CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 05: Cody Ware, driver of the #51 Arby’s New Angus Cheesesteak Ford, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 05, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
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NASCAR spent much of the 2025 season defending itself, but now the gavel has dropped, and the courtroom lights have been turned off. NASCAR can finally look back on what actually mattered this year; the product being delivered on the track. Because that product continued to deliver results that kept companies knocking on the door.
While insults were being hurled, and headlines focused on legal maneuvering, NASCAR’s business engine never lifted. The cash register kept ringing; sponsorships climbed by roughly 10 percent year-over-year, a surge fueled not just by legacy partners doubling down, but by new brands deciding to climb over the pit wall.
Not only have blue-chip brands like Coca-Cola, and Anheuser-Busch continued to engage with fans, but relative newcomers such as Freeway Insurance increased their presence by moving up to Premier partner status. There was also the return of Red Bull after a 13-year hiatus.
All of this isn’t just a revenue metric for NASCAR; it’s also a credibility signal. Verifiable proof that the sport’s competitive product, cultural relevance, and fan engagement are once again aligned.
“First and foremost, it’s always the competitive product,” Greg Stimmel NASCAR Senior VP, Chief Commercial Officer said. “If the product is not good, it’s very difficult for brands to then tie into.”
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And it’s that competitive product that most argue has never been better. A record 9 races were decided by a last lap pass in 2025, the most in Cup series history, and there were 835 lead changes the most since 2011.
“You’re never going to watch a NASCAR race and see a 40-point blowout, and you turn the race off, right?” Stimmel says. “You have to watch until the very end because someone is always going to be competing to win.”
It’s those finishes, the parity and the unpredictable drama that’s helped gain the attention of sponsors, but that’s just part of the story.
“Those things are really important for us,” Stimmel says. “Then I think the authenticity on how we tell the brand story is also important. You can’t just logo slap anymore.”
That means there is also no clear path for every brand. And different ways for a brand to measure their ROI.
TALLADEGA, AL – APRIL 27: #2 Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Menards\Quaker State Ford Mustang crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link’s 500 race on Sunday April 27, 2025 at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“I think that as we go in and have conversations with brands, everyone has a different success metric,” Stimmel admits. “But the one that is a through line in a down economy is selling things. They need to sell and move cases of product. And I think that NASCAR is uniquely positioned to any sport where the sponsorship element is actually tied into the success of their favorite race car or the race itself.
So when you see Tide on pit road, there’s an association that Tide is helping cars do better on the track at that given point. If you see the activation with Slim Jim, it’s the taste of victory, and there’s this positive association with the sport that I think is unique.”
No one brand learned this lesson better in 2025 than Arby’s. They signed on as a sponsor for Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 car early in 2025. But it wasn’t long before they were all in, stepping in as a founding partner of the Chicago Street Race in July. It was there they promoted their new Angus Cheesesteak.
“Powered by Inspire’s in-house unified data platform and analysis engine, we have a unique look into where our guests engage most,” said Jeff Baker, CMO at Arby’s. “This data showed a significant overlap between Arby’s fans and NASCAR enthusiasts, making the partnership a natural fit. The NASCAR Chicago Street Race—one of the most viewed and distinctive events—was the perfect opportunity for Arby’s to reach both existing and new fans in a bold, memorable way.’
In Chicago Cody Ware’s No. 51 car was wrapped in Angus Cheesesteak glory, trackside arrows shouting, “This Way for Arby’s Cheesesteak,” and an RV bringing the brand straight to fans along with broadcast elements. The payoff? Sixty thousand sandwiches sold in two days and a social media storm proving that when a sponsor shows up with personality and authenticity, fans don’t just notice—they act.
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The activation in Chicago not only built momentum for the product, but it also allowed Arby’s to see how it would resonate in such a high-energy environment. It was one of Arby’s most successful launches in years.
“What we saw was clear: our presence not only energized existing customers but also sparked strong interest from a completely new NASCAR audience,” said Baker.
It was the payoff of an idea borne from a pitch deck that proved it was worth doing.
“We challenged ourselves to create messaging that would stand out both on TV and live at the track,” Baker said. “Race for the Cheesesteak” delivered on both, with on-track signage of “This Way for Arby’s Cheesesteak” guiding drivers to the finish line and a commercial that brought the race car experience into viewer’s homes. The concept captured the speed and excitement of NASCAR while giving fans a fun, timely way to engage with the launch of our new Cheesesteak product.”
NASCAR fans can be a fickle bunch. While they understand that sponsorships keep the sport they love going, they can punish brands who seem fake, and reward those who are clever. In the end Arby’s was rewarded not only by moving over 60,000 cheesesteaks in Chicago but with helping the brand build long-term customers.
“Early indicators like strong social engagement, positive fan sentiment, and in-store excitement showed us that fans weren’t just noticing Arby’s, they were actively participating with the brand,” Baker said. “The partnership with NASCAR helped make the launch of the cheesesteak one of our most successful product launches in recent years.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 06: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, and Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Kroger/Blue Buffalo Ford, sit parked after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
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They built off that success three months later at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when the brand brought a Steak Nuggets-branded No. 51 Ford to the track and even had driver Cody Ware serving up samples from an Arby’s food truck in the fan zone — turning spectators into tasters and cars into billboards for a product they could taste right there.
“Our primary goal for the Vegas race weekend was to drive social engagement, and we saw results that exceeded expectations across all channels,” Baker said. “A secondary focus was product sampling, which performed exceptionally well throughout the weekend. After the race, we felt confident that fans weren’t just noticing Arby’s, they were engaging with the brand in meaningful ways.”
So what’s ahead? Well Arby’s entered NASCAR with a sandwich and now has a playbook.
“We are continuing to evaluate both big and small moments across the full NASCAR schedule that align with our product calendar and business objectives,” Baker said. “With the proven success of our 2025 activations, we see even more opportunities in 2026 to engage fans, add value during the season, and extend the excitement into the off-season.”
As NASCAR turns the page on 2025, the sport’s pitch to future partners is clearer than ever: this isn’t sponsorship by logo; this is sponsorship by story. The competitive product — close finishes, lead changes, unpredictable drama — keeps eyeballs glued. That drives engagement. That drives value. That drives results.
And that, more than any courtroom ruling or press release, may be the clearest sign of where NASCAR stands as 2025 ends and 2026 gets closer: If you bring something real to the track, fans will meet you halfway. Sometimes all the way to the concession stand.