“Just Straight Bangers”: Front Row Motorsports Wins Over the Internet With Incredible Marketing Play

NASCAR Cup Series driver Zane Smith (38) alongside Noah Gragson (4) during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Front Row Motorsports might be engaged in a lawsuit against NASCAR. Its drivers might be underperforming in the 2025 Cup Series season. But the one thing that the team keeps getting right is marketing. It recently put up a post on X that has captured the fans’ attention for its remarkable creativity.

The post comprises an edited picture that showcases Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, and Zane Smith on a GTA Vice City poster. It was captioned, “We got FRM Vice City before GTA 6.” 

It is no secret that Rockstar Games, the popular video game publisher known for its Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise, has taken a long while to develop the much-anticipated GTA 6. It is rather amusing to see a NASCAR team jumping on the bandwagon to mock the company’s timeline.

One fan responded, “Yall cant keep cooking like this its just straight bangers.” The team replied with a GIF that displayed Academy Award-winning actor Al Pacino saying, “I’m just getting warmed up.” Whoever is handling the team’s social media account is completely active and on their feet. Another fan said, “Yall be smoking the marketing i swear.”

Not every team chooses to go down the humorous route when it comes to engaging with fans. FRM’s decision to do so has been received quite well. One comment read, “You guys outdid yourself with this one. Pumped for Miami!” Another comment summed up all the sentiment, “You guys won the Internet today.”

How have FRM drivers been performing on the track?

Disappointing would be an apt word to describe the performance of FRM drivers this season. After five races, the team’s three drivers have a combined three top-10s between them. And they all sit outside the top 10 in driver standings. Hopes are that they bring in better results during the upcoming visit to Homestead-Miami.

Gragson started five races on the track when he was a driver in the Xfinity Series. He secured one victory and four top-5 finishes. This extraordinary record did not continue in the Cup Series. He has started three races in the premier tier at Homestead-Miami and his best result is a top-20 finish (October, 2024).

Gilliland is confident about producing a good result. He told the press, “I have so much fun racing at Homestead. You race on top of the wall, it feels like, and it makes for a good race. We dropped a few points in spots last week, but I am confident that we can make them back this weekend.” He is 24th in the driver standings right now.

Zane Smith finished second at Homestead-Miami in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2022. He hopes to recreate that result this weekend. It remains to be seen if FRM can back their social media game up with actual results on track.

Post Edited By: Rahul Ahluwalia
Front Row Motorsport NASCAR Cup Series Noah Gragson Todd Gilliland Zane Smith

About the author

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Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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