“Very exciting indeed,” Trump said.

after a Fever game andfrom Israeli-born, Russian-raised pole winner Robert Schwarzman have played into the buildup. Even the

came to town Friday.The crossover continued on the eve of the race as IndyCar points leader Alex Palou wore a Tyrese Haliburton jersey in the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade. At least one Fever player is expected to be at the track Sunday.In a state where the greatest athletic feats often have been defined by auto racing or basketball, this weekend seems like a fitting marriage even to locals. Just ask IndyCar team owner-driver Ed Carpenter, a longtime Pacers fan and the stepson of former speedway president and CEO Tony George.

“I think it celebrates the city, the people that live here and the fans that make the pilgrimage to the race,” he said. “(Having the other events) just makes it that much more special.”Carpenter hopes to attend Sunday night’s game — even if he wins the 500 — and now finds himself surrounded in Gasoline Alley by a growing legion of crossover fans

Six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and three-time 500 winner Dario Franchitti attended Game 3 of the Indiana-Cleveland series. Former IndyCar driver and broadcaster James Hinchcliffe was there for Game 2 and the triumvirate of Kyle Kirkwood, Colton Herta and Marcus Ericsson went to Game 2 of the Indiana-Milwaukee series. Scott McLaughlin, a Knicks fans, has a wager on the series with Carpenter and may attend Sunday’s game if he’s not drinking the milk in victory lane.

“How’d that go?” fellow driver Alexander Rossi asked after the Pacers’ thrilling Game 1 victory on Wednesday.met their recruiting targets last year and

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trump’s election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But thelong before last November, and officials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done, including the increased financial incentives.

The Army, the military’s largest service, spent more on recruiting bonuses in 2022 and 2024 than the other services. But it was significantly outspent by the Navy in 2023, when the sea service was struggling to overcome a large enlistment shortfall.As a result, even though the Navy is a smaller service, it spent more overall in the three years than the Army did.