Referenda #514 > https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/514

Overview

As of 2022, crypto firms have spent over $2 billion on sports advertising or sponsorships of major sports institutions including the NBA, Major League Baseball, Formula 1, and even the Drone Racing League (source: Fintech Alliance).

While there have been many digital asset sponsorships in the sporting world few if have done so in a decentralized manner by showcasing the actual technology.

A local Polkadot Ambassador reached out to Conor Daly and Athelo Group with an idea of sharing to the world the story of Polkadot and utilizing the protocol to a market outside of the crypto community with an entry in this year’s Indianapolis 500 “Secured by Polkadot”.  After chatting more with a few members of the community and learning more about the ecosystem and how the OpenGov and Treasury process works Conor wanted to start a discussion to gauge the Polkadot communities’ interest in a marketing effort for Polkadot in North America of sponsoring a ride(car) and driver (spokesperson for Polkadot) for the IndyCar Series and the 2024 Indianapolis 500 on May 26th in Speedway, IN.

This is an opportunity for both the Polkadot community as well as Conor and Athelo Group to make history and create a lot of media buzz (especially in North America) around being the first democratic and decentralized funded contract with NO one person or middle person being involved thus highlighting some of the benefits Polkadot (the network) provides.

What is the Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, in the largest sporting facility in the world, with more than 250,000 grandstand seats and the ability to host close to 400,000 on race day throughout the entire property, thus setting the world record for being the World's largest single-day sporting event, according to the World Record Academy.

For over a century, 33 drivers have raced 200 laps around the legendary oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, determined to come out on top. The Indy 500 is a timeless tradition and practically a month-long holiday for fans, friends, and families. The two to three weeks of practice and qualifying leading up to the Indianapolis 500 is known in racing circles simply as "the month of May".  In early years, the track traditionally opened for practice on May 1 (regardless of the day of the week). This practice dated back to 1911. Whether it is practice and qualifying, the pit stop challenge, the snakepit,  the community concerts, or the “greatest spectacle in racing” the month of May is packed with events for everyone.

More than 1,000 journalists and photographers are credentialed to cover the month of May and the Indianapolis 500 each year. NBC Sports, IndyCar's flagship network, reported that in 2023 the Indianapolis 500 drew an avg 4.92 million (peak 5.8 million).

What is the IndyCar Series

INDYCAR is the sanctioning body for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America's premier open-wheel series with athletes representing over 11 different countries around the world. The diverse schedule is made up of superspeedways, short ovals, road courses, and street courses that put athletes' physical and mental strength to the test. The INDYCAR SERIES is North America’s greatest motor sports event. It’s a dynamic, spectacle, high-speed race with top speed that could reach 380 km/hour and average speed per hour that exceeds F1.

What is the NASCAR Truck Series

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series is one of three national divisions of NASCAR, ranking as the third tier behind the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series and the top level NASCAR Cup Series.

What is Nitrocross

Nitrocross, formerly known as Nitro Rallycross, is the ultimate fusion of short-form competition and action sports. Nitrocross is a disruptive motorsport property that features purpose-built courses with huge jumps and banked turns for intense pulse-pounding action. The series includes Group E and the groundbreaking FC1-X, the most explosive electric race car ever built, and offers fans a full festival experience with additional motorsport disciplines and live entertainment. Nitrocross also creates engaging original content that showcases the strong personalities and compelling stories on the road to the championship.

Who is Conor Daly

A second-generation driver, Conor Daly is the son of Derek Daly, who competed in Formula One and the INDYCAR SERIES for over a decade. His mother, Beth Boles, won a Novice Jet Ski World title in 1990, and his stepfather, J. Douglas Boles, is the president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Daly’s career includes wins in Star Mazda (now USF Pro 2000) and INDY NXT by Firestone, and the 2010 USF Pro 2000 title.

Born and raised in nearby Noblesville, Ind., Daly has grown to be a hometown favorite in the Indianapolis 500.

Daly is an American professional racing driver who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity, and Truck Series. Dalyʼs career started racing go-karts as a 10-year-old. In 2005, he won 19 races, two championships, and Junior Driver of the Year. In 2016, he competed for Dale Coyne Racing where he led the highest number of laps by a Honda driver that season, complimented by a P2 podium finish in Detroit.

In 2019, he competed for Andretti Autosports and the U.S. Air Force at the Indianapolis 500, finishing 10th after running as high as fourth. In May 2022, Daly achieved his Indy 500 career-best with a 6th place finish. While passing the BTC car for the lead Conor also led the most laps at the Indy 500 in 2021. In 2023, he defied all odds to qualify for the Nascar Cup Seriesʼ Daytona 500, highlighting his competitive spirit and passion for the sport. He also became the first driver to compete in both NASCAR and Indycar on back-to-back Texas weekends. Daly is one of just 29 Drivers to race in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 within the same year. In 2023 he notched another Top10 finish at the Indy500 finishing 8th.

The 30-year-old’s off-track interests are as diverse as his on-track talents. He is no stranger to reality television, having crisscrossed the globe on The Amazing Race and competed on American Ninja Warrior. Daly is a huge supporter of live music and is commonly seen greeting fans in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Snake Pit just hours before the Indy 500. An avid gamer, Daly’s popular Twitch channel features his quick wit and infectious personality. Daly is also an advocate for Type 1 Diabetes, with which he was diagnosed at age 14, and is the only known U.S. professional racing driver who competes full-time with T1D.

Verified Account > SubID

Media Kit and Official Link > Conor Daly Media Kit

Conor Leading the 2021 Indy500 > Conor Daly passing the BTC car for the lead in the Indianapolis 500

Links
Conor Daly - https://conordaly.net/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConorDaly22
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ConorDaly22/
Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/conordaly22 
SpeedStreet Podcast (Dirty Mo Media) 

Video Interviews
Doug and Drivers: Conor Daly's Recent Success Makes Indy 500 Win Feel Close
WTHR The Snake Pit
The Month of May — Conor's Camper
Victory Celebration with Conor Daly
NBA Celebrity All-Star Game 2024
American Ninja Warrior
The Amazing Race
TMZ Sports

Print Articles

Conor secures sponsorship for ECR with Bitnile
Bloomberg Crypto and Conor Daly
Earnity and Conor Daly

Who is Athelo Group

We’re an athlete-marketing agency built around one simple observation: When brands and athletes team up for an effective partnership, everyone wins.

We jumped at the opportunity to work with Conor since 2019 after being introduced to him by a fellow NASCAR client so we could help further immerse our agency in the world of IndyCar Driving while also allowing Conor to take advantage of our expertise. Since he has been involved in the racing scene for so long, he already had a great community around him. It was our job to step in to grow these existing connections in ways Conor might not have ever thought to before.

With our background in NASCAR and his insider knowledge of the Indianapolis racing scene, we hit the ground running to come up with creative ideas to leverage his value. We are currently working to find ways to enhance Conor’s relationships and negotiate new opportunities that will increase his brand awareness both on and off the track.

Athelo Group aims to bring partnerships to the table that align well with Conor’s personal brand. For instance, as a patient of Type 1 Diabetes, Conor is a vocal advocate for the diabetes community as well as the youth diabetes community since he has been living with this since his early adolescence. Conor has been working with Afrezza (MannKind) which is an inhalable insulin company that is leading the way globally in some of the most unique diabetes research around. Being at the forefront of something different but something that he is passionate about it a win / win for all parties involved while Conor still strives to lean into this partnership to learn more each and every day.  We are also helping him branch out into the Esports community to look for opportunities there. We are excited to see how Conor continues to grow in his craft and honor the name of his family’s past racing tradition.

Athelo Group & Conor Daly > https://athelogroup.com/athlete/conor-daly/

Capabilities of Athelo Group > Athelo Group Capabilities

Digital Asset History at the Indy500

As worldwide exposure of the 500 increased over the years, hand-in-hand with technological advances, rising speeds, and increased involvement in recent years by both automotive and non-automotive international corporations, a variety of socially intriguing “firsts” have taken place.

BTC Miami Indycar Announcement - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-fkD9_VAjE

One first happened for the digital asset community and came in 2021 with an entry of a Bitcoin car for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. Ed Carpenter Racing partnered with Strike to fundraise on behalf of the Bitcoin community and support all necessary on-track activities for the Month of May. Strike handled all payments and donations for the effort through its lighting network and payment application. The Bitcoin car was an entry for the people and supported by the people. - AutoWeek Article about BTC Deal

This was a first, but note it was done all through crowdfunding and donations from those in the BTC community.  This created a lot of buzz for those not deep in the digital asset space by spurring tons of media attention around what exactly Bitcoin is.  The team at Ed Carpenter Racing (which Conor Daly was part of) did an excellent job at bridging the gap between “non crypto people” and those developing the technology by explaining what Bitcoin is and the benefits it provides to each and every individual from race fans to developers.

Conor on Digital Assets

“I have followed the digital asset world closely now for several years. It has been a fascinating community to learn from and also see grow.  I am a consistent owner and buyer of Bitcoin.  I have even had "Bitcoin bonuses” in two different racing contracts!  Technology and the way we can use it in society is super important I believe as we move forward in life. “ - Conor Daly

Intended Outcome of Potential Proposal

Discounted Packaged Sponsorship of Conor Daly to race and be a Polkadot Brand Ambassador for the 3 professional races in different series for 2024. The superbowl of racing the 2024 Indianapolis 500, (1) NASCAR Truck Series Race, and (1) Nitro Rallycross Race .

2024 Conor Daly Activation Program

• Indianapolis 500 —  1 race part of the IndyCar Series - The biggest single day sporting event and biggest motorsports race in the world
  ***prototype of Polkadot IndyCar shown below
• NASCAR Truck Series —  1 race part of the NASCAR Truck Series nationally broadcasted every week
• Nitro Rallycross  - 1 race part of the Nitro Rallycross 24-25 season
  ***prototype of Polkadot RallyCar shown below

Estimated total ask $2mm USD (DOT requested will be to a multi-sig wallet based on 30-day EMA when the referendum is submitted)..

*** Additional 2024 NASCAR Truck Series and Nitro Rallycross races or a 2025 full season IndyCar sponsorship are open for discussion as well if the community is interested.

IndyCar Prototype

Nitrocross RallyCar Prototype

On-track Branding

Off-track Branding

Case Study

Benefits to the Community

• Brand recognition and presence in North America for Polkadot
• Spokesperson outside the crypto community to help advocate Polkadot and benefits of blockchain technology
• Polkadot mentioned in potential articles on how a IndyCar driver utilized blockchain via governance (one of the many features of Polkadot) for a unique 500 partnership that has never been done before
• National and global media reach in multiple different professional racing series. 
• For the Indy 500 Polkadot would be seen in 5mm homes on race day and 500k+ in-person via all the events plus race that go on through the whole month of May.
• Brand recognition for any diecast cars or memorabilia that would be created based off his paint scheme (Polkadot)
• Possibly partnership with projects building in the ecosystem such as Exiled Racers with a game theme around Daly or the 500 
• Cross promotion/mention of Polkadot on SpeedStreet Conor’s weekly racing podcast part of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dirty Mo Media
• Ability to leverage Conor on other marketing efforts or media interviews the community might see fit (with approval of Athelo and Conor)
• Media passes to influencers in the community to cover Conor and the Polkadot car 
• Potential for ambassadors in the ecosystem or other business development or influencers in the ecosystem to attend events, attend races, host events, and network with other influential companies and investors
• Polkadot community involvement (possibly ideas)
  • Help with design of car
  • NFT or Games themes around Conor and Indy 500
  • Global watch parties for the Indy 500
  • Local ambassadors chance to hold events alongside races
  • Other ideas the community might come up with are open for discussion

Timeline to Execute

We are looking for feedback from the community on this discussion over the next few weeks with hopes for Conor to get a referendum up for voting the first of Feb if there is interest from the community to pursue this unique partnership.

With Conor's passion for the digital asset space and seeing what Polkadot offers to help secure and drive the web3 space forward we wanted to come to the community to present this unique opportunity prior to pursuing other avenues. 

We are open to coming on the Kusamarian for an interview, Xspace, AAG, and or any other venue the community has to discuss this unique idea.  Please feel free to pose any comments to this discussion and we will be happy to help address any questions the community has.