Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett, & Jeff Burton Reveal $253.22-Billion-Worth NASCAR Sponsor’s Impact on the Sport

NASCAR is a motorsport unlike any other, in the sense that it has always done more to bring drivers and their sponsors closer to the fans than most other racing divisions. Compare it to Formula 1: Only after Liberty Media’s acquisition of the sport did the driver’s personalities flourish, making big-shot brands finally realize the worth of marketing their products through the sport.

Nowadays, there is a plethora of global brands turning toward the racetrack, hoping to boost their visibility by associating with drivers and teams. However, one brand outpaced most others when we talk about having the foresight to enter NASCAR at the perfect time—Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola Racing Family members look back on their 25-year-long journey together

The brand made its NASCAR sponsorship debut in the 1970s, pledging its allegiance to Bobby Allison, and having the World 600 renamed to the Coca-Cola 600 as the race’s chief sponsor. But their involvement in the sport we all love isn’t just limited to races and a few drivers. The company, with a staggering $253.22 Billion market cap, assembled a squad of the most talented racers to grace the tarmac!

Coca-Cola realized that it would be a brilliant move to connect with fans by sponsoring athletes and other icons. Consequently, the Coca-Cola Racing Family was created in 1997, with the motive to sponsor NASCAR legends and future stars. This year, the legendary “family” completed 25 years of success, and the brand went all out in bringing together some of its original icons to share stories with eager fans.

Coca-Cola released a content series featuring the likes of Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, and Bobby Labonte, with the aim of opening the floodgates to some of their fondest memories, both as members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family and as racing sensations. The series saw the legends moving back and forth between lighthearted moments, such as answering a fan’s question about what drivers do when nature calls mid-race, and more serious topics, such as the impact that Coca-Cola’s history with NASCAR has had on the popularity and appeal of the sport.

Speaking on the Silver Jubilee, Kyle Petty opened the floor on a lighter note, “Alright guys, 25 years of the Coca-Cola Racing Family. I mean, I think we all look exactly the same as we did when this thing started.” This prompted Jeff Burton to share that the icons barely knew each other before the Coke Racing Family despite sharing the track together. Dale Jarett joined in to share that a venture like this had never been undertaken before, combining drivers from other teams under one ‘family’

Burton reflected on just how valuable the Coca-Cola collaboration was, not just for those directly involved but also for the sport as a whole: “Even if you weren’t fortunate enough to be a part of the Coca-Cola Family, you still reaped the benefits. Coke, like, elevated the entire sport.” Without missing a beat, Labonte chimed in, “You know, I tell people all the time. It’s like you know, I had great sponsors, but Coke put me on the map.”

It’s safe to say that the legends truly enjoyed their time with Coca-Cola, as it not only had a positive impact on their popularity but also brought them closer. Burton looked back on the wholesome moments the Coca-Cola Racing Family created, sharing that “It just was truly a family. If you can get people interested and come to a race, they’re going to come back and Coke did a great job of just exposing the sport to so many people that I think are still fans today because of it.” 

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The drivers credited Coca-Cola with boosting NASCAR’s popularity, highlighting the fact that Coke’s marketing content was so in tune with the sport that the drivers had a blast filming commercials and engaging in other advertising campaigns.

Coca-Cola’s advertisements with NASCAR drivers created some fond memories

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The legends burst out in laughter as they reminisced about the days when they would find their faces and logos plastered onto random Coke machines littered across America. And whenever a person would bring it to Jeff Burton’s attention, the former RCR driver would lose his marbles trying to figure out where it even was!

During the peak of the Coca-Cola Racing Family marketing, the drivers had a blast filming a commercial that would feature them singing and engaging in other hilarious shenanigans, as Kyle Petty aptly put it, “You knew when you watched it. Hey, those guys are having fun!” They also reflected on how the brand’s focus on bringing people together over selling a product, is what made the collaboration so special, “You look at this bottle, you look at what they’ve done. It’s about relationships and building those relationships.”

As NASCAR completes its 75th anniversary in tandem with the Coca-Cola Racing Family’s Silver Jubilee, the importance of a brand bringing together the community never seemed clearer.

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