If you thought the WNBA offseason couldn’t get any more high-octane, then you haven’t heard of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
The post-basketball star turned to the regional imagery of Lone Star State for an appearance at the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix held at Austin, Texas.
Fully committed to the regional Lone Star State imagery, Cunningham could be found as a celebrity ambassador, a partner with Western wear manufacturer Tecovas and finally, the last to grab a celebratory checkered flag to close out the race.
From the moment she arrived in the F1 paddock, Cunningham set the tone by debuting her carefully curated western wardrobe including a shiny pair of metallic leather trousers, and new black boots.
The real star of her race day wardrobe, though, was her custom light tan cowboy hat with the playful phrase ‘YEE MF HAW’ embroidered across its brim.
Sophie Cunningham elevated the standard racing look by sharing behind the scenes content about her Tecovas collaboration on social media channels, connecting racing fans with the stories of the products she was wearing.
While Cunningham is better known in the conventional racing world, owing to her work as a former televised commentator and honorary pace car driver for NASCAR, her introduction to the F1 universe was a resounding debut.
Speaking with the media at COTA, the rookie F1 driver reveled in being an open-wheel rookie and being completely immersed in the speed. Of course, the showstopper came at the checkered flag, when she took the gantry to wave the race winner’s flag for Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
This crossover just exemplifies how much of a premier pop star in today’s professional world athletes have become during the offseason, working to build their brands in a variety of entertainment-related fashion verticals.
Making that leap from being a professional basketball elite to a high-fashion motorsport lifestyle integration, Cunningham further maintains her identity as one of the top figures to emerge as a premier property in sports entertainment.
As the WNBA offseason continues, that Austin weekend will stand as a prime example of an athlete’s cultural footprint.
