White House Enlists NASCAR for Pro-Vaccine Campaign

The White House and President Joe Biden have recruited NASCAR for a new ad campaign focusing on groups hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Racing’s sanctioning body will work alongside the Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative to encourage people to get the vaccine. NASCAR will join the Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. and other groups for the new campaign.

According to the Wall Street Journal, there are multiple new videos making up the campaign that features a new Willie Nelson recording. Additionally, athletes from 13 sports leagues and organizations take part in the pro-vaccine campaign. They represent the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association among many others.

NASCAR posted one of the campaign videos on social media on Wednesday, which showed athletes from several different sports. A player from the New York Mets hit the ball before running the bases while a member of the Las Vegas Aces waved to fans in the crowd. There were also glimpses of packed wrestling events, hockey games with fans, and NASCAR drivers throwing merchandise to an All-Star Race audience. “It’s up to you,” a message on a bandaid logo said.

“It’s critically important to us that we, as an industry, continue to play a meaningful role in the fight against COVID, including offering our venues to help administer vaccines across the country as quickly as possible,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps told the outlet in a statement. NASCAR has dealt with minor coronavirus-related issues, including some drivers testing positive.

CNN reports that this massive ad campaign will primarily target conservatives. Bringing in NASCAR, country music organizations, and several rural organizations have been done to focus on vaccine confidence efforts meant for conservative eyes and ears. The outlet reports that “about 47% of people” who supported former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election said that they would not get the vaccine if it became available to them.

Trump did not participate in a recent PSA with other former presidents recently despite receiving the vaccine before leaving office. However, he conducted a phone interview recently and encouraged his supporters to get the shot. “I would recommend it, and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly,” Trump told Fox Business. “It is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works.”