Nascar has extended its college sponsorship deal with the University of Alabama, in addition to signing a contract with the University of South Carolina and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with numerous college athletes.
Confirmed:
- Two-year marketing deals signed with Learfield, rights holder for the Alabama and South Carolina universities
- Nascar get access to use athletic department intellectual property, first-party data, in-venue and experiential activations, as well as digital media engagement
- Alabama deal adds baseball and softball to men’s football deal from last year
- South Carolina deal to focus on football, basketball and baseball
- Circuit-specific NIL contracts agreed with college athletes Grayson McCall, Donovon Edwards and Olivia Dunne, according to SBJ
- McCall partners with Darlington Raceway; Edwards with the Chicago street race; Dunne with the Nashville race
Context:
The contract agreed last year with the University of Alabama was the first of its kind, as well as a clear acknowledgement from Nascar that it needed to do more to engage with a younger audience. As revealed by SBJ, the move to include college athletes will see Nascar aim to capitalise on their social media followings, especially that of Olivia Dunne with four million Instagram followers and 7.7 million TikTok followers.
Comment:
Patrick Morris, managing director of brand, creative and media at Nascar, said: “We saw great results in the first year of our unprecedented partnership with Learfield and the University of Alabama, and we’re eager to add the University of South Carolina into our partner portfolio this year.
“Both athletics programmes offer the benefit of large, passionate fanbases in key regions for Nascar that also resonate on a national level. It gives us an incredible opportunity to engage and educate potential new Nascar fans who have already shown an affinity for attending live sports while also reminding our existing fans who may be in the stands on these campuses or following these programs online about major events and special offers coming up in Nascar.”
Consequence:
This two-year extension, in addition to bringing in the University of South Carolina, highlights the focus on securing its southeast heartland for future decades.