NASCAR, the premier stock-car racing sanctioning body in North America, oversees some of the most iconic racing events in the world. As part of a restructuring effort, NASCAR transitioned from third-party development teams to internal teams for creating and maintaining their digital properties.

• Launched the NASCAR Mexico, ARCA Menards, and Sebring Raceway websites.
• Enhanced user experience and functionality for NASCAR.com and IMSA.com.
• Provided live support for digital race experiences, ensuring uninterrupted service during high-traffic events.
• Bridged design and development gaps by facilitating collaboration between developers, designers, and product teams.

Challenges

NASCAR’s transition to internal teams created several hurdles. repurposed developers new to PHP and WordPress were tasked with building custom WordPress sites, while graphic designers with limited UX/UI experience were responsible for creating digital experiences.

This mismatch in expertise led to challenges in execution and collaboration. Additionally, the organization required high-performing digital platforms to support real-time race updates, which demanded seamless integration between design and development. NASCAR’s custom WordPress framework added further complexity, requiring precise modifications to themes and plugins to meet both user and business needs.

My Approach

To address these challenges, I began by participating in creative briefings with product managers and graphic designers to review research findings and project goals. These sessions informed design decisions and ensured that all modifications adhered to industry-standard UX/UI principles, accessibility guidelines, and the execution constraints of NASCAR’s custom WordPress framework. By analyzing site designs, I provided actionable feedback on development feasibility, aligning design intent with technical realities.

During development, I worked independently on projects such as the NASCAR Mexico, ARCA Menards, and Sebring Raceway websites. Each site required custom modifications to NASCAR’s WordPress themes and plugins, which I implemented while maintaining scalability and usability. To ensure efficient progress tracking, I used Atlassian Jira to document updates, manage tasks, and address QA feedback.

In addition to building new websites, I provided enhancements to existing platforms, such as NASCAR.com and IMSA.com, improving user experience and addressing technical issues. I was also responsible for live monitoring and issue resolution during high-traffic race weekends. Working from NASCAR headquarters in Charlotte, NC, I collaborated with live ops teams to resolve real-time issues, such as lap-time reporting errors, ensuring uninterrupted service during critical events.

Solutions

One of my primary contributions was delivering three major new websites: NASCAR Mexico, ARCA Menards, and Sebring Raceway. These platforms were built from the ground up, incorporating responsive designs, modern UX/UI principles, and accessibility standards. I also enhanced NASCAR.com and IMSA.com, making UX/UI improvements and resolving technical challenges to ensure optimal performance.

Another key solution was bridging the gap between designers and developers. By providing UX/UI guidance and ensuring compatibility with the custom WordPress framework, I streamlined the collaboration process, enabling efficient execution of projects. Additionally, I played a pivotal role in NASCAR’s live digital operations, quickly addressing technical issues during live races, such as resolving errors in real-time lap-time reporting.

Key Takeaways

My work with NASCAR involved balancing technical expertise with cross-functional collaboration to deliver high-quality digital experiences. By bridging the gap between design and development, I ensured that all projects met NASCAR’s high standards for performance, usability, and accessibility.

The successful launch of three major websites and enhancements to existing platforms demonstrated my ability to adapt to complex technical frameworks and high-pressure environments. Ultimately, my contributions supported NASCAR’s mission to provide engaging digital experiences for fans and stakeholders alike.