Patrick Baldwin Jr. is the Grand Marshal at Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race

Golden State Warriors forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. hasn’t even been in the NBA for a year yet, but he’s starting to enjoy some of the perks that come with being a regional celebrity. Or at least having fun with the fame.

It was recently announced that Baldwin will spend his Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, where he’ll be the Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Xfinity Series DoorDash 250.

For those unfamiliar with NASCAR, think of the Xfinity Series as the sport’s G League. It’s the second tier NASCAR series, and those who do well in it often find themselves in the Cup Series.

This is the first time that the Xfinity Series has raced at Sonoma Raceway, one of the trickiest race tracks on the schedule. The main NASCAR event, the Toyota/Save Mart 350 takes place on Sunday. The Grand Marshal for that event is comedian Adam Devine, of Workaholics fame.

Jill Gregory, the Sonoma Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager had this to say about Baldwin being the Grand Marshal:

We are thrilled to have such an outstanding athlete and representative of the Bay Area serve as this year’s Grand Marshal. Collaborating with other area sports organizations is an exciting way to introduce new audiences to the exhilaration of NASCAR.

Being the Grand Marshal is kind of like throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game. Baldwin will be the voice responsible for giving the command that kicks off the race.

Baldwin, who was selected with the 28th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, just finished off his rookie NBA season, and is hard at work preparing for his second year, where he’ll hope to earn a spot in the rotation.