Rick Ware Racing is set to make history at the Xfinity 500 on Sunday by forming a groundbreaking partnership with Kick streamer Rexzilla, marking the first time a content creator will be the primary partner for a NASCAR Cup Series team. The Rick Ware Racing partnership puts Rexzilla, also known as Andrew Rex Lisle, at the forefront of a national motorsport platform alongside driver Cody Ware at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
Streamer Rexzilla Becomes NASCAR Team’s Main Partner
In a move not previously seen in NASCAR, a social media influencer and professional streamer will have their name featured prominently as the main sponsor on the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse fielded by Rick Ware Racing. While Cody Ware will handle driving duties, Rexzilla’s identity and brand will be front and center throughout the Xfinity 500, an event broadcast on NBC as the penultimate race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.
Rexzilla, a Kick platform streamer with over 250,000 followers, has spent more than a decade building his online presence. He brings with him a new audience and perspective to NASCAR, aiming to bridge the digital and traditional sports worlds. Rexzilla summed up the milestone, stating,
“This is more than just a sponsorship. It’s a way to show that creators can play a major role in mainstream sports,”
said Rexzilla, Streamer. He continued,
“We’re bringing the energy of the Kick community straight to NASCAR.”
— Rexzilla, Streamer.
Kick, the streaming service hosting Rexzilla, is known for offering creators favorable terms, including generous revenue sharing and less restrictive content policies. Rexzilla moved to Kick in 2024, though he has a long history in online streaming and gaming.
Forging a Unique Connection: Gaming Meets Racing
The connection between Rexzilla and Rick Ware Racing was sparked by mutual interests and facilitated by Carson Ware, Cody Ware’s brother, who first introduced the streamer to the team at the Daytona 500 earlier this year. Rick Ware, team driver, commented,
“Rexzilla is a professional gamer and streamer, and he’s been doing this for the last decade of his life. He’s on the Kick.com platform, which is a relatively new streaming service,”
— Cody Ware, Driver.
Rexzilla’s enthusiasm for NASCAR began in childhood in Arkansas, and over time, his passion for gaming naturally intersected with the racing world. Cody Ware recalled,
“Gaming is a hobby of mine, and our worlds just naturally collided. He came out to the Coca-Cola 600 earlier this year, and his last race was just a few weeks ago at Kansas. Over time, we started talking about what a partnership could look like, and here we are.”
— Cody Ware, Driver.
This collaboration aims to broaden the audience for both parties—bringing Rexzilla’s digital fan base into the tangible world of NASCAR, and letting Rick Ware Racing tap into the rapidly expanding online and gaming communities. Ware emphasized the novelty, stating,
“There’s uniqueness to both sides of this,”
— Cody Ware, Driver. He added,
“For me as a driver and for the race team as a whole, tapping into a huge online presence in way that hasn’t been done before is a great way to broaden our reach and help grow the sport.”
Notably, this marks the first occasion where a streamer acts as the main partner on a NASCAR Cup Series car. Ware explained the importance of the initiative:
“This is the first time a streamer has been a primary partner on a NASCAR Cup Series stock car. Rexzilla gets to combine two of his passions – gaming and racing – onto a national platform. He’ll be front and center, literally, on our racecar in a race that’ll be nationally televised on NBC. It’s a really strong cross-promotion that benefits both of us.”
— Cody Ware, Driver.
Xfinity 500 as a Crucial Moment in the NASCAR Season
The timing of this partnership comes as Martinsville hosts the Xfinity 500, a race with high stakes as it determines the four drivers who will advance to the Championship 4 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. With eight competitors still in the hunt, only half will move on to challenge for the title, significantly raising the intensity of Sunday’s contest.
Recognizing the charged atmosphere at Martinsville, Ware noted,
“Martinsville is probably the most interesting race of the year,”
— Cody Ware, Driver. He explained,
“Four of the eight guys still competing for the championship get eliminated. Meanwhile, the rest of the field is still trying to get all they can with just two races remaining.”
Ware continued,
“It’s an electric atmosphere where, even when the race is over, there’s an air of uncertainty of who’s racing for a championship next week at Phoenix and who isn’t.”
The competitive field extends beyond those fighting for the championship; for others, it represents one of the last opportunities to achieve standout performances before the season concludes. Ware acknowledged,
“It’s everyone’s last chance, even for guys like me who aren’t in the title hunt. We know the season’s coming to an end and the opportunities to make something happen this year are becoming fewer and fewer. It all tends to breed a little chaos.”
— Cody Ware, Driver.
Martinsville’s Unique Demands Challenge Drivers
Martinsville Speedway is renowned for its grueling nature, demanding not only speed but exceptional physical and mental endurance from each driver. With a flat, narrow .526-mile oval and 500 laps, drivers execute roughly 1,000 sharp turns and aggressive braking maneuvers, pointing to the extreme strain involved. Ware explained the physical rigor:
“There’s a lot of strength needed for driving a racecar, especially when it comes to braking,”
— Cody Ware, Driver. He elaborated,
“It takes a lot of brake pressure to extract 700-800 pounds of braking force into the corner. And at Martinsville, we’re doing that a thousand times over the course of 500 laps. It’s about being on your game from start to finish, where you’re as good on lap 500 as you were on lap one.”
— Cody Ware, Driver.
Preparations for the Xfinity 500 start Saturday with practice sessions at 4:30 p.m. Eastern and qualifying at 5:40 p.m., covered by TruTV and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Sunday’s feature race, starting at 2 p.m., will be broadcast nationwide by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with thousands of eyes on both Cody Ware and Rexzilla’s innovative partnership on the racetrack.
A New Era for NASCAR Partnerships
The Rick Ware Racing partnership with Rexzilla for the Xfinity 500 represents a significant shift, reflecting the growing influence of digital creators in sports and entertainment. By merging the physical excitement of NASCAR competition with the dynamic online presence of a streamer, the deal demonstrates new ways mainstream sports and entertainment communities can connect. As the Xfinity 500 unfolds at Martinsville and the race for the championship intensifies, the industry will watch closely to see whether this collaboration sets a new standard for future team sponsorships and fan engagement.
