Objective

"RCR: Road to Daytona" is a six-part documentary series that immerses viewers in the world of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) as the team prepares for the NASCAR season opener at Daytona. The series aims to provide exclusive access to the team's drivers, engineers, and team owner, Richard Childress, highlighting the intense physical and mental preparation required to compete in one of NASCAR's most iconic races.

The project's goal is to showcase the personal journeys and professional challenges of RCR's diverse drivers—Austin Dillon, Jesse Love, Austin Hill, and Kyle Busch—each at a different stage in their careers. The series explores their unique perspectives on racing, the pressures of living up to RCR's legacy, and the sacrifices made for success in a high-stakes sport. We also focus on the camaraderie and mentorship within the team, illustrating the balance of competition and collaboration.

Through behind-the-scenes access and in-depth storytelling, the series aims to engage NASCAR fans and motorsport enthusiasts by offering an intimate, emotional portrayal of the human side of racing. It also seeks to capture the excitement, anticipation, and pressures of preparing for the Daytona 500, setting the stage for a thrilling race season. Ultimately, "RCR: Road to Daytona" highlights themes of legacy, sacrifice, and the pursuit of victory, with an emphasis on the growth of both the team and its drivers.

Strategy

Bringing this project to life required careful planning and coordination to showcase the personal and professional journeys of the four key drivers of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) leading up to the Daytona 500. The process began back in September 2024 with drafting a proposal, scheduling time with drivers and crew, and structuring the series to highlight both the human side of racing and the technical preparations. Each episode was designed to offer a more in-depth look at different aspects of race preparation while focusing on each driver's unique journey.

To capture these authentic moments, we coordinated with many vendors for behind-the-scenes access to shoot at places like RCR's race facilities/ museum, GM Tech Center simulators, Rockingham test tracks, NASCAR media production week, and overall RCR race preparation efforts. 

Some of the key challenges we faced included:

• Tight Filming Schedule: Capturing all necessary footage on time was challenging. We overcame this by organizing back-to-back filming days, utilizing previously captured footage from the season prior, and filming multiple drivers' activities in one location, ensuring efficiency without compromising quality.
• Limited Team and Equipment: Working with a small crew and limited camera equipment posed a significant challenge. With fewer hands on deck and fewer resources, it was difficult to capture the full scope of the drivers' preparations while maintaining the high production value expected. To overcome this, we maximized our equipment by being resourceful with camera angles and setups. This required careful planning and prioritization, but it allowed us to capture the essential moments without sacrificing the quality of the shots.
• Balancing Personal and Technical Aspects: We needed to ensure that both the emotional side of racing and the technical side were represented. This required careful coordination and collaboration with the team to capture the personal stories while showcasing the intense preparation for Daytona.
• Authenticity in Capturing Moments: Balancing authenticity with camera presence was difficult. We have built trust with the drivers and crew to allow natural moments to unfold while still capturing key footage.
• Coordination with Multiple Partners: Working with NASCAR partners like Fox and GM Tech Center presented complexities. We navigated these relationships by maintaining clear communication and aligning schedules to ensure smooth production.

These challenges provided opportunities to innovate and adapt, resulting in an authentic and engaging final product.

Results

The results of "RCR: Road to Daytona" align closely with our objectives. We successfully engaged NASCAR fans and motorsport enthusiasts through a compelling mini-documentary series. We aimed to provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Richard Childress Racing, showcasing the drivers' personal journeys and the mental and physical preparation required for the Daytona 500.

Our social media campaign exceeded expectations and successfully met our team's objectives. With a total of +500K video views and +800k total impressions across multiple platforms, we achieved a broad reach and high visibility. The campaign generated around +25k total engagements, including likes, shares, and comments, indicating a strong interaction from our audience. Instagram achieved an impressive 5.68% engagement rate, showing exceptional connection with followers. Additionally, gaining multiple new subscribers across the campaign reflects growing brand loyalty and audience expansion.

NASCAR partners, expressed strong enthusiasm for the series, with Racing America eager to feature the "Road to Daytona" series on their streaming platform and CW spotlighting it on their Xfinity series pre-race show in Daytona.

The series also fostered a deeper connection with new viewers or returning fans, as seen in the solid subscriber growth. These numbers highlight the broad interest and emotional connection audiences have with the team's journey, supporting our goal of showcasing RCR's legacy and the personal sacrifices of its drivers.

Ultimately, these results validate our strategy of providing exclusive content that emphasizes human stories within the high-pressure world of motorsport, positioning the series as a successful campaign that met our engagement and growth targets.

Media