ABOUT THIS ENTRY

NASCAR introduced the Next Gen car to the world in 2022, a brand-new and reimagined vehicle that would be a catalyst to the sport’s future. Before launching in 2022, though, NASCAR officials spent years plotting and building the car, and hours upon hours testing it in real racing conditions in 2021. With the car driving massive interest to avid and casual fans alike, the NASCAR Content team planned a live-show element, with content pieces across every content platform, to show off the car in a competitive testing environment to the greater public for the first time.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

Objective: Deliver best-in-class live coverage of the first organizational test session for NASCAR’s much-anticipated Next Gen car that will reshape the future of stock car racing starting in 2022. This test at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first time many of the drivers would drive the car at all, let alone on an actual NASCAR Cup series track with other competitors onsite. It gave teams a critical opportunity to learn about the car’s performance. It also provided a tremendous opportunity for NASCAR to bring fans close to the action and let them see NASCAR’s future car on the track for the first time, along with real-time reactions from the sport’s biggest stars. In addition to building awareness of the “Next Gen” brand, educating fans about critical new components of the car was a major objective.

Strategy & Execution: Elevate raw livestream feeds running throughout the 2-day test session with a 1-hour live show on Day 2. Leverage multiple-angle shots of racing around Charlotte’s unique road course – allowing fans to experience the sights and sounds of the car naturally – along with careful analysis and inquisitive live reporting from a team of commentators in the booth and another team on the ground in the garage area. For the first time on a NASCAR test stream, add an “in-garage” reporting element to complement the booth analysis.

Additional execution elements:

• Made YouTube the single livestream destination.
• Clipped top sound bites and exciting moments as video-on-demand (VOD) for platforms like Twitter and Instagram, creating a cohesive “web” of testing content across platforms to bring the action to fans where they were.
• VOD clips shared on YouTube and NASCAR.com.
• Next Gen test “Live Show”
  • Preview graphic
  • Full, raw live-stream element preceding “live show”
  • One-hour show, hosted by Alex Weaver and Larry McReynolds, with Alan Cavanna and Kim Coon in the garage (1st time NASCAR live stream included booth & garage analysts)
  • Clips shared out to NASCAR social channels in real-time, driving to live show on YouTube

Results: Our “Live Show” content generated 713k+ views on YouTube across 8 unique videos posted as fans clamored for content. The primary Oct. 12 livestream video garnered 144k views, 1.3 million minutes watched and 2.4 million impressions. An additional YouTube clip of Larry McReynolds breaking down new wheels got 250k+ views. Additionally, the long-tail impact of this testing show yielded increased content consumption and engagement on additional Next Gen content over the next several months.

Production

NASCAR

Credits

Tim Clark
Executive Producer / Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer      NASCAR

Amy Anderson
Executive Producer / Head of Content Str                                                     NASCAR

Jonathan Merryman
Director, Video Content
NASCAR

Chuck Bush
Senior Producer
NASCAR

Kaylee Chicoski
Director, Social Media                                NASCAR

Brad Norman
Senior Director, Digital Editorial            NASCAR

Alex Weaver
Host/Reporter
NASCAR

Kim Coon
Reporter
NASCAR

Alan Cavanna
Reporter
NASCAR

Larry McReynolds
Host/Reporter
FOX Sports