rewrite this title Dogecoin Will Appear in the Indianapolis 500—And Fans Can Pick the Car Design – Decrypt

Dogecoin’s iconic shiba inu meme logo will have a premier placement on the IndyCar vehicle of driver Devlin DeFrancesco in this year’s Indianapolis 500 race in May.

A collaboration between the House of Doge, Dogecoin Foundation, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing—which is co-owned by legendary comedian David Letterman—and DeFranceso offers Dogecoin enthusiasts the opportunity to choose one of three designs that could ultimately take to the track via his #30 Honda racecar in May.

“I first invested in Dogecoin in 2020 and drove everyone crazy, telling anyone who would listen that they needed to own it,” the driver said in a statement, further calling it his “favorite crypto” and saying he’s “pumped to be part of the community and an ambassador for the vision.”

Until March 25, any X (formerly Twitter) user can vote for their favorite of three designs at indycar.dogecoin.com. The winning design will be featured on both the race car and DeFrancesco’s helmet for the race. Official results are expected to be announced on March 26. 

In addition to the voting campaign, the collaborators are hosting a Dogecoin-powered fundraising campaign to benefit Riley Children’s Foundation, which supports Riley Children’s Health—a leading neonatology program in the United States.

A spokesperson for House of Doge—a recently formed organization that works alongside the Dogecoin Foundation to boost adoption via collaborations and corporate deals—confirmed to Decrypt that the fundraising campaign will take place on the same website as the design voting, and will launch in the next week.

“Bringing Dogecoin to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ was such a natural fit for everyone involved,” a spokesperson for House of Doge told Decrypt. “House of Doge and the Dogecoin Foundation can showcase how a decentralized community is able to mobilize for real-world adoption.”

Dogecoin has a long history with racing, having previously graced the hoods of multiple NASCAR vehicles. In 2014, just a few months after the original meme coin was created, Dogecoin holders raised $55,000 to sponsor driver Josh Wise’s car. 

Later in 2021, the coin’s community sponsored driver Stefan Parson’s #99 car for a NASCAR race in Nashville. Parsons’ car crashed and finished the race in last place, and DOGE’s price followed suit with a plunge of its own.

Other crypto brands have established connections to the world of racing as well. Polkadot previously voted to sponsor racer Conor Daly’s IndyCar, and Coinbase recently inked an F1 partnership with Aston Martin, joining several other crypto Formula 1 sponsors.

In the future, Dogecoin might gain exposure in other leagues and sports, as well, according to the House of Doge spokesperson, who said that “the goal is to make Dogecoin an everyday currency and engage with passionate fan bases.”

Dogecoin (DOGE) is up more than 5% on the day to $0.174, though it has lost 32% of its value over the last 30 days alone amid a broader crypto market decline.

Edited by Andrew Hayward