Sophie Cunningham pit road reporter? WNBA star embraces day at NASCAR race

Cunningham was there in several capacities, as a race fan, a broadcaster, and guest on Kenny Wallace’s pre-race show in the fanzone. Her appearance with Wallace, the retired NASCAR driver perhaps best known for pushing Dale Earnhardt to his final victory at Talladega in 2000, drew a large crowd and also featured some laughs and chaos. Cunningham, a former high school football kicker, booted a football off the stage and knocked over a mic stand.

While talking with Wallace and co-host John Roberts, Cunningham spoke about the mental part of sports and getting into her opponents’ heads, something she’s done often in her WNBA career — perhaps most notably this season when the image of her pointing at DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury turned into a meme.

Advertisement

“I think I’ve kind of mastered that art, a little bit. I get a little feisty, if you know what I’m saying,” Cunningham said. “I do think it is part of the sport. You got to have a one-up on people, and sometimes it’s not physical, it’s the mental game.”

Wallace also asked her about radio host Colin Cowherd recently calling her a “sex symbol” in a viral clip from their interview.

“All I’m saying, for all the little girls out there, that if you want to play a sport, you can still be girly, you can still go out there and kick ass, sweat, work hard, and you can still look a certain way,” Cunningham said. “So, go do your thing.”