Fans on Reddit Once United to Sponsor NASCAR Underdog Josh Wise Into the All-Star Race Using Dogecoin

Racing in NASCAR can be expensive for a lot of reasons. From building a competitive car to managing team operations, even the smallest things can add up quickly.

Having a strong car and a solid list of sponsors doesn’t guarantee wins, but it sure helps. There have been plenty of times when talented drivers never reached their full potential because they lacked sponsorships in NASCAR.

One of those cases was Josh Wise. Despite having real talent, he struggled to land sponsors. That changed when NASCAR fans — and Dogecoin — made history by raising money for the underdog driver.

Josh Wise’s Dogecoin Sponsorship

While driving the No. 98 car for Phil Parsons Racing, Wise spent most of the 2014 season without a main sponsor.

He didn’t make headlines that year, but part of that came down to driving for an underfunded team.

He showed flashes of talent, but nothing really stuck — until fans took notice. His situation started trending on the NASCAR subreddit (r/NASCAR).

That led users to reach out to the Dogecoin community on Reddit. The crypto group had already backed a few causes, including some in sports.

When asked for help, they started a fundraiser for Wise. In just eight days, the campaign brought in nearly $55,000. The average donation? Around $41.

A crypto platform called Moolah jumped in to support the effort, offering the best exchange rate for the campaign. The funds were enough to get Wise’s car to Talladega. The internet even chose the car’s color scheme.

Excited by the support, Wise said, “I can’t thank the dogecoin and Reddit community enough for the support.”

The birth of the Ford Fusion Dogecar became one of the most iconic moments in NASCAR. The black, gold and white car, covered in the “Doge” meme, finished 20th in the race.

The response was so strong that fans pushed to see the Dogecar in the All-Star Race. Once the fan vote opened, users rallied hard and got Wise a spot in the race. He finished 15th — a big deal in his career.

The Dogecar’s buzz didn’t end there. Wise drove it in another race, and they even launched merch that sold out fast.

Later, the Dogecar was added to the NASCAR ’14 video game, cementing its place in NASCAR pop culture.

Two years after the Dogecar moment, Wise retired from racing and moved on to other things, though he’s still involved with the sport in different ways.