The Oscar Mayer Wienie 500 is back, and it's being treated like a full-scale sports property.
After last year’s debut pulled 85,000 attendees at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and another 8 million livestream viewers, Oscar Mayer is returning to the track on May 22 and airing live on FOX.
The second annual event will once again pit all six Wienermobiles against each other in a race for the "Top Dog" title.
It's how the brand continues to stretch a once-jokey mascot vehicle into an entertainment platform that lives across sports, retail, livestreaming, and social media.
This year’s biggest addition is "Team Corn Dog," which earned its spot after Oscar Mayer launched its first-ever "Pick Your Dog" bracket competition earlier this year.
Fans voted Corn Dog into the lineup over Sonoran Dog, joining returning teams like:
- Chi Dog
- Chili Dog
- Seattle Dog
- Reigning champion Slaw Dog
View this post on Instagram
"Last year’s inaugural race proved the Wienie 500 is more than just a one-time spectacle, it’s a real race cemented in culture," said Kelsey Rice, Brand Communications Director at Oscar Mayer.
"This year, we are turbo-charging all race elements to give fans a fresh take on the disarmingly delightful experience they fell in love with year one."
More Than a Gimmick
Apart from the race, Oscar Mayer also wants to establish motorsports credibility this year.
INDYCAR drivers Nolan Siegel, Sting Ray Robb, and Scott McLaughlin will coach the competing teams, while FOX announcers Will Buxton, Townsend Bell, and James Hinchcliffe return for race coverage.
The company refreshed all six Wienermobiles with updated liveries, decals, and racing suits designed specifically for the event, helping the race feel closer to a real sports activation.
View this post on Instagram
Additionally, fans can buy exclusive Wienie 500 merchandise through Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s online shop and participate in prediction contests on Instacart for a chance to win free Oscar Mayer wieners.
Oscar Mayer's overall marketing approach towards this event makes sense, considering its first-year performance.
The brand said the campaign helped sell nearly half a million additional wieners during Memorial Day weekend compared to the previous year.
How Oscar Meyer Makes an Annual Event Out of a Wienie Joke
What started as a bizarre hot dog race is now becoming something much bigger for Oscar Mayer.
Aside from hot dogs, it now has a repeatable summer event that keeps fans coming back year after year.
- When it comes to events, give audiences a reason to return every year. Repeatable branded events build anticipation more strongly.
- Let consumers influence the experience directly. Fan voting and participation mechanics create deeper emotional buy-in than passive viewing.
- Don't settle for sponsorship visibility when it comes to your sports partnerships. Tie them to merch, retail offers, livestreams, and social engagement to keep campaigns active across platforms.
Kraft Heinz, Oscar Mayer's parent company, generated roughly $24.9 billion in revenue in 2025.
This explains the scale behind its ambitious creative efforts, which now cover both frozen deli, auto sports, and entertainment.
Our Take: Can Campy Brand Stunts Become Annual Media Events?
Props to Oscar Mayer, it really committed to the bit.
A lot of brands build weird campaigns, post the clips online, then disappear before the audience has time to care.
But Oscar Mayer does things differently.
It treated a ridiculous hot dog race like a legitimate sports franchise and kept feeding it until people started building traditions around it.
Absurd ideas can still capture attention and drive brand awareness, but audiences can almost always smell when a company treats the whole thing like disposable content.
Oscar Meyer shuts down any notion of that with investment, more lore, and more ways for fans to participate in the Wienie 500.
Overall, it's not far for us to see the Wienermobiles return for a third year.
In other news, FOX Sports recently partnered with Sesame Street ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to attract younger viewers and family audiences.
Global brands building sports campaigns need creative partners who understand how to carry a single concept across markets and formats.
Explore these top creative agencies in our directory.
