Polkadot's Community-driven Indy 500 Sponsorship Of Conor Daly Is A First In Chainwire's Sports History

[ad_1]

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, April 11, 2024, chain wire

Community promotes groundbreaking sports sponsorship and demonstrates the transformative potential of blockchain

In a historic first in the world of sports, the Polkadot community has elected IndyCar racing star Conor Daly as the Polkadot brand ambassador for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 using an on-chain community vote. This sponsorship represents the first time that a major athlete's sponsorship has been decided through a community vote using blockchain technology.

Daly is one of the most popular figures in the American professional racing landscape and one of only 29 drivers in history to compete in NASCAR's Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in the same year. The Indiana native was equally popular off the track, appearing on the 30th season of “The Amazing Race” and engaging in a variety of activities that highlighted his social personality, including hosting the popular motorsports podcast “Speed Street” and appearances on “The Amazing Race”. 2024 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in his home state.

The proposal to sponsor Daly was approved with an overwhelming 95.8% approval, demonstrating the community's eagerness to showcase the real-world applications of blockchain technology and Polkadot's vision for a freer, more open web (Web3). Launched in 2020 by co-founder Gavin Wood, Polkadot is intended to serve as the high-performance, secure core of Web3. Polkadot’s decentralized governance puts the community at the center of decision-making processes; Every holder of the Polkadot token (DOT) has a voice in shaping the future direction of the platform.

The legendary Indianapolis 500, scheduled to take place on May 26, will serve as the launching pad for a dynamic, year-long collaboration. Daly's Polkadot ambassadorship will extend beyond the race track to include a series of interactive community events and digital initiatives designed to engage fans and introduce them to Polkadot's innovative technology.

“The fact that thousands of individuals in the Polkadot community – and not a corporate marketing team – used their voice to vote and elect me as their ambassador is an incredible honor and reflects the power of a freer and “The future is what a more open Internet can look like,” said Conor Daly. “The fact that I'm not just running for a brand name or logo, but representing developers, investors and everyday people building the web of tomorrow is exciting and overwhelming “We're bringing power back to the people and making sports history at the same time.”

A historic first in sports sponsorship. This collaboration represents a significant departure from traditional models of athlete sponsorship, which are typically negotiated behind closed doors. Through decentralized governance, the Polkadot community is pioneering a new, transparent way of interacting with sponsorships, demonstrating the immense potential of blockchain technology to enable transparent, community-led decision-making in sports and beyond.

Chris Wade, the Polkadot community member who championed the proposal, noted: “This groundbreaking sponsorship demonstrates the transformative power and confidence of blockchain technology to make a previously exclusive process open and inclusive.” It is proof for Polkadot’s forward-thinking innovative community, robust network and advanced governance model. It is a blueprint for future collaborations.”

Join the Polkadot community. To learn more about Polkadot and how you can get involved in future community initiatives, visit polkadot.network or follow Polkadot on X (@Polkadot). Stay tuned for updates on this exciting collaboration and discover how Polkadot is powering the creation of a freer, more open web.

About Polkadot

Polkadot is Web3's powerful, secure core for developers pushing boundaries. It enables the biggest Web3 innovators to bring their ideas to market quickly and with flexible costs and token options. By making blockchain technology secure, composable, flexible, efficient and cost-effective, Polkadot is driving the movement for a better web. For more information, visit polkadot.network↗

About Conor Daly

Conor Daly is one of the most popular figures in the American professional racing landscape – he has competed in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR (Cup Series, Xfinity and Truck Series), GP2 Series and Nitrocross, among others. The Indiana native was equally popular off the track, appearing on the 30th season of “The Amazing Race” and engaging in a variety of activities that highlighted his social personality, including hosting the popular motorsports podcast “Speed Street” and appearances on “The Amazing Race”. 2024 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in his home state.

Daly is one of only 29 drivers in history to compete in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year. With a tenth-place finish in 2019 and a sixth-place finish in 2022, he led the most laps, was a pole sitter and was on the podium at the Indy 500 in 2021. In 2023, he defied all odds to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500, racing with Floyd Mayweather's The Money Team (TMT) Racing. He also became the first driver to compete in both NASCAR and IndyCar on two consecutive Texas weekends. The son of Formula 1, CART and IMSA driver Derek Daly, Conor started racing go-karts as a ten-year-old – winning two championships and being named Junior Driver of the Year.

Follow his journey at www.ConorDaly.net – and on Instagram, Facebook (NASDAQ:), Twitter and Twitch. Conor is represented by Athelo Group (sports management).

Editor's Notes