Ready for the Wienie 500? Oscar Mayer’s New Kind of Hot Dog Race
Oscar Mayer is taking the idea of a “hot dog race” to a different level.
Certainly, fans of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers have, for decades, watched the Famous Racing Sausages at the team’s home games, and there’s the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest every Fourth of July.
Now, fans of the frankfurter can watch the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles — all six of them, the company says — participate in the “Wienie 500,” an actual race of the fleet of hot dog-replicating vehicles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Friday, May 23, two days prior to the legendary Indianapolis 500 race.
For the first time in more than a decade, all six Wienermobiles will be in the same location, and they will participate in the first competitive race, with each sporting a new look representing a different regional hot dog. The Chi Dog will represent the Midwest, against New York Dog (East), Slaw Dog (Southeast), Sonoran Dog (Southwest), Chili Dog (South) and Seattle Dog (Northwest). Hotdoggers (that’s the name for the Wienermobile drivers and staff members) will wear custom racing suits.
The winner of the race will receive a trophy at the speedway’s “Wiener Circle,” and Oscar Mayer said the celebration will include a “condiment spray” (to replace the beer or champagne spray at most races) and hot dog for the wiener (the wiener, er, winner of the Indy 500 typically drinks milk).
Kelsey Rice, brand communications director at Oscar Mayer, truly sums it up much better than any reporter could: “As a brand known for sparking smiles in disarmingly delightful ways, it’s only fitting that we bring a race of epic proportions to the Speedway and celebrate a timeless tradition: delicious meats and a little friendly competition to kick off a summer of wieners.”
Furthermore, in a world of sports gaming, you knew there had to be a contest tie-in. Yes, fans can predict the outcome of the race by answering a series of race-related questions in a free-to-play pool on DraftKings for a chance to win a share of $10,000 cash.
Oscar Mayer is building off its partnership with the speedway in a big way with this event — it is the “official hot dog” of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
No word on top speeds the Wienermobiles are capable of reaching, especially on banked curves (actually, the banking at the Speedway is a mere 9 degrees, so, relatively flat compared to many other superspeedways).
Additionally, Oscar Mayer did not share any names and profiles of the hotdogger drivers just yet, but one wonders if the driver of the mini-Wienermobile that was involved in an accident on a suburban Chicago interstate last summer would be considered a favorite to win the race or a threat to the safety of the other drivers. Or if that hotdogger was already practicing for the race when the accident occurred?
Editor's Note: Post-race coverage will NOT be carried live on www.foodprocessing.com, unfortunately. Even though some of us might be intently watching the race.
