- Oscar Mayer will kick off the summer grilling season with a race of Wienermobiles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend.
- The “Wienie 500” race pits the brand’s six iconic vehicles against each other in a first-ever competitive race for the fleet. Each of the vehicles will represent a different area of the country, designated by a hot dog style, such as a “Chicago Dog” for the Midwest.
- The race will be streamed live on Friday, May 23, at 2 p.m. ET via the Fox Sports app and across @IndyCarOnFox social accounts. Highlights will also be shown during Fox’s Indianapolis 500 pre-race coverage on Sunday, May 25.
The race marks the first gathering of the brand’s entire fleet of six Wienermobiles in more than a decade. As mentioned, each of the hot-dog-and-bun vehicles will represent a different area of the country by regional hot dog style, including Midwest (Chicago dog), East (New York dog), Southeast (Slaw Dog), Southwest (Sonoran Dog), South (Chili Dog) and Northeast (Seattle dog).
Wienermobile drivers will be treated to custom Hotdogger racing suits and the winner will receive a trophy presentation in the “Wiener’s Circle,” complete with a condiment spray and a championship hot dog.
For those who want to get a little deeper into the action, the brand has partnered with DraftKings to set up a free-to-play pool where fans can predict the outcome of the race by answering a series of questions. Those who rack up the most points will win a share of a $10,000 prize.
Like the Indianapolis 500 itself, the event is meant to mark the beginning of summer grilling season and is part of a partnership that includes Oscar Mayer being named the “Official Hot Dog” of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. The race will also be supported by an advertising campaign that will roll out across the country.
“As a brand known for sparking smiles in disarmingly delightful ways, it’s only fitting that we bring a race of epic proportions to the Speedway and celebrate a timeless tradition: delicious meats and a little friendly competition to kick off a summer of wieners,” said Kelsey Rice, brand communications director at Oscar Mayer, in a statement.
