Social Rocket
Advertising right at the fuel pump, on displays inside the petrol station shop and through digital customer channels: RaceTrac is turning its store network into a retail media business. Under the name Trac Media Group, the US chain wants to sell brands access to touchpoints around fuel stops and purchases in the future – backed by customer buying behaviour and the loyalty program, which covers around six million members.
According to ADWEEK, the first ad campaigns are set to launch in the first quarter of 2027. The network initially includes more than 600 RaceTrac stores in the southeastern US. With this move, RaceTrac is entering an advertising market that is no longer dominated only by traditional supermarkets and online retailers.
From a quick fuel stop to an advertising space
The new marketing company is set to offer online and in-store campaigns from a single source. The official announcement from 27 October lists digital customer touchpoints, outdoor areas, fuel pumps and checkout areas as components.
The difference from ordinary outdoor advertising lies in proximity to the purchase: people don't only come to fuel stations to fill up, they also grab coffee, snacks or drinks. Reaching a suitable brand directly in front of the shelf or at the till means addressing it at a concrete moment of purchase.
According to ADWEEK, RaceTrac plans, among other things, at least three digital screens per store. In addition, selected outdoor areas and online ad placements are planned. Using RaceTrac Rewards data, the provider can target campaigns by shopping interests and visit patterns and then match them against sales.
Six million loyalty accounts change the business model
For RaceTrac, this creates a second revenue stream alongside fuel and shop products. What tips the balance is not the screens alone, but the data from its own loyalty program.
The retailer has expanded RaceTrac Rewards over the past two years. Advertisers will in future be able to combine advertising, target audiences and measurable sales via a shared platform. This is especially interesting for manufacturers of drinks, snacks and convenience products: they can link brand advertising at the place of purchase with actual demand.
In the long term, the offering could also be extended to other companies in the group. RaceTrac names RaceWay, Gulf and Potbelly as possible next stages. The group includes more than 850 RaceTrac and RaceWay locations, around 1.200 Gulf fuel stations and over 445 Potbelly restaurants. For the initial launch, however, only the announced RaceTrac spaces count.
The principle will be familiar from other retail media models: Walmart links purchase data with CTV advertising, while smaller companies are also increasingly marketing their own customer access.
What this means for Germany
Petrol station advertising is already bookable digitally and programmatically in Germany. Since January 2026, VIOOH and ISM have been marketing a network of 784 displays at German Shell petrol stations. The provider cites around 204 million monthly impressions; the screens are located at forecourts, fuelling areas and shop entrances.
RaceTrac's approach goes a step further by systematically linking its own loyalty program with advertising space and sales data. The basic direction is the same: advertising moves ever closer to the moment a purchase decision is made. For German brands, this complements existing considerations about DOOH and social creatives.
A new measurement task for media teams
The next step is unified measurement. A spot played on a petrol station display is a different kind of contact than a click on a social ad. That is why industry associations are already working on comparable rules.
The Commerce Media Standards V2.1 from IAB Europe cover, among other things, sales metrics, incrementality and reporting windows. For advertising at the physical point of sale, IAB Europe is additionally discussing models that take into account visit frequency, number of locations and actual visibility opportunities. The question of additional revenue therefore belongs in the planning of petrol station campaigns as well.
Trac Media Group is an example of the next stage of retail media: the retailer with the most advertising space does not automatically win; the one that sensibly connects contacts, customer data and sales does.
Sources: RaceTrac, official launch from 27.10.2026; ADWEEK, advertising concept and loyalty figures from 05.11.2026; NACS, overview from 28.10.2026; invidis, Shell petrol station network Germany from 27.01.2026; IAB Europe, Commerce Media measurement standards V2.1.
Illustrative image: Matthew Zheng / Unsplash.