How Oscar Mayer Made Hot Dog History At Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Forbes

2 days ago

If someone told you a group of marketing professionals sitting around brainstorming came up with a plan to race six 27-foot sausages on wheels around a racetrack during one of the most iconic weekends in American motorsports, you'd assume they were goofing off at Happy Hour with four empty pitchers on the table.
You'd be wrong.
That's exactly what happened—minus the pitchers—and this past Memorial Day weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one day before the Indianapolis 500, Oscar Mayer fired up its first-ever 'Wienie 500.' A fleet race of customized Wienermobiles that turned heads, hijacked social media, and quietly pulled off one of the sharpest brand activations of the year. Maybe ever.
Yes. A hot dog race. On Carb Day. At the world's most famous racing venue. Because why the hell not?
And while, from a distance, it might've looked like a joke, under the bun was a marketing plan grilled to perfection. This wasn't a throwaway gag—it was a calculated play to ignite brand love, hijack timelines, and hook a new generation of hot dog fans who didn't grow up on baloney jingles and Saturday afternoon sandwiches.
'This wasn't just a stunt,' said Kelsey Rice, brand director at Oscar Mayer. 'We have an iconic brand with a ton of equity, but we're also looking at how to connect with younger consumers—Gen Z and Millennials—who might not have that same connection.' In short, they took the joy of the Wienermobile and turned the dial to 11.
There were six teams of 'hotdoggers'
Oscar Mayer
The results? Around 6 billion media impressions. 40 million social views. Over 16,000 direct mentions. It was the second-most talked-about hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) on race day—right behind the Indy 500 itself.
That's not a stunt. That's ROI with a double squirt of mustard.
Each Wienermobile was themed after a regional hot dog style—Chili Dog, New York Dog, Seattle Dog, Sonoran Dog, and more—with race suits and decals to match. And while top speed landed somewhere between 'parade float' and 'hoveround scooter,' the winner was still showered in mustard instead of Champagne on the podium like any self-respecting race car driver would be. Because branding.
But the genius wasn't just the visuals—it was the feeling. This wasn't a one-day meme. It was joy, nostalgia, Americana, and absurdity all crammed into a fiberglass bun. It wasn't just viral. It was emotional.
'We knew we had something special when a million people tuned in to watch it live,' Rice said. 'But what really surprised us was how emotional people got. People were sharing memories, taking pictures, talking about what the brand meant to them. It felt like we brought back something that made Oscar Mayer really special.'
And they did it on what marketers call a 'very minimal spend.' In the world of brand activations, this may have delivered more buns for the buck than anything this side of a Doritos Super Bowl ad.
'This is kind of like our Super Bowl,' said Rice. 'Summer is hot dog season, and we wanted to kick it off in a big way. We started brainstorming in January and landed on this idea of bringing our whole fleet to Indy for a first-ever race.'
Pulling it off wasn't easy. The Wienermobiles aren't exactly spec cars. They're oversized rolling tributes to processed meat, and maneuvering six of them into the Speedway took more than a GPS and a prayer.
'They're 27 feet long,' Rice said. 'They're massive. Getting them into the Speedway, coordinating six vehicles, six teams, custom wraps, race suits... it was no small feat. The IndyCar team and IMS were incredible partners who helped us bring it to life.'
The race was narrated by the same announcers who would call the Indy 500 the next day—except this time, they called the action entirely in hot dog puns. And no, those weren't scripted.
'What's so amazing is that's actually just the way we speak as a brand,' Rice said. 'If you were to meet a hot dogger outside of this event, that's just the personality, the tone of voice, the language of Oscar Meyer….we didn't, as a brand, spend a lot of time thinking about it for the announcers, all we gave them was basically a little 101, like 'here's how we talk at Oscar Mayer', and they took it and had so much fun. They ran with it.'
Also unscripted? The race itself.
'It was legit,' Rice said. 'The teams practiced on the track the day before, just like the pros do. And it really came down to that photo finish. We weren't sure if it was going to be the Chicago Dog or the Slaw Dog.'
Now comes the obvious question: could this kind of joy-fueled chaos work in NASCAR?
'The Speedway track is pretty similar to a standard NASCAR track,' Rice said. 'So I'm sure we could find a way to make the big dogs work. But there was something really electric about the energy at Indy. They've been amazing partners, and we'd love to do it again next year—hopefully even bigger.'
That sound you hear? That's a dozen NASCAR PR teams frantically Googling 'Oscar Mayer partnerships.'
At a time when brand engagement feels as authentic as the cheese in a gas station burrito, Oscar Mayer reminded us that joy is a currency. And sometimes, that currency comes shaped like a hot dog.
The 'Wienie 500' might've looked like a gag. But it was business—strategic, measurable, and wildly successful. That's no small feat in a world drowning in content.
And if nothing else, it reminded us of one simple truth: sometimes, the best way to win hearts, minds, and market share... is to race six giant hot dogs around the most sacred oval in motorsports.
'It was a really beautiful moment to bring that joy back,' Rice said. 'That's kind of what we feel like is our role as a brand—to just spark smiles and moments of happiness in people's lives. And this felt like a beautiful way to do that.'