Long-time NASCAR track Darlington Raceway said it has signed what apparently is the first NASCAR-related Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal between a speedway and a college athlete.
The track announced Wednesday that Grayson McCall, a quarterback for Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina (about 70 miles from Darlington), will be a marketing partner for the raceway this year and next year.
McCall will help promote Darlington’s Sept. 3-4 Southern 500 weekend and next year’s races at the track.
“Grayson McCall is one of the finest quarterbacks in college football, so we are proud to partner with him as the first NASCAR-owned track NIL athlete,” track president Kerry Tharp said in a release. “Grayson has had a dynamic collegiate career setting NCAA and school records and has lived his entire life in the Carolinas.”
Coastal has a 20-2 record over the past two seasons with McCall as the starting quarterback. He will be a junior this season.
Financial details of the agreement were not released.