NASCAR is making a splash in the college football NIL game.
Darlington Raceway, NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway and home of the Cook Out Southern 500, has signed a name, image and likeness deal with Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall.
The raceway, in announcing the partnership Wednesday, described it as the “first NASCAR owned track NIL deal.” A formal announcement was being made Wednesday afternoon at a news conference featuring McCall at the racetrack.
“Grayson McCall is one of the finest quarterbacks in college football, so we are proud to partner with him as the first NASCAR owned track NIL athlete,” Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp said in a statement. “Grayson has had a dynamic collegiate career setting NCAA and school records and has lived his entire life in the Carolinas. His playing style exemplifies toughness and competitiveness, and he is the ideal athlete to help promote Darlington’s Too Tough To Tame brand.”
McCall will be the face of the racetrack’s marketing campaigns in 2022 and 2023, starting with the Shriners Children’s presents Darlington Labor Day Race Weekend on Sept. 3-4.
“McCall will also have an active presence on the track’s digital platforms and be featured in some of the track’s marketing campaigns,” according to Wednesday’s news release. “He will also promote NASCAR and Darlington on his own social channels.”
The NCAA last summer created its own policy to allow athletes to sign name, image and likeness deals. Posting content to social media is the most frequent kind of NIL activity, according to sports marketing company Opendorse, followed by such things as personal appearances and autograph signings.
The Chanticleers have gone 22-3 the last two seasons, and McCall has earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors twice in that stretch. Darlington claims kinship with Myrtle Beach — one of South Carolina’s top tourist destinations — and so its partnership with Coastal Carolina’s best-known star makes sense.
The Southern 500, a 2022 Cup Series playoff race, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 4, a day after McCall begins his third season with CCU. The Chanticleers open the season with a 7 p.m. Sept. 3 home game against Army.
“I love this town and this area. Coastal Carolina kind of made me into who I am,” McCall said in Wednesday’s statement from Darlington Raceway. “I love this school and I love the people here in the region and with Darlington being right down the road and a huge part of the sports culture, partnering with them just makes sense. It just helps fulfill a legacy I want to leave here. Plus, going a couple hundred miles an hour is kind of my thing, too.”
