AllRacing

How NASCAR drivers remain competitive away from the track

Daniel Suarez was in his own bubble for the NASCAR Driver Ambassador Program when Ryan Preece changed the game.

“It’s very funny because during the first three months, I didn’t even know there was an app,” Suarez said. “Ryan Preece in one (drivers) meeting said, ‘Yeah, man, you have this app and everything.’ I was like, ‘Oh, so you can follow live?’”

Yes, there is an app for everything. This app tracks live standings for those participating in the Driver Ambassador Program (DAP), where drivers earn points for promoting the sport. There are financial incentives attached, going in a sliding scale down the rankings.

“I went right away to [wife] Julia and Drew [Brown, Trackhouse Racing representative], who were managing everything for me, and said, ‘Hey, I need that app,’” laughed Suarez. “I started following and I said to them, ‘Hey, this guy just beat us. We better do something.’ So, I enjoyed it. It’s a lot of work, but I think it’s a win for everyone.”

Preece smiled after hearing what Suarez said.

“It’s that why he kicked my ass?” he asked.

Suarez, naturally, went all in around promotion for the inaugural event in his native Mexico. It is what propelled him through the leaderboard by the end of the first payout period in late June. NASCAR only released the top three finishers, which were Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney, but Sports Business Journal reported the 10 with Ross Chastain fourth and Suarez fifth.

“Drivers are very competitive, and for me, Mexico was it,” Suarez said. “Mexico, I was going to do everything all over because that race was very important for me. But at the same time, I’m personally very competitive, it doesn’t matter what it is. So, I really wanted to win at everything.

“It was good. I think it was amazing for the sport, for the fans, and for the racetracks. Every single person I’ve talked to from the racetracks loves it. They’ve never had several drivers show up to do things. I’ll say that 60 to 70 percent of the stuff that I did, I was going to do anyway, and I probably did another 30 to 40 percent. But I think a lot of drivers were doing zero and then went to a good amount. So, I think that’s great. It’s a win-win for everyone, and I’m happy we’re seeing the results.”

Joey Logano was the first recipient of a payout from NASCAR for Driver Ambassador Program. Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

NASCAR implemented the Driver Ambassador Program this year, compared to a similar concept from the PGA. The Player Impact Program (PIP) only lasted a few years, ending after 2024, but it rewarded golfers who had an impact on tickets, sponsorships, media consumption, and fan engagement, while driving interest to the PGA Tour. In 2023, Rory McIIroy banked $15 million for ranking first.

Logano earned $1 million from NASCAR for topping the DAP board after the first payout. NASCAR will pay out the program twice, the first being at the end of June and then again the end of the year. The Team Penske driver revealed he was also involved from the concept of the program as one of the voices in the room as it was created.

“The real winner is the fans because you’re out there doing more, whether it’s going to autograph sessions or media engagement, talking to the fans more often, or the growth of the sport in general,” Logano said. “It’s been a real successful program. It’s cool to see. It was in the works for quite some time, and it’s cool to see it all work out and be executed.”

Naturally, the program became another way for drivers to compete against each other. And the app played right into that aspect.

“Everyone tracks it,” Logano said. “If there is something to win, you want to go win it. That’s the competitor in me. It’s like, ‘Oh, you can win this? Yeah, let’s get it.’”

Logano and Larson were among the drivers who also publicly drew attention to the program. During his double attempt at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Larson was doing an interview with Fox Sports while Logano was in the broadcast booth.

“I’m just curious if Joey is getting some DAP points today,” Larson asked when welcomed into the conversation.

Logano laughed, “Definitely. Maybe.”

“That’s not fair, NASCAR,” Larson cracked. “That’s not fair.”

“I was not competitive at all with it, and then I was like sixth, seventh, eighth in points or something, and I went and did some stuff out in Sonoma and skyrocketed up,” Larson said. “I was like, ‘Holy [expletive], that was pretty easy,’ and then I got really competitive. I just came up a little bit short – honestly, an hour’s worth of work. So, if I had been a little more competitive in the beginning, I probably would have won.

“But I think we’re all addicts (and) competitive. So, I was bummed to lose. … I think it’s great for our series to incentivize us to promote the sport, and you may not see the effects of it in the short term now, but I think the goal is that over time, we become more popular and more mainstream. It’s been nice to see us all take it seriously.”

Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson have seen the benefits of the Driver Ambassador Program. Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Undoubtedly, drivers have been more visible. Alex Bowman made a similar note as to why the fans were the winners because drivers are doing more than they have over the past couple of years. It has ranged from public events and appearances to local promotion around racetracks, media obligations in and outside the sport, and appearances with fans.

NASCAR has a group dedicated to vetting through submissions from the driver (or their representatives) that get scored. Not all activities are ranked the same, and there are some events scored higher than others. It can also go by the time involved such as 15-minute interviews to longer events. And if travel is involved, that helps the cause.

“Well, I think everything turns into a competition on our side, right?” Blaney said. “So, that turned into a competition. I thought it was a great opportunity. I thought the program did a great job. The goal of it was to find new and unique ways to activate the sport and drivers to go off and do things, and when you’re incentivized to do it, it makes you want to do it more.

“I feel like the sport got a ton of promotion because guys were willing to go do stuff. And not only that, I think there were a lot more asks because they knew drivers would want to do things. It was me, Larson, and Joey who had a big battle, especially coming down to the end of it.”

A battle that went from competitive to secretive.

“It was funny because you get to the last couple of weeks of it and me, Joey, and Kyle were kind of breaking away, and everyone got real secretive of what they were doing,” Blaney said. “I would ask, ‘Hey, what you got this week? Where you going?’ ‘Aw, I don’t really have much this week.’”

It’s a voluntary program as no driver is mandated by NASCAR to participate or submit their appearances. Ross Chastain tasked his business partners with hustling, and it ramped up after seeing how it worked early on. Chastain believes the program did exactly what it was supposed to by rewarding drivers for doing what they should have already been doing, and let him continue to promote himself.

Kyle Busch found it beneficial for both drivers and NASCAR. Busch finished eighth in the rankings at the first payout.

“I can’t find a fault besides it’s really hard to beat those guys at the top,” Busch said. “I thought I was busy, and my wife was especially concerned with how busy I was. She was like, ‘Where are you (on the leaderboard)?’ and I was like, ‘I’m not even close.’ So, she was like ‘Damn, those guys must have no life.’”

NASCAR is not publicly speaking about the program until the end of the season.

“It was fun to be a part of, and it was another outlet for us to compete against each other, and at the same time, when we were competing, we were promoting the sport,” Preece said. “I’ve been racing Cup since 2019, but the buzz we have going right now around seeing all the drivers and doing all these different things, it’s awesome to see because as a kid, I saw that. So, to be a part of those in a different movement, it’s great, and I think it’s great building the series.”