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NASCAR

Who is king of social media in NASCAR?

By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports
Dale Earnhardt Jr. enjoys a hefty following on Facebook, but hasn't hit the tweet button yet.
  • Five-time champion credited with a social media reach of more than 1 million over multiple platforms
  • Study says Brad Keselowski needs to broaden social media strategy to maximize his brand
  • Joe Gibbs Racing rated top team; Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, Kyle Busch, Danica Patrick score well

Jimmie Johnson was outdueled by Brad Keselowski for last season's Sprint Cup title, but a new study ranks the five-time champion first among NASCAR drivers in social media.

Johnson's social media reach includes 657,062 likes on Facebook, 348,402 followers on Twitter, 265 subscribers on YouTube and a NASCAR industry-leading 60,618 followers on Instagram for an aggregate total of 1,066,347.

But quantity wasn't the only factor in the study by strategic communications firm Tuckahoe Strategies, which gave Johnson its highest driver social media score based on his online presence and timeliness of updates across the numerous social media platforms. In another example of his diversified approach, Johnson will host a Google+ Hangout for the first time Thursday night.

"It's more important having a quality audience rather than just quantity," said Tuckahoe Strategies president Ramsey Poston, former head of NASCAR's PR department. "Jimmie has been very aggressive in taking advantage of multiple platforms that allow him to reach a broader audience and more diverse audience."

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the largest social media reach at 1,637,697, but about 90% is concentrated in Facebook (1,470,212 likes). NASCAR's most popular driver also has a Twitter account with 165,855 followers but hasn't tweeted yet.

Keselowski, who became the first driver to send an in-race tweet during last year's Daytona 500, is among the most interactive NASCAR personalities on Twitter but scored behind Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, Kyle Busch and Danica Patrick in the survey partly because his official website's home page doesn't feature links to as many social media platforms (including his YouTube channel).

"Brad is a couple of quick fixes from building a much more powerful platform for his own brand that would include being more active on his YouTube channel and creating a photo sharing platform, too," Poston said. "There's a lot of low-hanging fruit for a lot of drivers, sponsors and teams that do a good job and are a couple of minor fixes away from doing a very good job.

"A lot of drivers and teams are utilizing these other social media platforms, but they're impossible to find. In some cases, people are forgetting about their home pages and putting too much emphasis on Facebook and Twitter accounts. The home page should be the mother ship, and your social media platforms should be used to support the home page."

Joe Gibbs Racing was ranked tops among teams for its social media strategy, which features accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and Foursquare that are promoted from its official website. The team also has mobile applications for iPhone, Blackberry and Droid. Hendrick Motorsports, which also has a mobile app and several social media platforms, was rated second among teams. Roush Fenway Racing had the broadest social media reach with an audience of 976,755, including 912,961 circles on Google+.

NASCAR, which relaunched its official website last week and is unveiling a fan engagement center in Charlotte next week that is centered on social media, has a social media reach of more than 5 million through Facebook (3,239,504 likes), Twitter (841,027 followers), YouTube (5,430 subscribers), Pinterest (1,420 followers) and Google+ (956,689 circles).

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