Revving Up Atlanta’s South Africa Partnership Through NASCAR 

Editor’s note: When the yellow Brand South Africa car driven by Kyle Weatherman rounded the bend to see a checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway last September, it was mission accomplished for Arnout Kok.

Mr. Kok, a racecar driver turned volunteer national booster, had for the first time succeeded in decking out a full car in the Rainbow Nation’s flag, colors and brands. 

South Africa had been promoted on the circuit 30 times before, but only as an add-on to another car; at the Xfinity Series, Mr. Kok and Brand South Africa were launching a dedicated car and a concerted five-year plan to showcase the charms of his native land to millions of Americans. 

Coming in 11th, the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro was a South African patriot’s dream, featuring a flag theme and festooned with product logos, yes, but also those of professional services firms that are stepping on the gas in their pursuit of markets in Atlanta and beyond. 

This June, Mr. Kok is again bringing the South African car to Atlanta for the Quaker State 400. We caught up with him to learn why the country has chosen racing to rev up its trade and tourism partnerships with the U.S. – and how Atlanta brands with a connection to the country can take advantage. 

Global Atlanta: As a stock car driver yourself and a South Africa native, would you call this a passion project? If so, how did the idea come about, and what drives you in this endeavor? Give us a bit of the back story. 

Arnout Kok: I have been racing since I was 16 years old, initially in South Africa (where I was born and grew up) before heading to the United Kingdom. I have raced cars across the world, and following a chance meeting in the U.S., I was introduced to the world of NASCAR. 

We have run over 30 activations in NASCAR, including two at the world-famous Daytona 500. This is definitely a passion project, I run it in my spare time whilst holding down a full-time job!  

Why does NASCAR make sense as a link for the South Africa country brand; why did Atlanta make sense as the debut? 

Mr. Kok: NASCAR is the most popular form of motorsport in North America, and despite this, it is somewhat affordable compared to Formula 1 and IndyCar. Given the television viewership, plus the size of the NASCAR vehicle, it’s a great platform from which to promote various brands to a large audience.

Over the years we have run activations in Las Vegas, Florida, New York, Indianapolis, etc., and it was only 2024 that we ran our first activation in Atlanta. It came about via discussions with the South African Chamber of Commerce and a desire to run the activation in a city where a number of South African brands have a base.

What are some of the companies with a presence here that you have been able to promote? 

Mr. Kok: Over the years we have partnered with a number of great South African brands including Veldskoen, Ceres Fruit Juice, Superformance (manufacturer of high-performance sports cars) and Switch energy drink.

How important has the Atlanta Phambili initiative been to putting the city on the map for you and other South Africans? Did it help at all when you were seeking to make inroads? 

Atlanta Phambili highlighted the collaboration between the city and South Africa, making Atlanta an obvious choice. It certainly helped in 2024, as a number of our partners were extremely positive about promoting their brand in Atlanta. Over and above promoting trade and investment between the city of Atlanta and South Africa, the initiative also promotes people-to-people as well as cultural exchanges, which is key in building lasting relations between the two markets.

South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation, a country that finds unity in diversity. Why is that so important to celebrate, especially now, and how will that be reflected in your car? 

It is quite important to continue to celebrate the unity and diversity of this young democratic nation; it is what makes the country unique. As South Africa matures, it is crucial to remind its citizens and the world what the country stands for.  

Promoting and collaborating with South African brands through NASCAR is one way to showcase unity and diversity whilst we also work hard to support these brands to help grow their distribution globally. The more South African products sold internationally, the more jobs are created back in South Africa. The car is branded in the South African flag colours and we also promote South African charities. Last year we promoted the Black Coffee Foundation and International Rhino Foundation on the car.

We’re experiencing a bumpy track in the U.S.-South Africa bilateral relationship right now, with trade ties strained and geopolitics casting a pall over our usually friendly engagement. How do you envision the South Africa car helping fuel closer people-to-people ties? 

Despite the strained geopolitical situation, it is important to continue promoting South Africa and South African businesses in the U.S. South Africans are known to be hard working and determined, so whilst the current situation is challenging, these brands will continue to sell their products in the United States. 

When reaching out to both existing and new partners in South Africa, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and there is optimism that things will improve in the future. It is also important to note that we have a sizeable number of U.S. companies who have been operating in South Africa for decades, and these companies have grown and seen a return on their investment in the country and they continue to invest, whilst we have seen a number of South African companies also investing in the U.S This to us means we need to continue nurturing business relations and keep on encouraging people-to-people exchanges despite the “strained” geopolitical situation.

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