JC Rubio Amplifies Fan Frenzy at F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix for Allwyn and McLaren’s “Scratch Car” Global Giveaway
- Merika Rock
- Nov 20, 2025
- 3 min read
JC Rubio brought high-octane energy to the Las Vegas Strip as the on-the-ground emcee for Allwyn and the McLaren F1 Team’s innovative “Scratch Car” fan experience during the 2025 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
A new kind of F1 fan experience
During the 2025 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, lottery and gaming giant Allwyn joined forces with the McLaren F1 Team to unveil the world’s first life-sized “Scratch Car” at the LINQ Promenade. The full-scale model, designed by artist Florian Weber, was wrapped in 970 individual scratchable panels printed in McLaren’s signature papaya orange, transforming an F1 show car into a walk-up, free-to-play installation.
Across two days, the Scratch Car became a focal point of F1 week on the Strip, drawing crowds of race fans, tourists, and content creators eager to test their luck on the glowing, papaya-lit stage. Standing at the center of the action, JC Rubio served as host and hype man, guiding spectators through the experience, interviewing winners, and keeping the energy dialed up between Grand Prix festivities.
JC Rubio at the heart of the Strip
Positioned steps from the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit, Rubio’s role was to transform a promotional installation into a live, fast-paced show. As fans approached the Scratch Car, he walked them through the simple mechanic—scan, scratch, and reveal—while weaving in stories about McLaren’s racing heritage and Allwyn’s mission to bring the thrill of “taking a chance” to everyday fans.
Rubio’s broadcast-style presence proved a natural fit for the environment: part pit lane, part game show. Between live prize reveals, he kept the promenade buzzing with crowd callouts, spontaneous MC segments, and smooth handoffs to digital content teams capturing footage for social media. His on-the-mic commentary underscored the spectacle when McLaren driver Oscar Piastri stepped in to ceremonially scratch the first panel, officially launching the activation in front of fans and media.
How the “Scratch Car” worked
The “Scratch Car” concept merged the familiarity of a scratch-off ticket with the spectacle of Formula 1. In person, fans visiting the LINQ Promenade on November 18–19, 2025, were invited to scratch one of the car’s 970 panels, each one linked to a potential instant prize ranging from team merchandise to exclusive experiences.
To extend the promotion beyond Las Vegas, Allwyn hosted a parallel digital activation via the Allwyn Global Instagram page, where participants could “scratch” a virtual McLaren car through November 25, 2025. The online experience mirrored the physical one, giving global fans access to the same categories of rewards while amplifying the campaign’s social reach.
Prizes that matched F1 stakes
Fans on-site and online were playing for more than just swag. Hundreds of prizes were on offer, including McLaren F1 Team caps, signed memorabilia, and unique fan experiences crafted to bring winners closer to the team.
The hero prize for the digital competition raised the stakes: one top winner would receive a trip to the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, UK, complete with a meet-and-greet with a McLaren F1 Team driver and a personalized race suit signed by the driver. For Rubio, those details became part of his live storytelling—punctuating scratch moments by reminding fans that every reveal on the papaya-colored panels carried the possibility of a once-in-a-lifetime F1 experience.
Blending live emceeing with global reach
While the Scratch Car stood still, the activation around it mirrored the speed and intensity of race weekend. LED walls pulsed with McLaren visuals, cameras rolled for content distribution, and Rubio’s live emceeing stitched the elements together into a cohesive fan show that played equally well to bystanders on the Strip and audiences watching through social video.
By pairing an interactive physical installation in Las Vegas with a synchronized online giveaway, Allwyn and McLaren turned the Grand Prix into a global lottery-style moment—one that JC Rubio helped bring to life, panel by panel, prize by prize, in the heart of the Vegas night.
