Overview 

A Historic Milestone for Polkadot and Web3 Sponsorships

In 2024, Polkadot achieved a historic milestone by becoming part of the first sports blockchain sponsorship fully conducted on-chain and voted on through OpenGov by DOT token holders. This initiative brought primary motorsport sponsorship opportunities in both IndyCar and NASCAR, encompassing media exposure, hospitality experiences, appearances at events like Consensus and the EasyA Harvard Polkadot Hackathon, and more.

On April 8, 2024, an innovative partnership was forged between international motorsports driver Conor Daly and the Polkadot blockchain network. This marked a groundbreaking moment in sports marketing and tech sponsorship, as it became the first instance of a major athlete’s partnership being decided through a blockchain-based vote. The initiative supported Daly in representing Polkadot at some of the world’s most prestigious racing events, including the Indianapolis 500—the largest single-day sporting event globally—as well as one NASCAR Xfinity Series race, one NASCAR ARCA Series race, and two NASCAR Truck Series races.

While the original plan included participation in the Nitrocross series, the season was unexpectedly cut short in October 2024 before Daly could compete. Despite this, Daly and his agency, Athelo Group, exceeded expectations by securing alternative opportunities to showcase Polkadot. Capitalizing on Daly’s versatile driving skills and extensive network within American professional racing, the partnership added races such as the NASCAR ARCA Series at Mid-Ohio, the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Brickyard-Indy, and a NASCAR Truck Series race in Kansas City.

In a world where complex technology requires education for widespread adoption, Polkadot successfully leveraged a beloved motorsports athlete deeply integrated into the Web3 space. Through this innovative approach, Polkadot positioned itself at the intersection of B2B opportunities and iconic sports moments, racing toward recognition as both a B2B and household name.

2024 Polkadot Motorsports Recap

Key Media Opportunities:

• Conor Daly: Racing Journeyman Navigates The High-Speed World Of Motorsports Forbes
• Conor Daly 1-on-1: On racing IndyCar and NASCAR at Indy, being real on his podcast FOX Sports
• Conor Daly was Indy 500's biggest mover Indy Star
• Conor Daly had a "tremendous time" in NASCAR Xfinity oval debut at IMS Motorsport.com
• Conor Daly on Indy 500 qualifying, why he’s not in a car full-time, and more NY Times
• What's Polkadot, and why is it sponsoring Conor Daly's Indy 500 car? Indy Star
• Polkadot’s Indy 500 driver Conor Daly: ‘My dad holds DOT, how mad is that?’ Coin Telegraph
• Polkadot To Sponsor Daly’s DRR/Cusick Entry at Indy 500 IndyCar.com

On-Track Performance 

Professional race team photography and video of Polkadot sponsored vehicles and Conor on-track provided to the community for marketing use.

• Indycar Series Indy500 - Top10 Finish 10th / Lead 23 Laps
• **ARCA Mid-Ohio - Top10 Finish 8th (1st time in ARCA race)
• **NASCAR Xfinity IMS - Top15 Finish 13th (1st time on NASCAR oval)
• **NASCAR Truck Kansas
• NASCAR Truck Miami

** Elevated on+ off-track opportunities provided outside of REF514 (est value $305k does not include secondary costs like travel, meals, hospitality, etc. All paid x brokered out of pocket by Athelo Group and Conor’s PSA fee to date)

• Additional NASCAR Truck Race - Kansas - $100k
• Additional NASCAR Xfinity Series Race- IMS - $150k
• Additional NASCAR ARCA Race - Mid-Ohio - $55k

CD Insider Pass Integration

• Consensus - Polkadot Booth - Autograph raffle
• Harvard Hackathon EasyA- Polkadot Crew Jersey & Autograph raffle

Appearances

• Consensus (Polkadot Booth, Exiled Racers, Closing Party)
• Harvard Easy A Hackathon Judge
• Wrigley Field Chicago Cubs (threw out first pitch with Polkadot cap)
• Featured in 100 Days to Indy - CW Network/Netflix
• Multiple TV & Radio Interviews
• SpeedStreet

After the successful partnership in 2024, Conor Daly and the Athelo Group are returning to elevate the Polkadot motorsports program in 2025. The expanded program will feature six IndyCar races, including the crown jewel of motorsport once again—the Indianapolis 500.

The collective will continue to use the sports sponsorship platform as a tool to unlock new on-going business opportunities, awareness to non-endemic consumers, and education to enhanced areas of the community through resources available through this partnership.

2025 Polkadot Motorsports Lineup

• St. Petersburg - Florida - March 2nd
• Thermal - California - March 23rd
• Indy 500 - May 25th
• Road America - Wisconsin - June 22nd
• Iowa 1 -July 12th
• Iowa 2 - July 13th

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.

INDYCAR’s New Home in 2025

INDYCAR and FOX Sports announced June 13 the new exclusive home of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the iconic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge beginning in 2025. The new media rights deal provides a massive and unprecedented increase in exposure for North America’s premier open-wheel racing series, with every 2025 race airing on FOX and available on the FOX Sports app. FOX Deportes will carry exclusive Spanish-language television coverage, with a schedule to be announced at a later date.

FOX will also provide coverage of Indy 500 qualifications on both Saturday and Sunday, bringing the total number of broadcast network windows to 19, a record for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. INDYCAR will become the only premier motorsport in the United States with exclusive major broadcast network coverage for all its races.

“This represents unrivaled exposure and provides an unparalleled growth opportunity for the most competitive and entertaining motorsport on the planet,” INDYCAR CEO Mark Miles said. “FOX Sports is a fully committed partner, ready to bring engaging and technically innovative coverage to millions of fans across the country while also promoting INDYCAR thoroughly across all its platforms.”

“Adding the iconic Indianapolis 500 and delivering the entire NTT INDYCAR SERIES to the FOX Sports roster fits perfectly within our model of teaming with sports’ largest events and best-in-class brands,” FOX Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks said. “We’re honored to be the new broadcast home to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ an incredibly special event to everyone at FOX Sports.”

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 reported that in 2024 the Indianapolis 500 drew a record 13.3 million viewers (an 8% increase), a 18.15 household rating, and a 54 share.

Who is Conor Daly

Conor Daly is one of the most beloved figures in the American professional racing landscape – having competed in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR (Cup Series, Xfinity and Truck Series), GP2 Series and Nitrocross, amongst other pursuits. Just as popular off the track, the Indiana-native appeared in Season 30 of The Amazing Race and has engaged in a variety of activities that have highlighted his social personality, including hosting the prominent motorsports podcast, Speed Street, as well as appearing in the 2024 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in his home state.

Daly is one of just 29 drivers in history to have raced in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 within the same year. With a tenth-place finish in 2019 and a sixth-place finish in 2022, he led most laps, was a pole sitter and finished on the podium at the Indy 500 in 2021. In 2023, he defied all odds to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series’ Daytona 500, racing on Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team (TMT) Racing. He also became the first driver to compete in both NASCAR and IndyCar on back-to-back Texas weekends. In 2024, Daly joined Niece Motorsports to drive the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado, and competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at IMS driving the No. 26 Polkadot GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. The son of Formula One, CART and IMSA driver, Derek Daly, Conor started racing go-karts as a 10-year-old – grabbing two championships and Junior Driver of the Year recognition.

Conor Daly Ask Me Anything: https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1ypKdpavPdqKW

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 is 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.

Capabilities of Athelo Group > Athelo Group Capabilities

Intended Outcome of Potential Proposal

On-Track:

• Primary sponsorship for six (6) marque events in the NTT INDYCAR Series in the 2025 season.
• Premium hospitality and b2b assets that will be extended to different parachains within the Polkadot community
• Elevated activation for consumer engagement x giveaways
  • Planning on pitching detailed plan to Marketing Bounty

Off-Track:

• Global Ambassador (Conor Daly) on behalf of Polkadot
• Featured virtual and in-person appearances on behalf of the brand throughout the year
• Global media tour organized on behalf of the Polkadot leveraging CD
• License free content to use for commercial x promotional purposes

Beyond:

• Featured sponsorship branding on all gaming streams on Conor’s personal streaming channels.
• Exclusive post race debriefing zoom call with Conor Daly + Polkadot Team Members on the Monday / Tuesday following race weekends
• Collaborations with existing Polkadot companies to identify and build new business opportunities that drive tech integration in a variety of ways

2025 Polkadot Motorsports Indycar Lineup

*All Races National Broadcast on FoxSports and also available streaming online

• St. Petersburg - Florida - March 2nd
• Thermal - California - March 23rd
• Indy 500 - May 25th
• Road America - Wisconsin - June 22nd
• Iowa 1 -July 12th
• Iowa 2 - July 13th

Will be building entire weekend programming and opportunities for Polkadot community members to be involved in-person and through digitally engaged activities.

Examples:

• Dinners
• Meet and greets
• Limited edition giveaways
• One of a kind NFT / Token drops with loyalty rewards tied to them
• Merchandise for Polkadot loyalists all season long
• Live streams / gaming tournaments featuring prominent celebrities / influencers from Conor’s network

Estimated total ask $3mm USD

½ DOT (1.5mm USD)

½ USDC/USDT (1.5mm USD)

*DOT requested will be to a multi-sig wallet based on 7-day EMA when the referendum is submitted

On-Track Branding Inventory:

Off-Track Branding Inventory:

Case Study

Benefits to the Community

Gaming:

• Seat on DOTPlay Gaming Board
• In-game integration for Conor Daly and Polkadot branded vehicle in 2025
• CD to be the face of NitroNation and promote it across the globe on his channels and in media opportunities as well

Media:

Premier brand recognition and presence in North America for Polkadot and collaboration with other Polkadot sponsorships

Examples:

• Inter Miami
• Easy A Events
• Heroic
• Cross promotion/mention of Polkadot on SpeedStreet Connor’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)

Non-Endemic Targeted Engagement:

• Spokesperson outside the crypto community to B2B 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
• National and global media reach in multiple different professional racing series.

Merchandise:

• Brand recognition for any diecast cars or memorabilia that would be created based off his paint scheme (Polkadot)
• Custom Polkadot Merchandise store to be launched for all limited edition merchandise throughout the course of the race season. Website will be built on Polkadot

Fan Loyalty:

• Season long fan loyalty digital bingo card with rewards for key milestones
• Grand prize will include merchandise bundle, DOT, custom meet and greet at track experience with CD, and more
• Budget for this to be requested from Marketing Bounty

B2B:

• Further leveraging relationships such as V-Brick, Verizon Wireless, MannKind, and Chevrolet (at minimum) to unlock tech integration opportunities and further establishing business contracts with businesses within the community

Community Assets:

• Landing page to content, quotes, logos, and other key assets will be established and available to the entire community all year long

• Ability to request new assets with quick response times also available

Influential Influence:

• 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

Parachain Involvement:

• Opportunities for distinguished parachains to bid on discounted assets for select race weekends to leverage at their disposal.
• All money raised through auction of these asset packages will be donated back to the treasury.

Community Opportunities:

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

• Community feedback window - Week of December 2nd
• Referendum posted to Open Gov for vote - Week of December 9th
• Contracts to be finalized - 10 days following confirmation of Referendum
• Press event x Car Unveil - Late January
• First race event weekend - March 2nd

Conor Daly and Athelo Group remain committed to all available platforms to discuss and answer any questions or feedback throughout the entirety of the discussion, proposal, and on-going program activation window. Avenues including but not limited to Open Gov. message board, social media platforms where community is prevalent, and open media forums both endemic to the Polkadot community and beyond, etc.