Opportunity

Race to the Club was built to test a bold idea: bringing Sam’s Club into the community through a motorsport sponsorship. The goal was to explore whether this type of experience could increase awareness for advertisers, strengthen member loyalty, create memorable brand moments, and ultimately drive growth for both advertisers and Sam’s Club.

Goals

• Build awareness for both Sam’s Club and participating brands

• Increase sales for featured items

• Prove measurable business impact through closed-loop attribution

Strategy

Sam’s Club MAP teamed up with Andretti Global as the primary sponsor for INDYCAR driver Kyle Kirkwood during the season finale in Nashville. The idea was simple. Bring the excitement of INDYCAR into Sam’s Club and bring the Club to the track. 

Brands were invited to participate through placements on the car and across the Sam’s Club and trackside events. 

By connecting the race with the in-club experience, this approach showed how retail media can go beyond traditional ads to create fun, community driven moments that turn brand exposure into real impact.

Immersive Member Experiences

• Driver meet-and-greets, racing simulators and country music concert

• Interactive brand moments including demos and sampling

• Community-based activations to drive participation

Digital Media Integration

• Video placements in-Club, onsite and CTV to extend reach and reinforce brand storytelling

• Sponsored Brand Amplifier to capture high-intent demand to help drive sales

• Coordinated creative across experiential and digital touchpoints