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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 05: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Leidos Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 05, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
NASCAR says its first Driver Ambassador Program delivered significant growth in 2025, creating a measurable rise in driver visibility and off-track engagement. The program launched at the start of the season with a simple structure: Cup Series drivers would take part in organized media appearances, community events, and fan interaction opportunities. At the end of the year, NASCAR released numbers showing how large the effort became.
Drivers completed 5,569 total opportunities, with 3,250 originating from NASCAR or tracks and another 2,319 submitted by the drivers themselves. They logged more than 6,300 hours across the season and gained a combined 802,514 social followers, which NASCAR reported as a 4.5 percent increase since January. The program also generated 3,926,036 earned media mentions for participating drivers, up 17 percent year-over-year.
NASCAR supplied Driver Ambassador Program 2025 stat sheet pic.twitter.com/RR7M07iDbY
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) November 18, 2025
Driver standings and workload
NASCAR ranked drivers through a points system tied to financial rewards funded by the 1.1 billion rights deal. Drivers pick up points for all kinds of promotional work like interviews, fan meet-ups, and community stops. Some events are worth more than others, depending on how strong the appearance is or what the driver has done in the past. The ones who rack up the most points get paid real money.
The top driver in each of the two segments can walk away with roughly $1 million. The whole setup is built to push drivers to be more active in growing the sport, and NASCAR’s own numbers show it lifted media reach and fan engagement in a big way.
Joey Logano led Term 1, followed by Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Daniel Suárez. In Term 2, Chastain topped the board, with Logano, Suárez, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Busch rounding out the top five.
Drivers logged more than 6.3 thousand hours into the program. NASCAR reported the split as 58 percent from NASCAR or tracks and 42 percent from driver-submitted opportunities, showing activity from both sides. Officials said the results confirmed the system’s ability to consistently track off-track work.
Media growth and major appearances
The program delivered noticeable media growth. Between January 1 and November 9, NASCAR recorded 3.9 million earned media mentions for drivers participating in the program. The 17 percent year-over-year rise came from appearances across more than 1,700 media outlets ranging from national TV to podcasts and digital platforms.
Several appearances stood out. Bubba Wallace appeared on “Sesame Street.” Chase Elliott was featured at the ACM Awards. Joey Logano appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and later at the ESPYS. Kyle Larson made stops on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Games With Names,” and “The Pat McAfee Show.” Kyle Busch also appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Logano said the program strengthened the connection between drivers and fans. “The program has been an immensely positive addition to the industry this year and has made a big impact for the drivers and fans alike,” he said.
What NASCAR is planning for 2026
NASCAR will continue the program next season with several adjustments under review. Officials said they are evaluating how to expand categories for driver-led work to make participation more flexible. The goal is to refine how off-track activity is counted while maintaining a clear and fair structure.
The first season of the Driver Ambassador Program produced measurable increases in visibility, media coverage, and fan reach. NASCAR said the collected data provides a strong base as it prepares updates for 2026.
Dogli Wilberforce is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce
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