![\"Alyssa](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_GettyImages-2224542968.jpg\")
Alyssa Thomas is partnering with Ryan Preece to create a new NASCAR paint job(Image: Getty)<\/p>\nWNBA star Alyssa Thomas will appear on the hood of Ryan Preece\u2019s NASCAR Cup car in a bold cross-sport collab debuting at Dover and Indy<\/p>\n
20:22 ET, 19 Jul 2025Updated 20:22 ET, 19 Jul 2025<\/p>\n
Alyssa Thomas is partnering with Ryan Preece to create a new NASCAR paint job(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Phoenix Mercury<\/a> superstar Alyssa Thomas<\/a> \u2014 known as \u201cThe Engine\u201d for her relentless play \u2014 will have her face and nickname emblazoned on the hood of RFK Racing\u2019s No. 60 Castrol Ford, driven by Ryan Preece for Sunday’s Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. Preece made headlines in 2023 after a miraculous escape despite his car flipping more than ten times.<\/a><\/p>\n The collaboration also extends to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the following weekend. This one-of-a-kind tribute stems from a joint effort between Castrol, RFK Racing, and Thomas herself, aiming to \u201cbridge worlds\u201d between women’s basketball and a traditionally male-dominated motorsport.<\/p>\n The eye-catching livery features a basketball-textured base, Roman numeral XV for her all-time triple-double record, a crown-topped infinity symbol, purple chrome No. 60 decals, and her signature \u2014 an homage to her WNBA legacy. It comes as Thomas’ fiancee DeWanna Bonner recently joined the Mercury after a month-long stand with Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever.<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: Rory McIlroy remark speaks volumes as bad behavior sees golfer banned from U.S. Open Championship<\/a>READ MORE: Golfer, 28, killed on course in tragic incident as fellow player questions circumstances<\/a><\/p>\n Thomas, a six-time All-Star and current MVP contender averaging 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 9.6 assists with the Mercury, expressed pride in contributing her likeness and legacy to a race car \u2014 remarking that \u201cnot many people can say that they designed a car and have their face on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Preece echoed the sentiment, saying her \u201cEngine\u201d mentality \u2014 \u201cpushing limits and delivering under pressure\u201d \u2014 perfectly mirrors his approach on the track.<\/p>\n For RFK Racing \u2014 a powerhouse team co-owned by Jack Roush, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group \u2014 the partnership is also a marketing milestone, reinforcing ties with Castrol, their official motor oil partner, while showcasing innovation beyond the track.<\/p>\n The timing couldn\u2019t be better. The Dover race kicks off All-Star weekend, coinciding with Thomas\u2019s participation in the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n Her move from the Connecticut Sun \u2014 where she spent 11 seasons \u2014 to the Phoenix Mercury this year has sparked a career resurgence, and now, this helmet-to-hood tribute amplifies her growing cultural impact.<\/p>\n Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Castrol executives emphasized the campaign\u2019s aim to unite high-performance sports driven by perseverance and brand excellence.<\/p>\n By placing Thomas\u2019s image front and center on a NASCAR Cup Series car, this campaign spotlights her as a symbol of elite athleticism and cross-sport appeal.<\/p>\n With TV ratings and attendance in the WNBA continuing to rise, this bold collaboration enters the cultural conversation in sports.<\/p>\n On Sunday at Dover and again at Indianapolis next weekend, all eyes will be on Thomas \u2014 not in a jersey, but on the hood \u2014 solidifying her status as a female athlete whose influence stretches far beyond the basketball court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WNBA star Alyssa Thomas will appear on the hood of Ryan Preece\u2019s NASCAR Cup car in a bold…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":76758,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[4552,1406,1502,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-76757","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-alyssa-thomas","9":"tag-nascar","10":"tag-phoenix-mercury","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114882879573364983","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}