Knowing that TikTok’s fight to break into NASCAR has been similar to his own, Vargas is looking forward to representing the social media brand and, hopefully, helping both sides make an impression on the sport.
“They’re excited to invest within the sport,” noted Vargas of TikTok. “It’s really incredible that they decided to go with me. I know a lot of marketing people and a lot of Cup drivers and teams are probably scratching their heads right now … but it’s a perfect partnership. I love the platform. I actually had my TikTok handle put on my suit; I was the first driver out there to have their TikTok handle put on their suit. That’s something that I’ve always loved, is being unique, you know what I mean?
“I’ve used social media for years now, since I moved out here to the East Coast, because I know that when you don’t have the funding or the backing or the sponsorship or the name to carry you (forward), you have to have a fan base that’s going to vouch for you when you have bad days or when you’re not in the race car,” Vargas continued. “When you’re loud enough, people are going to see that. And I’m very fortunate that the folks at TikTok and those within the sport … whether it’s NASCAR or on other teams, they all see that. And it has led to this huge partnership that I could have never expected.”
While Talladega is the launching point for Vargas’ journey with TikTok, he’ll also race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Kansas Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway with TikTok backing as well.
Six straight weeks behind the wheel is something that Vargas hopes will prepare him for a regular role in the Xfinity Series in the future.
“This is the first time in my career that I’m hopping in for Xfinity races where it’s not separated by multiple race weekends, you know? It’s not I’m in at Talladega, out at the ROVAL and going back in for Kansas. It’s a continuous season, where I have my own schedule now, which is a first for me,” said Vargas. “I’ve never had a schedule in the Xfinity Series. We did have an idea of one prior to the COVID break, which definitely threw a wrench into some plans. Butat the end of the day, I got to drive race cars and I was going to be grateful whether we landed a sponsor or not.
“This has just changed the whole course of everything, not just for this year, but for years in the future.”
It’s a potential future in the sport that Vargas wasn’t even sure he’d ever have, especially after he lost out on a second year with Rev Racing and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program at the end of 2018 and spent most of last year visiting race tracks as often as he could – fighting for his life within the sport.
“At the end of 2018, my career was in question. I didn’t think I would ever drive a race car again at one point,” Vargas admitted. “But when you move across the country, away from your family, away from your friends and you live in an apartment on your own and have that time to think to yourself and do all the work by yourself, … if you can get through times like that, it makes you stronger. And that’s what I feel like I’ve fought through. There’s no other option for me; I have to race, so that’s the goal right now. I want to keep racing, keep showing up and keep working. I haven’t been in the car a lot this year, but I’ve been working on the cars at the race track because that’s just where I want to be.
“I know what it’s like to have almost everything fall apart, so when things like this happen, they don’t happen often and it has never happened for me. This is something that I’m just going to be grateful for and keep pushing forward from, hopefully to even greater heights.”