Caitlin Clark's used to shooting from logos, but one NASCAR team just revealed the WNBA superstar will actually bea logo this weekend!!
Stewart-Haas Racing announced Tuesday they've put an image of the Indiana Fever rookie squarely on the hood of Josh Berry's No. 4 Ford Mustang ... and will officially debut the cool look at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The paint scheme is all part of a partnership between the racing team and Panini America, which just recently released a "Caitlin Clark Collection" of trading cards.
The 108th Indianapolis 500 is goin' down this weekend ... which means someone will be dousing themselves in cow juice to celebrate winning the whole thing -- and a former champ is giving TMZ Sports the lowdown on the best milk for the job!!
One of the coolest parts about the iconic race is the post-race festivities ... when the big winner chugs from a massive jug of dairy to commemorate the milestone.
The Indiana Dairy Association works alongside the race organizers to keep the tradition alive ... with three options to choose from -- whole, 2% and skim.
NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. going all Mike Tyson on Kyle Busch at the All-Star Race just set him back financially -- he was just fined $75K for his involvement in this past weekend's wild brawl.
The racing organization handed down the punishment on Wednesday ... saying not only will RSJ have to write out a hefty check, but his dad was suspended indefinitely for his role in the scrap as well.
5/19/24
X/@NASCAR
As we previously reported, the two drivers confronted each other after Sunday's event ... with Stenhouse pissed after Busch seemingly caused him to wreck on purpose at the beginning of the race.
If Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch wanna take their beef from garages and pit roads to an actual squared circle ... TMZ Sports has learned Celebrity Boxing is more than willing to put on the bout for them.
Damon Feldman -- the honcho of the fight org. -- said in a video message Monday he's ready to put the wheels in motion on a boxing match between the NASCAR stars ... as soon as they give him the green light.
"Come on, NASCAR," Feldman said, "let's make this the biggest deal in the country!"
NASCAR's All-Star race Sunday night looked a whole lot more like a UFC event -- at least at the end -- when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hauled off and socked Kyle Busch in the face for wrecking into him earlier in the evening.
The scene was chaotic ... after getting run over by Busch in the second lap of the contest at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, Stenhouse Jr. waited all night long to confront the NASCAR superstar in the raceway's garage.
2024 All-Star race @ North Wilkesboro, Ricky Stenhouse Jr's full race onboard. pic.twitter.com/4UJ0rS6sK0
He got in Busch's face, told him he was pissed over the crash ... and then he threw a right hand that connected with the driver's left cheek. He appeared to throw at least one more punch -- before all hell then broke loose.
A brutal crash went down in the closing moments of NASCAR's Geico 500 at Talladega on Sunday ... taking out several cars in the final lap and paving the way for Tyler Reddick to come away with the win.
The dramatic moment took place right before the checkered flag was waved ... when Michael McDowell -- who led 36 laps of the race -- triggered the chaos after attempting to block Brad Keselowski.
The two traded places multiple times, but McDowell's last effort made contact with Keselowski ... and that's when Michael's Ford Mustang turned sideways and caused the massive wreck.
A baby Bubba is on the way ... NASCAR star Bubba Wallace and his wife, Amanda Carter, just announced they're about to become mom and dad in the fall!!
The couple revealed the awesome pregnancy news on their Instagram pages Wednesday evening ... sharing a photo of them in a car with a sonogram hanging from the rearview mirror.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
"Spring has sprung. Summer will be rad," the duo said in the caption. "Fall is the first time, We'll be mom and dad!"
NASCAR star Kyle Busch is giving credit where it's due ... telling TMZ Sports he can only applaud his wife, Samantha, for ruthlessly trolling him over "inches" last week.
In case you missed it -- one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history went down in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday ... with Busch, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney being neck and neck (and neck) right up until the checkered flag.
The 2015 and 2019 Cup Series champion addressed his third-place finish after the race -- going to Instagram and admitting he "Needed a couple inches📏" in order to come out on top ... to which Samantha hit him with a sick burn.
"I’ve been telling you that for almost 20 years 😜" Sam wrote in the comments.
OUCH!!!
We caught up with Busch this week and asked about his wife's friendly jab ... and even he's admitting she got him good.
"I think I left the door wide open for those sorts of comments with how I scripted my text underneath my post, so she played that well."
As for the actual race, Busch broke down the "chess game" he was trying to execute in the final laps ... and how Suarez was able to use his own strategy against him.
But, all things considered, the driver of the No. 8 car said he was able to keep his composure in the end (per usual) ... and is thrilled they were all able to cross the finish line without crashing.
There's more -- we also asked Busch about the new Netflix series, "Full Speed" ... and there's one big reason why he's hoping to get more airtime in season 2.
The controversial college student who was tracking Taylor Swift's private jet posted a lengthy letter to social media that his lawyers sent to her, claiming he's done "nothing unlawful."
Travis Kelce is reportedly eager to get involved in more avenues of entertainment, as the NFL star met with some top-level Hollywood executives about some potential projects in the reality scene.
Un accidente masivo estropeó las últimas vueltas de la Daytona 500. Hubo 23 carros en total chocando entre sí en un lío salvaje hacia el final de la famosa carrera, aunque la carnicería en última instancia, permitió al desvalido William Byron salir con la victoria.
El caos se produjo a falta de ocho vueltas para el final en el Daytona International Speedway de Florida... cuando Alex Bowman inició el choque al empujar a Byron.
El golpe hizo que el carro de Byron -No. 24- se deslizara hacia Brad Keselowski, lo que desencadenó una enorme reacción en cadena de accidentes.
Échale un vistazo a la repetición, más de la mitad de los 40 vehículos en el campo quedó atrapado en el desastre.
De alguna manera, Byron escapó ileso -y después de que otro grupo de pilotos chocara unos momentos después de que los oficiales limpiaran la pista- el piloto de 26 años fue declarado ganador.
Después, celebró como un loco, diciéndole a los periodistas que no podía creer lo que estaba viviendo.
La carrera, por su parte, se retrasó un día completo después de que la lluvia obligara a los funcionarios de NASCAR a moverla de su habitual domingo para el lunes.
Mientras Pitbull no pudo realizar su show como estaba previsto, La Roca lo hizo en las festividades y encendió a la multitud cuando le dijo a los corredores que encendieran sus motores.
TMZ Studios
Bubba Wallace terminó la carrera en sexto lugar, mientras que el favorito de los fans -Kyle Busch- terminó doceavo y Jimmie Johnson -dos veces ganador de Daytona 500- obtuvo el lugar número veintiocho luego de que un accidente lo dejara fuera temprano.
A massive crash marred the final laps of the Daytona 500 ... as 23 cars in total pinballed off each other in a wild mess toward the end of the famed race -- although the carnage ultimately allowed underdog William Byron to come out with the win.
The chaos happened with eight laps to go at Daytona International Speedway in Florida ... when Alex Bowman started the wreck by nudging Byron.
The bump caused Byron's No. 24 car to slide into Brad Keselowski's ... which set off a huge chain reaction of accidents.
Check out the replay from the race's broadcast ... more than half of the 40 vehicles in the field got caught up in the melee.
Somehow, Byron escaped it all unscathed ... and after another set of drivers wrecked a few moments after officials got the track all cleaned up, the 26-year-old was declared the winner.
Afterward, he celebrated like crazy ... telling reporters he couldn't believe it all was actually happening.
The race, meanwhile, was delayed a full day ... after rain forced NASCAR officials to move it from its usual Sunday start time to Monday.
While Pitbull could not perform his scheduled pre-race concert as planned ... The Rock still made it out to the festivities -- and fired up the crowd when he told the racers to start their engines.
TMZ Studios
Bubba Wallace finished the race in sixth place ... while fan-favorite Kyle Busch ended up 12th. Jimmie Johnson -- a two-time Daytona 500 winner -- nabbed 28th place after a wreck knocked him out early.
Christmas Abbott's baby daddy was arrested in North Carolina ... for allegedly sharing explicit images of Christmas without her permission.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ ... Benjamin Bunn, who shares five-year-old son Loyal with Abbott, was arrested back in October and charged with three counts of disclosure of private images. He was later released on a $30,000 bond.
Sources close to the investigation tell us ... Abbot was being harassed by a fake account pretending to be her. Christmas believed Bunn was behind the account and was using it to post photos taken from an account where she publishes adult content from behind a paywall.
We’re told Christmas took this info to the cops ... who investigated, got a warrant, and eventually took Bunn into custody. His next court date is in February.
"Big Brother" fans will remember Christmas from seasons 19 and 22 of the show ... where she finished third and fourth respectively. She's also a CrossFit trainer and former Nascar pit crew member.
TMZ Studios
Abbott's had well-documented trouble with Bunn in the past. As we reported ... just a couple months before her son was born, Christmas suspected Benjamin was cheating on her -- and went to a Tampa gym to confront his alleged mistress.
The confrontation got out of hand ... with Christmas ramming into the woman's car. Cops showed up at the scene, but they declined to process her at the time, because she was almost 8 months pregnant. She turned herself in a few months later after she'd given birth.
Ultimately, CA avoided jail time ... pleading to misdemeanor criminal mischief and getting a year of probation and 25 hours of community service ... she was also ordered to pay $1,357.95 in restitution.
El padre del bebé de Christmas Abbott fue detenido en Carolina del Norte por presuntamente compartir imágenes explícitas de Christmas sin su permiso.
De acuerdo con documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ, Benjamin Bunn, que comparte a Loyal -de cinco años- con Abbott, fue detenido en octubre y acusado de tres cargos de divulgación de imágenes privadas. Más tarde fue puesto en libertad bajo fianza de 30.000 dólares.
Fuentes cercanas a la investigación nos dicen que Abbott estaba siendo acosada por una cuenta falsa que se hacía pasar por ella. Christmas creía que Bunn estaba detrás de la cuenta y que la estaba utilizando para publicar fotos tomadas de una cuenta donde publicaba contenido para adultos.
Nos dicen que Christmas llevó esta información a la policía, quienes investigaron, obtuvo una orden judicial y finalmente detuvieron a Bunn. Su próxima cita en la corte es en febrero.
Los fans de "Gran Hermano" recordarán a Christmas de las temporadas 19 y 22 del programa, donde terminó tercera y cuarta respectivamente. Ella es también una entrenadora de CrossFit y ex-miembro del equipo de boxes Nascar.
TMZ Studios
Abbott ha tenido problemas bien documentados con Bunn en el pasado. Como hemos informado, solo un par de meses antes de que naciera su hijo, Christmas sospechaba que Benjamin la estuviera engañando y fue a un gimnasio de Tampa para hacerle frente a su supuesta amante.
La confrontación se le fue de las manos, con Christmas embistiendo el carro de la mujer. La policía se presentaron en la escena, pero se negaron a procesarla en ese momento porque estaba embarazada de casi 8 meses. Ella se entregó unos meses más tarde después de haber dado a luz.
En última instancia, evitó el tiempo de cárcel declarándose culpable de un delito menor de daño criminal y obteniendo un año de libertad condicional y 25 horas de servicio comunitario, también se le ordenó pagar $1.357.95 en restitución.
Drag racing champ Leah Pruett is temporarily stepping away from driving to start a family, but thankfully she knows someone pretty good behind the wheel who can step in for her -- hubby Tony Stewart, who tells us he's honored to hold things down while she's away!
Pruett -- a 12x NHRA National Event Champ -- made the shocking announcement on Thursday, declaring she'll miss the 2024 season as she and Tony plan to have a baby. Stewart, owner of the Tony Stewart Racing team, will take over driving duties in the Top Fuel dragster.
"I am thrilled that Tony will be making his NHRA Top Fuel debut in Gainesville with such an excellent caliber of people," Pruett said, "both personally and professionally."
Stewart tells us he's excited for the opportunity, applauding Leah for temporarily surrendering her dream job so the couple can have a baby.
"This was a tough thing for her and honestly, I'm honored to be able to be the one that steps in whole she's starting a family for us," Steward told us.
"I think she's a true badass to have to make the decision she's made and to finish the season knowing that this is the direction we were going. She's a tough woman."
The 3x NASCAR and IndyCar champ will be driving a TF dragster, something Stewart hasn't done (he's raced the Top Alcohol dragster) ... but with support from his wife and team, he believes he'll do just fine.
"I don't know how you know if you're really ready or not other than you just gotta get in and do it," Stewart said.
"I got the best coach you could ask for with my wife."
TMZSports.com
And, if anyone can drive something fast, it's Tony. But, he shouldn't get too comfy, 'cause Leah tells us she plans to come back in 2025!
Ryan Blaney is just days removed from the biggest moment in his racing career ... so, how's the 2023 Cup Series champion celebrating?! TMZ Sports asked the NASCAR star.
"I'm going on vacation this upcoming weekend, so I'm excited for that!" Blaney told us ... adding the vacay was planned before winning the title, but it certainly makes the trip "even more special now," according to the driver.
But, even more so than a boy's trip, Blaney says he's looking forward to spending time with the team behind the great season.
"I'm excited to go to our race shop [Wednesday] to see everybody. See all the men and women who are a part of Team Penske in North Carolina. So that's gonna be another special moment to spend with everybody."
Blaney, at just 29 years old, secured the coveted title with a second-place (behind Ross Chastain) finish during Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway ... earning Ryan enough points to win the Cup Series title!
Ryan comes from a racing family ... his dad Dave made nearly 500 NASCAR starts. Grandpa was a driver, too -- mostly on dirt tracks -- and the racing lineage was a huge inspiration for the new champion.
"I was lucky enough as a kid to grow up around it, with my dad racing, him coming from dirt tracks just like my grandfather and I just saw it at a young age. As a kid, I just wanted to do what my dad did. I was fascinated by it, so he was obviously a huge part of getting me going, and supporting me throughout the way."
Ryan continued ... "Still having my family in my life the way they are, supporting me week in and week out, supporting me in my adulthood, is something that I can never thank them enough for."
FYI, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin rounded out the Cup Series standings.
As for when he turns his attention to next season ... here's what Ryan told us.
"Now. But at the same time, I'm still gonna enjoy this one. I don't want to look ahead too much."
Blaney continued ... "I think when it gets to the New Year, when January rolls around, 'Okay, it's time to go back to work! What do we have to do to get another?' But until January, I'm enjoying this one, and then I'll focus on the new one!"
Tony Stewart is 52 years old, and although he stopped driving NASCAR in 2016, the racing legend's going faster than ever behind the wheel of a dragster ... and he tells us the finish line isn't anywhere in sight.
The 3x NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar champion (the only driver to ever win both) stopped by the TMZ offices this week ... and sat down with Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), as Tony prepares for the NHRA Finals in Ponoma, CA November 9-12 at the Auto Club Raceway.
TMZSports.com
Stewart owns an NHRA team, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), an organization he co-founded with his wife, fellow racing star Leah Pruitt ... who drives a Top Fuel dragster.
Tony made his racing debut as a driver in NHRA in 2022, and this year began racing the Top Alcohol dragster on a regular basis. We asked him how much longer he envisions driving.
"From the NASCAR side, I retired at the right time. I haven't been in a wing sprint car on dirt for a couple of years now and I'm okay with that. The good thing about drag racing is because the run is so short, and the most you're gonna make in a day is 4 runs, physically it's not as taxing on your body. The taxing part is the acceleration and deceleration when the parachutes come out. That's the hardest part on your body," Stewart said.
He continued ... "I do feel like in NHRA, this is adding years to the end of my racing career. If it wasn't for NHRA, I'd probably would be for the most part officially retired. But this has kind of been a rebirth for me."
A traditional quarter-mile run in a TA dragster lasts a touch over 5 seconds and sees driver and race car reaching speeds near 300 MPH. The body endures several Gs during the start and stop of the race, but it doesn't last 3+ hours like the average NASCAR race.
Stewart believes that's extended his career by years ... possibly decades.
"Chris Karamesines, 'The Greek,' drove into his early 90s, was the last time he drove a top fuel car. Which I thought was absolutely insane watching him do that. John Force in early 70s, still winning races," Tony remarked.
We asked ... could you envision still being behind the wheel as a 70+-year-old driver?
"I just hope I live another 20 years," Tony said, laughing ... "At the rate I've been going, I feel like I'm a video game on extended play."
Check out the full sit-down interview with Tony -- there's much more with -- and don't miss him on the track in mid-November! 🏁
