Anthony Alfredo RTIC Outdoors

Anthony Alfredo, Ryan Vargas top list for most brand endorsements among NASCAR drivers

In this day and age, NASCAR drivers need sponsors almost as much as they need a race car. Anthony Alfredo and Ryan Vargas make it work. Alfredo, a former Cup Series driver currently racing in the Xfinity Series has made a name for himself as “Fast Pasta” and other fun name puns. Meanwhile, Vargas remains one of the hardest-working guys in stock car racing.

New research from SponsorUnited looked at a number of drivers, brands, and social media posts for their Motosports Market Partnerships Report. What the data found was that Anthony Alfredo and Ryan Vargas led the way in terms of the number of brands they have partnered with in the last year.

In fact, these drivers are leading Cup Series names such as Joey Logano and Kyle Busch in terms of the number of sponsorship deals they have. It is impressive to see.

While at Talladega Superspeedway, I got to meet Alfredo as he raced with RTIC Outdoors on his car, the new official drinkware and cooler brand of NASCAR. RTIC invited me and others out for the weekend to look at their new products and their partnership with NASCAR. Anthony Alfredo had a rough time at Dega. He was the fourth car collected in a wreck that started nowhere in his line of sight.

However, he used his free time to go back and do more meet and greets with fans in the midway. That dedication to sponsors and fans helps drive his 31, NASCAR-leading endorsement deals that SponsorUnited notes in their research. And yes, he just had his first pasta sauce sponsor on his car last week at Dover.

When it comes to hustling, there are few that work as hard as these lower-series drivers. Anthony Alfredo has the name recognition to help, but guys like Ryan Vargas have a harder road to go.

Ryan Vargas not far behind Anthony Alfredo with endorsements

Anthony Alfredo leads the way in terms of endorsement deals. He is the only NASCAR driver with more than 30 endorsements. However, Ryan Vargas, a part-time Xfinity and Truck Series driver, isn’t far behind.

Vargas boasts 26 endorsement deals. While he isn’t running a full-time schedule, he is a driver that has endeared himself to fans. Just one look at his Twitter will show you how much NASCAR fans have embraced him and how much they support him.

He drives the No. 30 for On Point Motorsports in the Truck Series. In the Xfinity Series, Vargas competes in the No. 74 for CHK Racing. But when it comes to landing sponsors, that is a full-time job. I asked Vargas how he approached endorsements and what he thought about being recognized for his hard work.

“Really my approach is that when I reach out to somebody, I do it with the goal in mind of trying to create a long last, long-term program. A program that delivers for everyone involved,” Vargas explained.

“My goal whenever I have a partner on a race, is that by the time the race car hits the track on Saturday, the goals are already met. Therefore, whatever happens next is just a bonus.”

This season Ryan Vargas has raced twice in the Craftsman Truck Series. He has finishes of P14 at Atlanta and P8 at Texas. He hopes it is just the beginning as he works to make this NASCAR dream a reality. His sponsors will be with him the whole way.