NASCAR official sponsor transforms Daytona 500 into DATE-TONA for singles seeking real-life romance

Busch Light, the official beer sponsor of NASCAR, is attempting to bring love to the racetrack in 2025. Prior to Valentine's Day weekend, the same weekend as this year's Daytona 500, Busch Light will be hosting "DATE-TONA," a speed dating event at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

According to Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site, the event will pair a "prospective" couple together to ride around the Daytona track at high speeds in the hopes that they discover an emotional connection. After the event, the couple will be invited to go to the 2025 Daytona 500 together to see if the connection is worthwhile.

Jayski released an article that detailed the event and penned a message on X that read:

"Ahead of the Daytona 500, Busch Light will be hosting speed dates in its DATE-TONA car with prospective couples riding around Daytona International Speedway at a blistering pace as they try to forge a high-speed connection."

While registration began on January 7th, singles can still sign up for the event till January 21st. Krystyn Stowe, Head of Marketing for Busch Family and Natural Family at Anheuser-Busch, said the event is being put on for those searching for 'IRL'(in real life) relationships, adding that many younger people today are burned out by dating apps. Stowe mentioned that Busch Light has found success in helping NASCAR fans find love saying:

“We love a burnout in victory lane, but dating app burnout is a real bummer. So, when we learned that the majority of young adults are seeking IRL opportunities to find romance, we tapped our partners at NASCAR and created the high-octane speed dating experience that is DATE-TONA."

"Busch Light believes in the power of connecting over shared passions and cold beer, plus we’ve got a strong track record at helping our fans find love. In 2023, we married two superfans during a 10-second NASCAR pit stop in Las Vegas, and this year, we’re taking it back to the starting line to create an unforgettable opportunity for our fans to spark a love connection,” she added.

Busch Light has been one of the sponsors in the Cup Series for some time now and currently sponsors Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain.

Busch Light sponsors Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series

Ross Chastain (1) during the Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. - Source: Imagn

Since returning as the official beer sponsor of NASCAR in 2018, Busch Light has continued to carry a presence on the hoods of Cup Series cars. Today, Busch Light sponsors five-time Cup Series race winner Ross Chastain in the #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.

Busch Light made its way back into the sport in 2016 when they were the primary sponsor of Kevin Harvick's #4 Stewart-Haas Racing machine. The beer product would stay with Harvick until his retirement at the end of the 2023 season.

This forced Busch Light to find a new driver, and they did so in Chastain. The beer product continues to be the name sponsor of the Cup Series Pole Award and the Cup Series Clash.