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Cookie Monster named Grand Marshal for NASCAR Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

JHby: Jonathan Howard07/21/25Jondean25
Bubba Wallace Cookie Monster NASCAR
Screenshot credit: Sesame Street via X.com

Get ready to say your ABCs and your 123s! Cookie Monster is making the trip from Sesame Street for NASCAR action at the Brickyard 400. This monster is going to bring the cookies and the fun to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.

There have been a lot of big-name Grand Marshals over the years. Heck, earlier this season, Morgan Freeman gave the command to start engines. Cookie Monster might be the biggest name for NASCAR in quite some time.

Everyone loves Sesame Street, everyone loves cookies, and everyone loves racing. It’s going to be a fun weekend in Indianapolis.

While it may seem silly, this is a sign that NASCAR is starting to get back into the mainstream. The sport always touts how it is a family affair, meant to celebrate and enjoy with the wife, kids, and everyone else you’ve got in your life. So, having fun things like Cookie Monster as the Grand Marshal aligns with that.

In a video from Sesame Street on social media, Bubba Wallace joins Cookie Monster. The monster tells Wallace that he’s going on a summer road trip. While the 23 car only has one seat, I don’t think a Snuffleupagus needs a seat belt anyway, so it should be fine.

The Brickyard 400 is thankfully back for another year. That little detour at the Indy Road Course was possibly needed at the time, but no longer. It will be very exciting to see what the Next Gen car looks like on this track after these teams had a chance to do it last year.

Cookie Monster is going to get the NASCAR action started on Sunday. I’m sure it will be an interesting and very fun command. I wonder if we will see any of Cookie’s friends from Sesame Street on the TNT broadcast or wandering around the IMS facility.

Last year, Kyle Larson was the big winner. He added a Brickyard 400 to his record. Of course, Larson has struggled more than most since the Indy 500/Coca-Cola 600. His race at Dover may have shown that the 5 team is back on track and ready to contend for race wins again.

NASCAR has continued to do the small things like having Cookie Monster as Grand Marshal, really well. There have been a lot of great big decisions made in recent years as well. The sport is in a great place to grow and capture a younger fanbase. As long as they create attractive atmospheres at the track and a good product for TV, fans will tune in.