Ryan Vargas has long been known as NASCAR’s “TikTok guy,” and for good reason.
He doesn’t just have a large following on the platform — 571,000 followers and 8.2 million likes on his videos, as of this writing — but the social media platform actually sponsored his race car in 2020.
That was significant at the time to Vargas — still is, actually — because he’s not one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers. Even many NASCAR fans might not be able to identify him. But TikTok decided to take a chance on an up-and-coming racer and give Vargas his first major sponsorship deal (six races) as a result of his prowess on the platform.
With his eye for TikTok trends and a keen sense for the type of storytelling the TikTok algorithm likes, Vargas has been able to reach an entirely different group of people than most NASCAR drivers.
“To see 570,000 people follow someone who — let’s be honest here — is a guy who has run mid-pack in Xfinity (NASCAR’s second-tier series) his whole life just because they like the story or the funny joke? It’s pretty cool to see,” Vargas said. “It’s allowed (a spotlight) on those you may not see.”
Add Vargas to the long list of Americans who have been uneasy about TikTok’s future. The app, banned by Congress, went dark Saturday night with a message of optimism it would be able to work with President-elect Donald Trump — who then said Sunday he would issue an executive order to provide 90-day stay on the ban. Later Sunday, TikTok said it was restoring service in light of Trump’s statement.
Ryan Vargas holds his dog Bean, a frequent subject of Vargas’ popular TikTok posts, last month at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, Calif. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
If a long-term deal ultimately can’t be struck for some reason, Vargas is the type of person it would hurt. Though he has a modest following on X (33,200 followers) and Instagram (26,800), those numbers are nothing compared to his reach on TikTok.
Vargas first started the account in 2019 in hopes of finding a direct line to fans who might otherwise not hear about his results. His underfunded car wasn’t going to be featured on the race broadcast unless he crashed, but Vargas was able to get thousands of views on his videos highlighting his own accomplishments (like finishing in the top 10 for the first time).
The impact manifested itself in a variety of ways. Vargas remembers the time he walked into a room and met open-wheel drivers Pietro and Enzo Fittipaldi, assuming they would have no idea who he was; but the brothers recognized him from his TikTok videos. Pointing to his following has also been helpful when speaking to prospective sponsors (corporate funding is how most NASCAR drivers obtain their rides).
“Had I not been on TikTok, my name probably wouldn’t have been in front of half these people,” he said.
— Ryan Vargas (@RyanVargas_23) January 19, 2025
Some of Vargas’ NASCAR colleagues who aren’t normally in the TV spotlight have seen similar success on TikTok compared to other social media platforms.
Kyle Weatherman has 296,000 followers and 3.5 million likes on TikTok but 15,500 followers on X; Anthony Alfredo has nearly 142,000 followers and 1.4 million likes on TikTok compared to 28,400 followers on X.
NASCAR’s own TikTok account has 2.6 million followers and 59.2 million likes, with content geared toward Gen Z fans it has so been desperately trying to reach. But the NASCAR community on TikTok hasn’t just been drivers.
Christian Espinoza, who owns a condo inside Charlotte Motor Speedway, gathered 88,000 followers and 3.5 million likes by sharing the views from his unusual home.
Julia Landauer, a part-time driver and motivational speaker, was fond of sharing inspirational content on her page after going viral with an “Outlet and Plug” Halloween costume video in 2022 (which got 8.4 million views on its own).
“I’m so bummed it’s going away, because this has been a really fun platform and you guys have been amazing,” Landauer said in her farewell message on TikTok. “I hope you’ll join me elsewhere, where we can stay in touch.”
The question is if TikTok really goes away, can creators get their audiences to follow to the next stop? Vargas isn’t so sure if Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts will have the same impact with their algorithms.
“I want that engagement to be real,” Vargas said. “Through TikTok, I definitely had a lot of goofy and funny and unorthodox content. But behind that content was a really good story that a lot of people thankfully followed.”
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(Photo of Ryan Vargas’ TikTok-sponsored car, center, during a 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series race: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
