Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has been named honorary pace car driver for NASCAR's WÜRTH 400 on Sunday, May 3, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY on Sunday, May 3, at Texas Motor Speedway, the track announced Friday.
Flagg will drive a 2026 Chevrolet Corvette to pace the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag. The race is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. CT start on FS1, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM.
It will be the first NASCAR race Flagg has attended in person.
"Being asked to drive the official pace car at Texas Motor Speedway is such an honor," Flagg said in a statement. "My Mom and Dad are both big NASCAR fans so we're excited; this is going to be a special experience for our family."
Flagg, 19, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Duke. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in his first season, leading the Mavericks in scoring and topping all NBA rookies in scoring average. He was named a finalist for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award.
He is the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in a game, and the youngest to score 45 or more in consecutive games.
The WÜRTH 400 is the 14th race on the 2026 Cup Series schedule, set for 267 laps and 400 miles on the 1.5-mile oval. Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing and Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing entered the weekend near the top of the standings. Joey Logano, the defending race winner, is 14th in points and winless this season.
Flagg still awaits the results of the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year voting as he finished the season a strong candidate along with Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel.
The Mavericks will learn what pick they have on Sunday, May 10, 2026, after finishing with the eighth-best odds for the No. 1 selection. Dallas faces its best chance to add another core member next to Flagg, regardless of the outcome.
Flagg's season finale was cut short on April 12 after suffering an injury. The next time Flagg plays in a game for the Mavericks will be in October during preseason action, potentially in China as part of NBA Global Games.