NASCAR has enlisted the help of one of the most popular stars in the NFL to grow the sport and so far the results have been pretty positive for the organization. Alvin Kamara, a talented running back for the New Orleans Saints, has really embraced the role.

Back in 2021, Kamara was named NASCAR’s first-ever Growth and Engagement Advisor. The role has taken on expanded responsibility over time.

“Yeah, I mean, that is a journey in itself. There’s so many aspects and so many cool things that I get to do in that,” Kamara said on the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “Definitely interesting. So growth and engagement, I think the way I sum it up is finding ways to engage a new audience, bring in new eyes to NASCAR.”

Kamara has done that in several ways. First, he’s been at plenty of NASCAR events. He’s had a chance to sit in meetings with drivers and pit crews, familiarizing himself further with the sport.

Then he’s been able to relay that knowledge to his fans both in person and on his social media channels.

“I think just bringing kind of a new feel to NASCAR, right?” Kamara said. “I think there’s a lot of things in four years since I’ve been here that have been going on that haven’t been done before with speed season and they’ve got Daniel’s Amigos and Bubba’s Block Party. I collabed and created a merch line with NASCAR. There’s just so much going on and so much opportunity for growth. That’s kind of, hence the title, growth and engagement.”

Kamara’s interest in NASCAR picked up in earnest during COVID-19 in 2020, when protests over racial equality took center stage and NASCAR ultimately moved to ban the Confederate flag at the behest of Bubba Wallace.

Since then, Kamara has been attending races and expanding his knowledge of NASCAR.

“Just been trying to learn. Just trying to take the sport to new spaces,” he said. “I’m happy to be a part of it because I’m growing while learning, while I guess it’s kind of being a part of, like I said, there’s a lot of history going on, things that haven’t been done before that are catching new eyes. That’s kind of the job.”