{"id":220673,"date":"2025-09-12T10:52:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T10:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/220673\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T10:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T10:52:11","slug":"nascar-taps-72andsunny-to-rekindle-its-rebellious-american-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/220673\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Taps 72andSunny to Rekindle Its Rebellious American Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid the rapid rise of motorsport racing, NASCAR is looking to capture some of the buzz. To do so, the U.S. stock car racing league and sanctioning company will reintroduce its brand in a way that plays up its rebellious, Americana roots, satisfying its core fan base while reaching new audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have an awareness problem\u2014just a perception problem,\u201d Tim Clark, NASCAR\u2019s chief brand officer, told ADWEEK. \u201cIt\u2019s time we told our own story, in our own voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, NASCAR set out to find a new agency partner to take on the task. Bypassing a formal RFP, it invited 11 agencies to respond to an intentionally broad brand brief. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t even sure what we were asking for,\u201d Clark said, adding he hoped to see creative thinking in the responses. <\/p>\n

Ten of the shops invited were independents, but the one network agency of the bunch\u201472andSunny\u2014rose to the top. Clark said the agency \u201cdid everything we asked and then some,\u201d demonstrating cultural relevance, agility, and strong strategic thinking that translated into breakthrough work. The agency\u2019s Los Angeles office will run point on the account, led by executive creative director Zach Hilder.<\/p>\n

Hilder said early conversations with Clark\u2019s team revealed strong cultural alignment. \u201cIt felt like a perfect match,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all got excited about the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASCAR aims to return its brand to its rebellious, unapologetic roots, putting the sport back at the center of American culture. That means balancing longtime fan traditions with outreach to younger and more diverse audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cNASCAR is an iconic American brand. Its roots\u2014bootleggers forming a racing league\u2014are so tied to American history,\u201d Hilder said. \u201cThe stories are limitless. We want to make NASCAR felt, not just seen, and turn casual fans into avid fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tapping Into the Zeitgeist<\/strong><\/p>\n

72andSunny\u2019s remit covers creative, brand design, digital and social, and tentpole events. <\/p>\n

As part of that, the agency will develop a long-term brand platform meant to grow and energize NASCAR\u2019s fanbase, reclaim its cultural relevance, and drive consumption of NASCAR races in person, on TV, and online.<\/p>\n

Their first work together will debut around the 2026 Daytona 500 in February, NASCAR\u2019s biggest event of the season. Drivers will be front and center in the campaign, and NASCAR will align more closely with cultural moments through partnerships that aim to bring in wider audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about being comfortable in our own skin and telling our story on our terms,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n

NASCAR is doubling down on its brand amid momentum for the sport. NASCAR Cup Series broadcasts average 2.7 million viewers per minute, the highest among U.S. motorsports properties. Ticket sales are up 6% year-over-year, digital platform visits have grown 10%, and social followers now total 18 million across platforms, an increase of 1.5 million since the start of 2025, according to the brand.<\/p>\n

\"teaser-image\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not changing the DNA of how we show up,\u201d Hilder said. \u201cIt\u2019s just time to lean into it harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

For 72andSunny, the NASCAR win comes on the heels of assignments for CarMax<\/a>, MassMutual, and Panera Bread<\/a>, and adds to its roster of sports clients including the NFL. COMvergence estimates NASCAR\u2019s 2024 offline and digital marketing spend at $37 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amid the rapid rise of motorsport racing, NASCAR is looking to capture some of the buzz. To do…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":220674,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[63742,64905,12014,6335,834,1406,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-220673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-accounts","9":"tag-advertising-news","10":"tag-agencies","11":"tag-exclusive","12":"tag-general","13":"tag-nascar","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115190952408906740","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}