In what seems like a significant primary sponsorship announcement, Ryan Ellis and the No. 43 Alpha Prime Racing team will partner with social media mobile application Snapchat in next weekend’s The Loop 110 NASCAR Xfinity Series Street Race at Chicago.
This will mark the first time that Snapchat will serve as a primary sponsor in NASCAR.
Snapchat was designed to bring friends, family, and communities together. The company sees similarities with the sport of NASCAR.
“NASCAR is an amazing force in bringing people together to have fun, so we’re thrilled to be able to have a presence at the Chicago Street Race with Alpha Prime Racing,” Eric Baldwin, Executive Creative Director at Snap Inc. said in a press release. “At Snapchat, our goal is to make sure everyone has a little ‘more love’ in their lives. And since there have been a lot of tempers flaring at races lately, we thought we could maybe encourage a few hugs.”
Ellis is blown away by the partnership with Snapchat.
“It’s such an honor to be able to represent Snapchat on a stage as big as the one we’ll have in Chicago. Their campaign of ‘Less Likes, More Love’ is something that means a ton to me,” Ellis explained. “I’ve seen social media go through so many different stages, and seeing how toxic it can be is disheartening. As a father to a young daughter, I want the world to be as happy as possible, and I truly use Snapchat to create some great memories already. I love the silly and fun Snapchat Lenses, and it’s still synonymous with lightheartedness and happiness to me.”
The 34-year-old full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series racer says he has been using Snapchat for years.
“I feel like I’ve been an avid user since I first discovered Snapchat in college,” Ellis recalled. “It’s always been a departure from the chaos of the world and a fan and interactive way for me to communicate with friends and family. The Snapchat scheme is amazing – just how fun and peaceful it is contrasted with the chaotic nature of a NASCAR race car in the streets of Chicago really feels like it aligns so well with Snapchat’s place in the chaotic world of social media.”
Through the opening 16 races of the 2024 season, Ellis sits 23rd in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings. After years of clawing his way to where he is, currently, Ellis is finally getting a chance to compete full-time in a NASCAR National Series for the first time this year.
Ellis tied his career-best finish of 11th in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, and he has been zeroing in on his first-career top-10 finish seemingly all season long. He’ll look to break through for it with Snapchat on his car at Chicago, if he doesn’t pull it off this weekend in Nashville.
