4 Burning Questions: Who Is Behind NASCAR’s Viral Swear Jar Idea?

Did NASCAR come up with its swear jar idea all by itself?

You didn’t really think NASCAR would act on such an amazing idea on its own, did you?

Sure, its team has done a much better job marketing the product this season, but in reality, the latest swear jar push is the result of a neat collaboration with a company you’ve likely never heard of. Well, unless you work in marketing, that is.

The company I’m referring to is 72andSunny, a global marketing firm representing some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and various other industries. How big, you might ask? Well, just looking at the sports clientele, 72andSunny has NASCAR on its books, but it also works with the NFL, Hard Rock Bet and others.

.@NASCAR’s swear jar contest has already stirred up 974 million earned media impressions after the first week of the Chase, per data from the auto racing property, which has adopted a spunky marketing approach this year.

➡️ NASCAR worked with its agency @72andSunny on the idea. pic.twitter.com/V2LM2l7FVG

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) September 13, 2026

In the automotive space, the company lists partnerships with brands like Cadillac, CarMaxx and Qualcomm, which manufactures a large portion of the world’s semiconductors and chips. Add companies like Google, Venmo and United Airlines, and it’s easy to see the agency has one of the most impressive rolodexes in the world.

The results are speaking for themselves here. Partnering with 72andSunny for a campaign can’t be cheap, but when you earn nearly 1 billion media impressions from a short-term campaign like this, the return is well worth it. But it’s also worth noting that NASCAR is working with one of, if not the most successful, marketing firms in sports.

That should say a lot about how seriously the powers that be in NASCAR want to get its product out there. It’s now just a matter of keeping this sort of momentum going.

Is the new wet weather policy a hit or miss?

Earlier this week, NASCAR announced a change to its wet-weather policy on when teams can switch to wet-weather tires.

Previously, NASCAR had to make the call itself to switch to the wet-weather tires. However, thanks to the new rule change, the teams now have the autonomy to switch to them whenever they choose.

So, does that make it a win?

Somewhat. It’s certainly a welcome change, but not simply because it gives teams more autonomy. In reality, it’s a good decision precisely because it gives NASCAR less autonomy as a governing body. Under the previous setup, NASCAR had to stop the race, let teams change to wet-weather tires and then restart. If that sounds clunky, it’s because it was. Not to mention that the old wet-weather tire rules likely cost Shane van Gisbergen some positions at New Hampshire Motor Speedway not too long ago.

I’m always for giving teams the decision to fiddle with their own racecars, and this is another step in that direction. NASCAR will only dictate which tires teams start the race on to ensure an equal start and when teams can swap, but beyond that, teams will decide exactly when to make a switch. That takes blame off NASCAR, gives teams autonomy and ultimately should make for a more intriguing process when NASCAR does have to race in the rain. That’s a win all around.

What’s the reception to the new NASCAR video game been?

NASCAR and iRacing’s newest collaboration, NASCAR 26, has been available to users who purchased the game’s gold edition since Sept. 15, and the jury has returned with a verdict on the game’s launch state. Spoiler alert: it’s not great.

But that doesn’t mean it’s just horrible, either. The game is an improvement over its first iteration, which had to follow NASCAR 21: Ignition, the worst NASCAR video game of all time, if you ask me. However, after a full year to improve on the game’s initial offering, I must say I’m a bit disappointed.

The best way to break this down is in a wins-and-losses format. To start with the wins: Burnouts are back (hallelujah), but you can’t do a burnout down pit road, else the AI takes over. The dynamic tracks, meaning that the track surface will change throughout a race just like in real life, seem to be a hit. The gameplay is still centerstage, which sim-racing purists will appreciate out of iRacing.

There are some losses. For instance, there still isn’t a caution replay, which was quintessential to the old games that sold in droves. There still isn’t a system in place that allows drivers to switch teams or retire as they do in real life, another feature that was present in the early-’00s EA Sports titles, and finally, there’s still no terminal damage engine or even a markedly improved one.

The game’s developers say the damage engine isn’t a priority. Fairly, games like Wreckfest, which have a much more advanced damage engine, have only about 15 cars on the track at once, while NASCAR games need 40. That’s a lot to pack in, but even a small improvement would likely make the game more attractive to pick-up-and-play users.

Either way, the attitude toward the title seems positive, and all signs point to NASCAR 27 getting a release. Hopefully, there won’t be another title sponsor shakeup, or at least by next year the developers can correct the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to its new name.

Was that a weird Thursday night race or what?

On Sept. 17, one of the Truck races of all time that ever occurred on a racetrack was completed, and that’s about as good a description as I can give. Jake Garcia snagged his first national-series win in nearly 100 starts, and Bayley Currey brought home a career-best second-place finish.

It always feels weird to race on Thursday nights, and at Bristol Motor Speedway, the race itself both delivered and capitalized on the weirdness. The race and championship favorite, Layne Riggs, struggled throughout the final stage, finishing 32nd.

Another first-time winner joins the club! pic.twitter.com/dPZ9HQNfk9

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) September 18, 2026

That significantly closed the gap from first to second in the Chase standings, as Kaden Honeycutt now sits just three points back of the lead ahead of next week’s race at Kansas Speedway, a track about as unpredictable as it gets.

Riggs’ name has been floated around a few Cup circles for the past two years, and a championship would almost certainly get him called up sooner rather than later. He’s already announced a return to Front Row Motorsports’ Truck team for next year, but if his bad luck continues into next weekend, the Truck Series may be his home for yet another silly season.