By Nathan Butler – NathanButler@OnPitRoad.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – If living in the 21st century didn’t seem obvious to the average NASCAR fan, look no further. NASCAR and Twitter made the announcement Friday afternoon about a digital partnership that will allow NASCAR fans to experience what it is like to work in the industry on race day.
“Twitter has been an important piece of our effort the last several years to further engage our fan base and help grow the sport,” said Steve Phelps, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of NASCAR. “This new, complementary live race experience product is an evolution of that relationship with Twitter, and we’re excited about continuing to provide our millions of fans with greater access to our athletes and further engagement with our drivers, teams, tracks and executives.”
NASCAR becomes the first sports league to partner up with the social media giant, Twitter.
“When sports fans around the world see a hashtag displayed on the air during a game or race, that’s a signal to them that there is a bigger conversation happening on Twitter. Between the talented NASCAR personalities on Twitter and the fact that they have some of the most loyal fans in the world of sports, they were a natural choice to partner with as we experiment with ways to create the best experience on Twitter during a big event,” said Dick Costolo, chief executive officer of Twitter Inc.
The new website, Twitter.com/#NASCAR, will be debuted during the June 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.
Official Press Release:
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 18, 2012) – NASCAR and Twitter announced today a unique digital partnership that will create a new way for the sport’s millions of fans to experience what happens inside NASCAR and its teams on race day.
Built to support the live race broadcast, this new experience will give fans a complementary insider’s view of the action as it unfolds on the track and on Twitter. During a race, when fans click on #NASCAR, search for #NASCAR on Twitter.com or visit twitter.com/#NASCAR, they’ll reach a new Twitter experience where they will see the most relevant tweets from their favorite NASCAR drivers, NASCAR families, teams, commentators, celebrities and other racing fans and personalities.
NASCAR is the first organization to team with Twitter to create an enhanced live event experience on the Twitter platform.
“Twitter has been an important piece of our effort the last several years to further engage our fan base and help grow the sport,” said Steve Phelps, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of NASCAR. “This new, complementary live race experience product is an evolution of that relationship with Twitter, and we’re excited about continuing to provide our millions of fans with greater access to our athletes and further engagement with our drivers, teams, tracks and executives.”
Twitter.com/#NASCAR will be available starting with the Pocono Raceway race weekend and will be most active on Sunday, June 10 in conjunction with TNT’s first of six television broadcasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season (1 p.m. ET on TNT). This new product will provide a complementary Twitter experience to TNT viewers looking for in-depth access to the happenings at the track and in the garage of a NASCAR race weekend.
“Twitter amplifies the excitement of live sporting events and gives NASCAR fans insider access to the drivers and teams they love,” said Dick Costolo, chief executive officer of Twitter Inc. “When sports fans around the world see a hashtag displayed on the air during a game or race, that’s a signal to them that there is a bigger conversation happening on Twitter. Between the talented NASCAR personalities on Twitter and the fact that they have some of the most loyal fans in the world of sports, they were a natural choice to partner with as we experiment with ways to create the best experience on Twitter during a big event.”
Twitter.com/#NASCAR will use a combination of algorithmic and editorial signals to select and feature the best Tweets and photos from NASCAR insiders in an effort to bring the behind-the-scenes story to life during NASCAR race weekends. Twitter’s media team will be curating Tweets to highlight on the page come race weekend from a highly selective list of accounts from the world of NASCAR including drivers, pit crews, families, media, fans and NASCAR representatives.
More details surrounding this new partnership and the June 10 product launch will be available in the days and weeks ahead from Twitter, NASCAR and TNT.
