Chase Elliott kicked off the 2025 NASCAR season in dominant fashion, winning the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Starting from the pole position, Elliott completely dominated the race by leading 171 out of 200 laps. After a rollercoaster 2024 season that saw him return to Victory Lane and finish seventh in the standings, Elliott is determined to build on his momentum. But beyond his success on the track, there’s been an even bigger turnaround for the seven-time Most Popular Driver.

For years, Elliott has kept a low profile off the track. Unlike past NASCAR stars, Elliott has preferred to let his driving do the talking. His reluctance to engage in heavy promotions, even skipping Netflix’s NASCAR: Full Speed, has been a defining trait. But recently, fans have noticed a major shift. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has started actively engaging in media duties. So, what’s behind this change?

Ahead of the 2025 season, Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney has revealed the reason behind Chase Elliott’s increasing media time. Recently, in an interview, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion sheds light on why Elliott and others are embracing this new approach. He also revealed the major shift in NASCAR policies, which pushes drivers to get involved in marketing campaigns.

Ryan Blaney explains NASCAR’s new promotional scheme!

Chase Elliott has never been one for self-promotion. While other top drivers like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano have no problem engaging in the media, Elliott has always preferred to let his results speak for themselves. However, in 2024, it changed as Elliott started engaging more. The HMS star paired up with Bubba Wallace and featured on a Barstool Sports show. Speaking about these Ryan Blaney cited NASCAR’ new Driver Ambassador Program and how drivers are at the forefront in promoting the premier racing series.

Speaking on the Beating and Banging, Blaney explained that NASCAR’s new policy is offering substantial financial incentives for drivers to take on promotional duties. “The best way I can put it is, imagine if your boss came to you and said, “Hey, can you work overtime? We’re not going to pay you for overtime, though, but go do it out of goodwill.” You’d have some reservations about it. But if your boss said, “Hey, we’re going to pay you overtime—go work overtime,” you’d be like, “Well, yeah, I’ll take it.” Chase is a great example—he’s out there doing ten times more than what we would normally do. And this applies to everybody,” explained Blaney.

Notably, The DAP reportedly has a budget of $10 million to $20 million annually. NASCAR will pay drivers anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to around $1 million, depending on how much they participate in promotions. For someone like Chase Elliott, who is already a fan favorite, participation in promotional events could draw more casual fans to the sport. This payout scheme might help NASCAR to retain its audience in the growing competition for TV ratings.

While Blaney framed the incentive program as a positive step, former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield has a different take. A few weeks ago, Mayfield suggested that NASCAR might be compensating drivers to present a carefully controlled image of the sport. According to him, the organization is focused on ensuring that drivers speak positively about NASCAR, whether they truly believe it or not.

In a conversation with Chase Holden, Mayfield claimed, “NASCAR’s going to start paying the drivers, I guess, to say good things about the sport. Some kind of marketing deal to reward drivers for doing great things on social media. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I’m right about that.” However, Mayfield’s comments stem from his long-standing belief that NASCAR manages its public image aggressively. His career ended in controversy when he was indefinitely suspended after failing a drug test.

Since then, Mayfield has maintained that NASCAR used various “tactics” to control its narrative. Though his claims might be true or not, his allegations add an extra layer to the discussion about the driver incentive program. Amid the ongoing discussion, Chase Elliott continues to focus on the upcoming season. With one win in 2024 at Texas, Elliott hopes to continue that momentum into 2025. His average finish of 11.7 was his best since 2021, and he aims to return to Championship 4 contention.

Mark Martin questions NASCAR’s approach!

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While Ryan Blaney’s comments highlight a shift towards financial incentives driving engagement, retired NASCAR veteran Mark Martin sees things differently. Earlier this year, Martin spoke about the issue as he questioned the sport’s increasing corporate influence. He believes that corporate influence is muting driver personalities rather than encouraging them.

Martin recently shared his thoughts in an interview with industry insider Chase Holden. He expressed concern over how today’s drivers rarely speak their minds, both in media appearances and on social media. “I know you see it; the drivers have pretty much gone silent. I mean, even, you know, they don’t… say much on social media anymore. It seems to me like NASCAR Media or PR does. You know, you can tell those posts that they post on their stuff. They’re advertising when the race is, whatever. But, you know, I don’t know exactly why,” says Martin.

Martin believes that this corporate-driven silence is stripping NASCAR of the fiery personalities that once made the sport entertaining. He reminisced about drivers like Tony Stewart, who never shied away from controversy. “We need Tony Stewart. Tony Stewart did not give a damn. He was so good they could not crush him. It would have crushed me… But we need a guy that is so talented, a guy on the level of Kyle Larson, which is not Kyle’s style, but we need a guy with that level, generational talent to come in and just be real, you know,” Martin adds.

Notably, Martin’s comments highlight a contradiction in NASCAR’s current approach. While the sport is pushing for drivers to be more engaged, the way it is being done, through financial incentives, may not bring back the unfiltered personalities that fans loved in the past. NASCAR wants its stars to be more marketable, but Martin argues that what the sport truly needs is authenticity. Now, as the 2025 season approaches, NASCAR fans would like to engage more with their favorite drivers. However, its impact will largely depend on how racing stars avoid the filtered approach. Do you think NASCAR’s DAP will help the sport to grow its audience base?