Coastal Carolina star quarterback Grayson McCall will be featured on a NASCAR Xfinity Series car this weekend at Darlington Raceway as part of an NIL deal with the Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based apparel printing company Native Sons. The company is sponsoring Ryan Vargas’ No. 6 JD Motorsports Chevrolet in this Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200, with McCall appearing on the rear quarter panels of the blue and teal paint scheme.
The sponsorship marks an intersection between two NIL deals that McCall has signed over the summer. McCall was signed to an NIL deal by Darlington Raceway in July, with Native Sons also signing the two-time Sun Belt Player of the Year. The partnership is also very much made in South Carolina, as JD Motorsports is based out of Gaffney.
The partnership comes one week after Vargas earned his career-best finish, a sixth-place run at Daytona.
“I’m very excited to welcome Native Sons aboard our No.6 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Darlington! It’s always a pleasure welcoming new brands into the sport and it’s even more special knowing this will be a home race for them,” Vargas said in a team statement. “After our strong performance at Daytona, I’m excited to carry the momentum from that race into Darlington to better our results from the Spring race.”
McCall has become a star at Coastal Carolina that has not only brought the Chanticleers to dominance in the Sun Belt, but also earned them national relevance. Coastal Carolina finished the 2021 ranked No. 14 in the country, with a 22-3 record since the start of the 2020 season. McCall has thrown 53 touchdowns to just six interceptions over the past two years, finishing last season having completed 73 percent of his passes for 2,873 yards.
Vargas, who is in his second full-time season driving for longtime independent car owner Johnny Davis, has gained notoriety by combining his social media presence with marketing savvy. The past two years have seen Vargas pick up sponsorship from brands such as TikTok, as well as the Big Squeezy Juice Bar owned by New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara.