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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

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  Debate

Debate

Is Monster Energy holding NASCAR back by not diversifying its portfolio? Share your thoughts!

Since we are still in the Olympics break, we might as well talk about a fun NASCAR topic. The 2024 season featured some interesting paint schemes. Ross Chastain’s icy blue Busch Light-sponsored No. 1 Chevy in Kansas must have chilled some fans. Then William Byron’s yellow Raptor-sponsored No. 24 ride screamed all things wild. But one sponsor’s paint schemes have taken a drab flavor.

Monster Energy has been a solid fixture in NASCAR’s sponsorship pool since 2017. The drivers under Monster’s care have been stellar this season – Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, and Riley Herbst. Yet the brand chooses to refrain from a splash of color for their studs. This is leaving NASCAR fans scratching their heads, and also getting some bright ideas.

The ‘Monster’ is in the spotlight

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The popular energy drink brand’s presence in the motorsport has been prominent. Signing on late in 2016, Monster replaced Sprint as NASCAR’s lead sponsor. Monster, whose sports sponsorships typically have been more edgy than most, helped the sport attract younger fans. In 2019, however, despite Monster Energy’s willingness, the sport’s authorities did not extend its title sponsorship of the series. However, the brand has persisted in the cars of some top-performing drivers.

Tyler Reddick started the season with a bang. This year, Monster released a new alcoholic beverage, Nasty Beast, with 6% ABV. Reddick carried the hard tea’s symbol on his No. 45 Toyota at Duel 1 in Daytona and drove it to Victory Lane. Besides Reddick’s resounding win, what stood out was the paint scheme – a funky yellow and black design with the eye of a monster offering goosebumps. It rivaled Monster’s usual look – the green logo looking like claw marks.

“What a perfect way to unleash our new Nasty Beast on the world of NASCAR,” Renold Aparicio, VP of Equity Brands at Monster Brewing said after Reddick’s win. “And no better man to do it. Tyler Reddick is the one to fear this season.” Indeed, Reddick has emerged as a fearsome rival in the Cup Series this season, as he scored wild runner-up finishes in multiple races. He stands third in the points standings after leading for some time.

USA Today via Reuters

Besides Reddick, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs is also off to a hot start to his second Cup year, owning five top-5 finishes. Riley Herbst has been most spectacular in the Xfinity Series- after winning in Las Vegas last year, he went through a dry spell. But in 2024, the Monster Energy driver caught four top-5 finishes and finally broke his winless streak at Indianapolis.

What’s your perspective on:

Is Monster Energy holding NASCAR back by not diversifying its portfolio? Share your thoughts!

Have an interesting take?

In lieu of supporting all these stellar drivers, NASCAR fans believe Monster needs to revamp its fashion outlook.

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NASCAR fans clamor for a wardrobe change

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After all, Monster Energy is a beverage brand boasting numerous flavors. Sticking to only one kind of paint scheme for its NASCAR drivers seems devoid of fresh ideas. So NASCAR fans jumped on the bandwagon of petitioning the brand to dazzle them with new looks. One fan slipped their heart’s desire: “I wish monster advertised all their different flavors instead of the basic black and green.”

Monster Brewing Company, was founded in 2015 as a disruptive collective of craft breweries. It boasts a diversity of beer brands – Dale’s Pale Ale, Dallas Blonde, and Wild Basin hard seltzers, among others. Its recently flavored malt beverages also seem enticing – namely, The Beast Unleashed and Nasty Beast Hard Tea. So fans battered the brand for not using their innovative beverage ideas in NASCAR as well. Some came up with delicious suggestions. One fan imagined a mango blast to beat the summer heat: “Imagine the mango juice monster as a car that’d be chefs kiss.” Another fan came up with a tangy idea: “The fruit punch scheme would be insane.”

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Then others brought up the idea of a Coca-Cola mash-up, given their allegiance to Monster Energy. One fan suggested Daniel Suarez’s scheme: “With Suarez as a Coca Cola (they own ~17% of Monster) driver he could drive it as a Dia de los Muertos car.” The spooky theme would also have two occasions in a year: “And you could run that scheme twice: Once for Dia de los Muertos and again around Halloween.”

Evidently, NASCAR fans are not content with Monster Energy’s current design team. Unless they revamp their cars soon, these fashion ideas might keep flooding their mailbox.