Earlier this week, Darlington Raceway announced the signing of Coastal Carolina Chanticleers quarterback Grayson McCall. The partnership is set to run for a full year and will have the college athlete promote the Labor Day race weekend which is annually conducted by the NASCAR racetrack.
McCall’s partnership with Darlington Raceway was made possible via the name, image, and likeness deal or NIL. ESPN’s Ryan McGee dubbed the QB’s signing as “the first lengthy” NIL between the oldest NASCAR superspeedway and a collegiate athlete.
Bob Pockrass
2022-07-27 17:52
Darlington Raceway has signed Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall to help promote its events and be part of marketing campaigns. Believed to be the first NASCAR-associated name/image/likeness deal with a college athlete.
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More on McCall’s partnership with Darlington Raceway
McCall’s signing with Darlington Raceway came after three football players from the Georgia Bulldogs had promoted NASCAR Cup Series events via their social media channels. Slightly similar to the Bulldogs’ McCall will use his social media to promote the racetrack’s Labor Day race weekend, which also includes NASCAR “Crown Jewel” event, the upcoming September 4 Southern 500.
McCall will be part of the racetrack’s digital platforms in addition to being involved in a number of marketing campaigns. In addition, the 21-year-old’s deal also covers the promotion of the entire events planned by Darlington Raceway in its 2023 schedule, as per multiple reports. On Wednesday this week, McCall was seen at the racetrack to shoot pictures and videos for Darlington Raceway’s promotion campaign.
Bradley Thom
2022-07-27 18:25
Very Cool!! 👍 Good For Him https://t.co/eJ1BjSeMVV
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Via a news release, Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp praised McCall as “one of the finest quarterbacks” in college sports. Tharp also shared the racetrack’s excitement after inking the QB’s NIL deal and was proud to have him as the first “NASCAR owned track NIL athlete”.
“Grayson McCall is one of the finest quarterbacks in college football, so we are proud to partner with him as the first NASCAR owned track NIL athlete. Grayson has had a dynamic collegiate career setting NCAA and school records and has lived his entire life in the Carolinas,” Tharp said.
“His playing style exemplifies toughness and competitiveness, and he is the ideal athlete to help promote Darlington’s Too Tough To Tame brand.”
McCall’s excitement
McCall is a starting QB for the Chanticleers. He debuted his collegiate career with the team in 2019 and has won multiple awards since then. He was named back-to-back Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2020-2021 and a two-time consecutive winner of the First team All-Sun Belt in the same years.
FalchionWielder
2022-07-27 18:02
Hey that’s really cool McCall is one of my favorite players in college football, so him being the first athlete to sign a NIL deal with something NASCAR related is pretty neat https://t.co/AthEZGCP0S
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“I love this town and this area. Coastal Carolina kind of made me into who I am. I love this school and I love the people here in the region and with Darlington being right down the road and a huge part of the sports culture, partnering with them just makes sense,” the QB said.
Coastal Carolina is located approximately 65 miles away from the racetrack. Despite this, the young athlete remains confident and excited about the signing, saying that hundreds of miles are his “thing too”.
“It just helps fulfill a legacy I want to leave here. Plus, going a couple hundred miles an hour is kind of my thing too,” he continued.
Despite a rough debut as a redshirt freshman in 2019, his stellar performance quickly propelled him to the starting QB position the following year. McCall has made 5,386 passing yards and 54 rushing touchdowns in his career.
