlin Clark/women's sports defender.
After Sunday, that introduction apparently needs an update. NASCAR fan belongs on the list. And maybe NASCAR broadcaster does, too.
One appearance as an athlete contributor doesn’t mean Cunningham is about to trade basketball courts for racetracks. But Sunday showed another avenue she could explore as her media career continues to develop. More importantly, it didn't feel forced.
This was a Missouri native returning home to a sport she remembers watching with her father, talking about a Hall of Fame driver from her hometown and getting an opportunity to experience NASCAR from a perspective she never had as a kid.
Only now, instead of watching Carl Edwards do backflips on television, Cunningham was standing on pit road herself, talking with some of the biggest names in the sport.
For one Sunday in Madison, basketball and NASCAR collided. And Cunningham couldn't have sounded much happier about it.
“These are my people.” Turns out, she meant it.
