NASCAR announced a partnership with Stay Plugged IN, the leading organizer of collegiate recruiting events in the US, to bring a three-part scholarship series to students throughout the country.

The partnership will see NASCAR provide scholarships to students interested in pursuing esports and gaming scholastically. Over the summer months, Stay Plugged IN will organize and produce two amateur tournaments where participants have the opportunity to compete in front of collegiate recruiters from around the country. Throughout gameplay, contestants will utilize NASCAR-themed vehicles available to the public for purchase in game. Additionally as part of the partnership will be a game creation competition where students learn to use coding to design games through the use of a coding platform. The partnership also creates resume building and experiential learning opportunities for students wishing to apply their skills at the collegiate level.

“Gaming is part of our DNA here at NASCAR – and we are firm believers in what the gaming world can offer students as they begin to map out their lives and careers,” said Nick Rend, NASCAR managing director of gaming and esports. “Whether it is competing in a high-level esports environment, building a career in the business of gaming, or some combination of the two, there are endless opportunities available to students to engage with the modern gaming world in a meaningful and rewarding way – and we are committed to doing our part to ensure that students can take advantage of these opportunities with the help of our friends at Stay Plugged IN.”

“We’re incredibly excited to work with NASCAR to give students more opportunities to learn, grow, and develop their skills in the gaming industry. NASCAR’s strong brand enables us to get our message out to many students across the US that may not realize the wealth of possibilities esports can bring them. We hope NASCAR fans can see how esports can be beneficial, and we know that many esports fans will be excited by the chance NASCAR is providing. Our visions aligned to blend a series of competition and educational curriculum in a way that engages students through STEM. With our companies being headquartered in Charlotte, it was a natural fit to introduce this program in our local community as well as on our national platform,” said SPIN Managing Director, Rick Suarez.

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NASCAR, known globally as a leading promoter of motorsports, has made major strides in advancing its efforts in the gaming and esports landscape over the past decade – as today’s fans are able to engage with the sport across a variety of platforms such as iRacing.com, the NASCAR Heat series, Real Racing 3, and most recently via a new in-game content partnership with Rocket League.