Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR Digital Media Partner to Elevate Race Organization’s Digital Presence
New Website to Launch in December; RCR First Team to Work with NASCAR Digital Media
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2016) –- Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has enlisted NASCAR Digital Media (NDM) to oversee design and development of the organization’s new website, the companies announced today. The newrcrracing.com will soft launch in December followed by a full rollout in early 2017.
RCR undertook a rigorous search process, interviewing more than 10 agencies and web design firms before awarding the project to NDM. In doing so, RCR becomes the first race team to collaborate with the fast-growing NDM on a website build.
The fully customized site will feature an improved user experience and compelling, original content to enhance the overall digital experience for fans of RCR and its stable of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers.
“Our digital efforts have become a major focus for RCR and many of our partners over the past few years,” said Ben Schlosser, Chief Marketing Officer of RCR. “We needed a contemporary website which allows us to fully showcase engaging content for our fans and partners. RCR looked at a number of qualified digital providers and chose NDM because of their proven approach and the compelling opportunities to collaborate on content. We understand that NDM is discussing similar projects with other race teams and we’re proud to be the leader in the effort.”
NDM will build rcrracing.com to accommodate RCR’s growing number of fans across multiple devices, with a flexible design offering multiple ways to present content. The revamped site will feature driver-specific content, complete race and driver schedules, videos, photo galleries, race updates and more.
“As the NASCAR digital platform continues to expand, we’re making more of our capabilities available to partners,” said NASCAR Digital Media Vice President Colin Smith. “Richard Childress Racing drivers have loyal and passionate fan followings, and we’re uniquely positioned to help the team better engage those audiences across a constantly evolving digital landscape.”
NDM has led a myriad of successful digital initiatives since NASCAR reacquired its digital rights and launched a new platform in 2013. The flagship site, NASCAR.com, is the sport’s premier destination for fans and in 2016 the platform will eclipse one billion page views for the third consecutive year.
Through this partnership, RCR will have access to NDM’s content management system that allows developers to publish timely content across creatively designed layouts. The team will benefit from other tools to drive fan engagement, including data-driven insight from daily digital interactions with NASCAR fans, industry and sponsors.
The announcement represents another step in the continued growth and evolution of NDM, which plans to work with more race teams on website builds in the future. Earlier this year, NASCAR announced that NDM will bring all digital advertising sales and operations in house, beginning January 1, 2017.
About Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing (rcrracing.com) is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. RCR has earned more than 200 victories and 15 championships, including six in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Its 2016 Sprint Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Dow/American Ethanol/Cheerios/AAA Chevrolet), 2011 Brickyard 400 champion Paul Menard (No. 27 Menards Chevrolet) and 2008 Daytona 500 champion and 2013 Brickyard 400 winner Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar/Grainger/WIX Filters Chevrolet). Its XFINITY Series program includes a multi-driver lineup with Austin Dillon and Paul Menard (No. 2 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet), 2012 Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year Ty Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Rheem/WESCO/Red Kap Chevrolet), Rookie of the Year contender Brandon Jones (No. 33 Menards/Nexteer Chevrolet) and Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino/WIX Filters/U.S. Cellular Chevrolet).
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
Sources: Pete Stuart/NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications