NASCAR fans will have some real decision-making power over the season’s opening race, according to an announcement by NASCAR this past Monday.
For first time, fans are able to vote on competition aspects of The Sprint Unlimited race on February 16th at Daytona. Fans will play an “integral part” in how the race is designed by voting on the following aspects:
- number of laps in each segment
- type of pit stop a team makes after the first segment
- how many cars will be eliminated after the second segment
- outfit worn by Miss Sprint Cup for NASCAR’s post-race show
Voting opened on January 21st, and fans can participate through the NASCAR Mobile ’13 app or via NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited; however, votes cast through the mobile app have twice as much value. Clearly, NASCAR wants to entice fans to engage on a mobile platform. Voting for the number of race laps closes on February 13, but voting for the other three categories will remain open until the race begins on February 16th.
“We are excited to provide our fan base this first-of-its-kind opportunity to directly be involved in determining the race’s format and in-race decisions,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “By allowing our fans this type of interaction, it is our hope that more fans will be tuned in to the event than ever before.”
Fans are also encouraged to follow @NASCAR and @MissSprintCup on Twitter to engage in the #SprintUnlimited conversation.
Steve Gaffney, Sprint vice president of corporate marketing, said “We are giving them the ultimate access to the sport, the decision-making power to sculpt the type of race they want to see. With today’s technology, they can make these decisions in real time as the race is happening.”
NASCAR is known for its “passionate” fan base; will they engage on social media – in realtime – for this chance to help design a race?
