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It was an Indiana Pacers who started the GMR Grand Prix Saturday afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Guard Tyrese Haliburton rode in a two-seater IndyCar steered by motorsports legend Mario Andretti around the 14-turn road course at IMS.

Before getting in a car, Haliburton toured Garage Alley and visited with 2021 IndyCar Champion Alex Palou.

Then prior to crawling inside the two-seater, Haliburton and Andretti kissed the Yard of Bricks, a tradition at IMS.

Just before the green flag, Haliburton gave the command for drivers to start their engines from the back of his two-seater.

In addition to getting that special opportunity in an IndyCar — a first for him — he served as grand marshal for the race that was ultimately won by Colton Herta despite a downpour of rain making for an exciting yet dangerous finish.

The next big thing for the Pacers is the draft lottery on Tuesday. That is then when the Pacers (and the other lottery teams) will learn the order of the top 14 picks in the NBA Draft, which is set for June 23rd in Brooklyn.

This will be the team's first time selecting inside the top 10 since 1989, when they took George McCloud with the seventh overall pick. It will all go down at 8:00 p.m. ET in Chicago.


More Pacers Coverage

  • Chris Durate, assistant coach Ronald Nored spending the week in Mexico to coach at Basketball Without Borders camp. CLICK HERE.
  • See who will be representing the Pacers at the Draft Lottery on May 17. CLICK HERE.
  • Pacers hosted six prospects at their first pre-draft workout. CLICK HERE.

Follow Scott Agness on Twitter: @ScottAgness