How NASCAR is keeping fans connected away from the race track

While fans may not be able to attend NASCAR races right now, NASCAR’s partnership with INFLCR has allowed them to stay connected to the sport, the drivers and the teams during these tough times.

NASCAR returned to action following a 10-week hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, May 17 at Darlington Raceway with the first race since the Sunday, March 8 event at Phoenix Raceway.

Eight races have been contested since the sport returned to action, and fans were not allowed in attendance for the first seven. Even with fans being steadily allowed back to the race track, the crowds that are permitted are still a far cry from what regular crowds would be.

Fortunately, thanks to INFLCR, NASCAR has been able to keep fans engaged away from the track during these tough times, when everybody watching has been watching on a screen.

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INFLCR is used by teams and organizations to store, track and send content to their athletes, who can engage with their fans and grow their own individual brands by sharing their content to their social media platforms. Nearly 600 college-based clients and 20,000 student athletes currently use INFLCR software.

“[Our long-term goal] is to empower NASCAR with more INFLCR connections to the content they own the rights to (i.e. Getty, NBC, etc.), so that their drivers and teams could also access these photos and video clips in real-time their INFLCR app,” INFLCR Founder and CEO Jim Cavale told Beyond the Flag. “Once again, increasing social media activity by these drivers, helping ensure this content is reaching a significantly larger audience.”

After a successful first season partnering with NASCAR last year, INFLCR upgraded that partnership at the start of the season, and NASCAR has leaned on INFLCR to help drivers connect with their fans with fans not being allowed back in the grandstands due to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic.

While nobody could have seen what was coming in 2020 as far as the pandemic is concerned, the fact that this partnership was already in place prior to it turned out to be huge for NASCAR.

“COVID-19 has advanced digital adoption by 10 years in a span of 3 months,” said INFLCR COO Neeta Sreekanth, who previously worked as ESPN’s Senior Social Media Manager. “When there is a heavy supply of noise, sports leagues will need to focus on empowering their biggest influencers, their athletes, to become marketers and brand ambassadors on their digital platforms. INFLCR’s platform strategy is open for not only other racing series and sports, but for every industry that relies upon content distribution. It’s more vital than ever that digital teams amend their strategy to match the opportunity in front of us.”

In the month of May alone, NASCAR’s content team uploaded more than 2,000 images and videos to its INFLCR account.

“In the last 30 days alone, Bubba Wallace has grown his Instagram account by 33%, with a whopping 10% engagement rate on the content he is posting to his account,” Sreekanth told Beyond the Flag.

Of course, even in a normal year, many fans would be watching the races on a screen as opposed to attending them. Only a fraction of the fans actually travel to the race track each weekend. But for those fans who have been missing out on races which they would otherwise be attending in a normal season, INFLCR has you covered.

“Engage with NASCAR and the drivers through social media! Share their Instagram Stories, message and comment with them, etc.,” Cavale said. “Make the most of the dynamic interaction opportunities that social media has created an avenue for, as if you were at the track before a race in the pits! This is especially important during the week, in between races.”

The lack of fans in the stands has had its share of silver linings for the fanbase as well.

“The NASCAR digital team provides an incredible second-screen experience,” said Sreekanth. “Use this as an opportunity to get a peek-behind-the curtains and get up close with the drivers on race day.”

This partnership between INFLCR and NASCAR is set up for long-term success, so even when fans are allowed back at the track, there is still plenty of room for growth.

“There are an incredible amount of opportunities to activate social media campaigns and initiatives that the drivers and their teams can participate in through the INFLCR app,” said Cavale. “These creative initiatives will engage NASCAR fans and brands, through the power of the collective social media audiences of the drivers. Without this initial success we’ve had in engaging the drivers onto their INFLCR app on a regular basis, these new social media campaigns and initiatives would not be as realistic of an opportunity.”

Sreekanth shared the same sentiment.

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“The reality is that most fans don’t have the ability to attend every race and NASCAR continues to innovate their digital offering. Our plan is to work alongside them and provide their drivers with the content and tools they need to engage audiences from wherever they are watching the sport from. The digital footprint will continue to expand.”

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