$27.26 Billion Worth Social Media Giant Enters NASCAR With Chicago Street Race Cameo

NASCAR cars are essentially America’s fastest billboards. And, two cars on the same team rarely resemble each other. That is largely because of the sponsors that financially support the various drivers. A lot of these sponsors support their chosen driver for multiple years, with others only temporarily.

The more screen time the drivers and sponsors get, the better for them. This generates revenue for the brands and, in turn, helps pay the driver’s and team’s salaries. Sponsors are so important because drivers cannot last long on a team without them. This was made perfectly evident during the Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing saga.

For a long time in his Joe Gibbs Racing career, Busch was sponsored by M&M. However, the candy brand elected to leave the sport, and he was unable to find another sponsor. It was only when Richard Childress Racing came knocking that Rowdy got a second chance. However, M&Ms are just the tip of the iceberg if we’re talking about big brands sponsoring drivers in NASCAR.

According to reports, the No. 43 Alpha Prime Racing team and Ryan Ellis have signed a new sponsor. This sponsor is none other than $27.26 billion worth, of the social media giant Snapchat. As it happens, the union is expected to get a foothold at next week’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Chicago Street Course.

The motivation behind the unexpected, but not unwelcome, partnership was a social media campaign. Apparently, Snapchat is aiming to promote its “Less Likes, More Love” ad. This advertising campaign was conceived in early June to promote a broader “Less Social Media, More Snapchat” 2024 campaign. This campaign is reportedly aimed at helping people with their self-expression.

Of course, the new tie-up with Ellis also means that he gets new overalls and a new paint scheme for Chicago [possibly yellow]. Aesthetically, as the Snapacht logo is yellow, it’s interesting to see if there would be a minimalistic white ghost outlined in thick black or not. As for the car itself, it looks like every child’s dream, with lots of bright colors adorning it.

Ryan Ellis will probably concentrate on his upcoming race

Truthfully, it is all very exciting for Snapchat to come to the Chicago Street Race on July 8th. However, Alpha Prime and Ryan Ellis have to deal with this weekend’s race at the Nashville Superspeedway. This weekend, all three NASCAR divisions are running at the 1.3-mile race track. The race weekend has only just begun, and everyone will be eager to try and score a victory at this track.

It is worth mentioning that the 34-year-old is in his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series. Last year, he was hired on a part-time basis but competed in nearly every race of the season. So far, his best finish has been 11th at the 2024 Daytona 300 Xfinity Series race.

Last time out in New Hampshire, things did not go as planned for the #43 driver. He was caught up in a wreck and was eventually classified in 35th place.