WNBA guard Sophie Cunningham drew visible support from NASCAR drivers and fans during a Cup Series stop at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis this weekend, months after she publicly said men should not be allowed in women’s locker rooms.
Cunningham, who has faced criticism from media figures and some within her own sport over the comments, spent race day in the Cup garage meeting drivers and teams. Driver Austin Dillon gave her a bag of gifts, including shirts, hats and memorabilia, and told her directly how much of the garage sides with her position.
“We’re huge fans. We love what you stand for. That’s the biggest thing.”
The comment came after a summer in which Cunningham was criticized in the media and on the court for her stance that biological men should not have access to women’s locker rooms. This was her second NASCAR race appearance in the past 12 months; she has previously described the NASCAR community as “her people.”
Larson Snaps Long Winless Streak
On the track, Kyle Larson won Sunday’s race at Gateway, breaking a 51-race winless streak that stretched back to his last victory in May 2025 at Kansas. The race was marked by chaos, finishing with 18 caution flags — close to the all-time Cup Series record of 22, set at the 2005 Coca-Cola 600.
Alex Bowman finished second after a season that had otherwise been difficult for the driver.
Hocevar-Keselowski Feud Simmers Ahead of Bristol
Elsewhere in the sport, tension continued between drivers Carson Hocevar and Brad Keselowski, stemming from a wreck Hocevar caused involving Keselowski at Darlington last week. Gateway’s promoters leaned into the rivalry with track signage and social media promotion built around the feud, even though further conflict between the two drivers could draw a NASCAR penalty.
The next Cup Series race is scheduled for Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, a track with a history of settling on-track disputes.
