A Weekend at NASCAR Chicago With Bubba Wallace and McDonald's

NASCAR is a widely popular sport in America, but their core demographic typically lives out in the country. As 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace puts it: "There’s a big disconnect no matter where you are between the city and sticks. I live in the sticks in Charlotte and people from the city side and people in the sticks like things a certain way."

There is no denying that we all live drastically different lives, especially those who live in different parts of the United States. This race in Chicago was meant to bring the sport of racing to this new demographic while keeping the integrity of what NASCAR is, and with that goal in mind they were wildly successful.

The overall event was amazing, even factoring in the monsoon that hit the lakefront of Chicago out of nowhere. In fact, it was the most rain the city of Chicago had ever recorded on July 3rd. Organizers were able to fight through the weather delay and get the race going, even though it had to be shortened to 75 laps.

The coolest fixture of the entire race was seeing the Chicago skyline in the background as cars sped by at nearly 200 miles per hour. Chicago was the perfect city to host the race and it only made sense that the race took place right down the street from McDonald's corporate headquarters.

One way that McDonald's continues to stay relevant and at the forefront of popular culture is through collaborations. The brand relentlessly searches for emerging stars and athletes, finding genuine ways to create meals and promotions around them. However, the way McDonald's goes about deciding which brand or celebrity they pursue a collaboration with may surprise you.

With a massive corporation like McDonald's, you'd imagine a bunch of people in suits brainstorming in a room. However, they actually go straight to their fans to find out who and what is culturally relevant.

Elizabeth Campbell, Vice President of Field Marketing and Local Culture for McDonald's USA told us, "This really started (NASCAR) with our owner operators. They were interested in NASCAR, they had a passion for it, so the brand started to investigate it and said, there are people here who like to come to McDonald's and represent our brand. It really came from our owner operators being fans."

This strategy has helped McDonald's stay above their competition for so long. An owner/operator approached McDonald's corporate and told them about this up-and-coming driver (Bubba Wallace) who they think fits their brand perfectly. Ever since, McDonald's has been right by his side, supporting him through his rise in NASCAR from 2020 all the way up to today.

That suggestion from an owner operator in 2020 has blossomed into McDonald's newest signature meal 'The Bubba Wallace Meal' which was featured in participating McDonald's around Illinois and Indiana. Bubba Wallace and 23XI teammate Tyler Reddick showed up to a local McDonald’s in Chicago during race week to join in on taking orders with the crew and serving food to fans from around the area. Campbell told us "Our owner/operators also extended some of these once-in-a lifetime NASCAR experiences to our wonderful crew, who are the heart of our restaurants. It’s one of the ways we’re celebrating them for all they do to make our customers’ days brighter."

As McDonald's and NASCAR wrap a successful weekend putting on the first ever street race in the city of Chicago the question that begs answering is what's next for McDonald's?

We asked Liz Campbell for a scoop on what might be in the works next "Now you know if I told you that I'd be in trouble!", but there was one question as a loyal McDonald's fan I had to ask.

"Are we ever getting the snack wraps back in the United States?"...

The answer: "Never say never. We want to make sure that when that snack wrap is available in the United States that is the best snack wrap and exactly what you remember." Fair play Liz, fair play.

This weekend was another example of McDonald's finding new and exciting ways to drive culture, something they are experts at. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for what might be in store next!