Like any business entity, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has seen the need to grow their fan base as the sports looks to further expand stock car >racing's popularity into new demographics.

Reinvigorating NASCAR's fan base was a huge part of Kim Brink's plans since leaving General Motors in 2011 -- where she oversaw the marketing and promotions for the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands -- to become NASCAR's vice president of marketing.

Brink helped the stock car series take a thorough look at the company, issuing an industry assessment and identifying five key areas NASCAR wanted to focus on in order to expand the sport's fan base: engaging the next generation of fans, improving their racing product, enhancing their digital presence, harnessing and growing the star power of our athletes, and improving the live event experience.

The research laid down the foundation for NASCAR's Five-Year Plan, designed to increase the sport's appeal to several key demographics -- the coveted Hispanic market among them.

"Since developing the Industry Action Plan, NASCAR has taken some bold steps in these areas to grow the sport," says Brink to Latin Post. "Everything we've done has been to attract new fans, from overhauling our playoffs to reacquiring our digital rights."

As part of their expansion, NASCAR has been actively reaching out to the Hispanic market, their efforts ranging from televising major events like the prestigious Daytona 500 race on Fox Deportes in Spanish; working with Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo and Univision Productions to produce a NASCAR-themed telenovela Web Series; working with the STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and math -- program and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to commemorate National Heritage Month through a new dollars-per-lap donation program; and developing authentic Spanish-language ad spots and launching the NASCAR Te Mueve platform to help engage Hispanic fans -- which averages 10K unique monthly website visits and 130 percent year-to-year growth in Twitter followers, according to NASCAR.

"The platform was created with the thought in mind that when it comes to sports, Hispanics value passion, challenge, unexpectedness and human drama," says Brink. "Our sport has all of these components which are essential to keep the Hispanic community moving. We also loved the double entendre nature of Te Mueve, and how it ties in with both the passion and on track component of our sport."

NASCAR is also looking to diversify in the pits as well as in the grandstands via their "Drive For Diversity Crew Member Development Program" (D4D) program. The program was created by Phil Horton, the director of athletic performance at Rev Racing and NASCAR Drive for Diversity Crew Member Development Program.

D4D was launched in 2005 in order to place qualified minority and female candidates into positions such as ownership, driving and crew members.

"Prior to 2005 there were no programs exclusively dedicated to recruiting and training athletes who desire to become over-the-wall pit crew members," says Jim Cassidy, Vice President of Racing Operations for NASCAR. "Through targeted outreach to athletes who have the desire, ability and dedication to be over the wall pit crew members, we have introduced hundreds of diverse and female athletes to career opportunities in the world of racing."

Raphael Diaz, a 24-year-old Mexican-American whose grandfather immigrated to U.S. from Chihuahua, Mexico and who aspired to become a professional soccer player, is one of NASCAR's success stories having gone through the D4D system, joining the pit crew program in 2010.

Diaz currently works as a rear tire changer with Ryan Reed's #16 Nationwide Series car, as well as with Carl Edwards and the #99 in the Sprint Cup Series, helping Edwards win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, California in June -- becoming the program's first pit crew member to win a Sprint Cup Series race.

Diaz said handling stock cars came naturally to him, improving as his coaches encouraged him to keep building his pit crew skill sets.

"By the end of this year, it'll be my fourth year, so I'm the guy with the least experience," said Diaz to Latin Post, referring to his time with Edwards and the Roush Fenway Racing team. "I was surprised and it made me feel good [Roush Fenway Racing] counts on me, that they put the hard work in my hands so I can go and execute the job because the owners, drivers, crew chief all are counting on me. And also my family, which I can't let nobody down."

Cassidy believes that success stories like Diaz's can help garner interest not just in watching the stock car racing but also in its participation.

"Sharing our athletes' stories, like that of Raphael's, will hopefully inspire others and lead them to seek ways to learn how they can be a part of the NASCAR community," says Cassidy. "In 2014, 34 crew member graduates hold licenses to compete across our national series. Team Roush Fenway Racing leads the way in employing NASCAR D4D crew members with 10 member, including Raphael Diaz."

NASCAR aims to go beyond just expanding among Latinos in the U.S. Market. The Mexican-based NASCAR Toyota Series, which has been sanctioned by NASCAR since 2007 and holds 14 to 15 races a year in Mexico, made its U.S. debut in 2013, holding their season-opener race at the Phoenix International Raceway. NASCAR Toyota Series will air on Telemundo and Mun2 as part of their recent 10-year broadcast deal with NBC Sports set to begin at the start of the 2015 season, as well as air races such as the season-opening Daytona 500 on Fox Deportes.

"We recently signed 10-year TV partnerships with FOX and NBC and are committed to evolving the live TV experience moving forward," said Brink. "National series events and the NASCAR Toyota (Mexico) series events can also be simulcast on Telemundo, which will introduce new fans to NASCAR racing. Continuing our relationship with FOX Deportes and bringing on Telemundo will help us reach a new audience that is crucial to our core Hispanic marketing efforts."

NASCAR also recently signed a deal with IMG on the heels of their recent broadcast deal with NBC Sports and Fox Sports (believed to be worth $8.2 billion), who will help the stock car series grow their media presence on a global scale. NASCAR's international broadcast deals expire at the end of the 2014 season, and they hope that IMG -- whose portfolio includes the National Football League (NFL), the Olympics and Wimbledon -- can leverage the international passion for F1 racing into long-term deals that raise brand awareness in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia and China for NASCAR.

"A major part of NASCAR's plan to grow internationally is through promotion and development in international markets, areas in which IMG is best-in-class," says Brink. "The 10-year partnership beginning in 2015 ensures that IMG will help grow NASCAR's international presence through 2024."

And with that growth, stars with international appeal will be key. Enter Cuban-American Aric Almirola, who won the Coke Zero 400 in July.

Almirola, whose victory put him alongside Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombian who won the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in 2007) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (Brazilian who won the Sargento 200 NASCAR Nationwide race in 2012) as the only Hispanics to win a circuit race in the stock car series, is ecstatic to being a part of this growth in stock car racing.

"It really does mean a lot to me to represent the Latino community," said Almirola to Latin Post prior to the start of Sunday's GoBowling.com 400 held at the Pocono Raceway. "It really hits home for me when I think about how much my abuelo sacrificed to pick up everything they had, give it back to the Cuban government and take a flight from Havana, Cuba to Miami, Florida just for a chance at a better life, for not only themselves but their family and their future generations of their family.

"And I get to be living proof of that. I get to reap the benefits and live the American dream. I get to live my dream," he added. "That is so gratifying to be able to do what I love and it's because my abuelos sacrificed everything and that means the world to me and I'm very proud."

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