Is the 2026 season the year that NASCAR reasserts itself culturally? It sure seems like they are attempting to, at least. A new post-Super Bowl ad online titled "America, Start Your Engines," not only shows the best parts about stock car racing, but also separates itself from other racing multiple times.
There are a few subtle jabs at Formula One racing here. In fact, the video starts out with one. A conventionally handsome actor stands in front of a red Ford Mustang Dark Horse and says, "America's forefathers didn't throw tea into the harbor so we can sit quietly on rooftops and drink champagne."
"Our engines don't whisper, they roar. ... You want perfect turns and polite applause? You know where to find it. But if you want dust, dened fenders and a place to let loose, we've got a seat waiting."
The video features a number of NASCAR's biggest names and stars. Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Carson Hocevar, and even Cleetus McFarland made appearances.
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NASCAR said that it was looking to reestablish its brand. For too long, it has felt that NASCAR was afraid to lean into certain aspects of its reputation. Perhaps those "stupid redneck" comments from Steve Phelps about Richard Childress were more revealing than anyone realized.
But there's nothing controversial about NASCAR fans getting together in the infield to grill out, drink beer, listen to the sound of horsepower at the speed of fast, and have a good time. That kind of lifestyle isn't just for one kind of person or one group of people with certain beliefs. Racing is for everyone, and the racing in NASCAR is unlike anything you will see anywhere else.
As F1 increasingly becomes of, for, and by the rich, NASCAR has to continue to cut out a niche as the blue collar series. It has to be the series you can take the whole family to, and it won't cost you a Cartier necklace to do it.
F1 and NASCAR share a track, COTA, and they share the city of Las Vegas as a host for racing as well. The two series might race in the same city, maybe even on the same track at COTA, but the atmosphere of those events and the prices cannot really be compared.
This ad did a great job of balancing everything. It wasn't cringe, it didn't come off as disingenuous. NASCAR has started out the 2026 season with many changes, but perhaps the embracing of its rough and rugged reputation is the most important change the series could make.