NASCAR: Dr Pepper running exciting initiative at Darlington

23XI Racing founding partner Dr Pepper was back on Bubba Wallace’s Toyota at Kansas Speedway, and they are set for more at Darlington Raceway and beyond.

Dr Pepper is one of the founding partners of the 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series team, which came about amid NBA legend Michael Jordan’s desire to “turn fake news into real news” when Denny Hamlin showed him an article linking the pair together in a team ownership capacity.

The team was announced in late 2020 and began in 2021 with Bubba Wallace as the driver of the No. 23 Toyota. They have since expanded to two full-time entries, and Dr Pepper remains a regular primary sponsor of Wallace’s Toyota Camry.

The Plano, Texas-based drink company was back as the primary sponsor of Wallace’s car this past Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, where he secured a season-best fourth place finish to move to within six points of the playoff cut line.

“[Dr Pepper] definitely got a run that they deserved last weekend in Kansas,” Wallace told Beyond the Flag. “That was really good and a lot of fun. Happy for them! They’ve been one of the founding partners of our 23XI Racing team, so anytime we can have great runs with them is important. They’ve done a lot for us, on and off the race track.”

Dr Pepper is back on Bubba Wallace’s car for NASCAR throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway, promoting a new initiative for the Goodyear 400.

Fans will have a chance to scan “the fastest QR code in the world”, located on the front of Wallace’s car. Those who are quick enough to successfully scan the code will have the chance to win a limited-edition racing-themed can of Dr Pepper, signed by Wallace himself. Only 175 cans will be up for grabs!

“Excited to have them on the car again this weekend in Darlington with a little fun initiative with the fans with the world’s fastest can,” Wallace said. “You can actually scan the QR code and get the Dr Pepper perks.”

Wallace admittedly wasn’t a huge Dr Pepper drinker before the partnership, but that has since changed in a big way.

“I was, on and off,” he admitted. “But of course, it ramped up now as the partnership is here! It’s been really, really good working with them, getting to go down to Texas to talk with them and meet a lot of key people from the Dr Pepper leadership team. Just proud to have a sponsor like they are, and who they are, representing what we are all about.”

Wallace also spoke about how the partnership initially came about back before the team debuted in February 2021.

“I think they had actually reached out to us and wanted to do something in a big way,” he said. “They wanted to do something different. I was with a competitor before, and it was kind of just the same old thing each and every year.

“When Dr Pepper came about, it was definitely beneficial for us to see how we can do more and get them signed on and be a part of our race team because we knew we would do great things together, and we’re continuing to show that. It’s been good – we just have to get them to keep getting them to sign on! That’s the most important thing.”

Sunday’s Goodyear 400 is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Darlington Raceway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don’t miss it!