RaceCrewMedia News

Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 6, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how RaceCrewMedia (“RaceCrewMedia,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information when you visit or use RaceCrewMedia News (this “Site”), including news articles, photo galleries (including optional digital photo purchases), magazine issues, race-weekend hubs and live updates, our shop, sponsorship inquiry forms, and related features.

By using the Site, you acknowledge the practices described here and our Terms of Service. For details about cookies and similar technologies, see our Cookie Policy.

Who we are

RaceCrewMedia is a North Carolina–based motorsports media company. RaceCrewMedia News is our online news and editorial presence. For privacy requests, use Contact Us and include enough detail for us to verify and respond.

Information we collect

Information you provide

  • Contact form. If you use our contact form, we collect your first name, last name, email address, and message so we can read and reply. When spam protection (Google reCAPTCHA) is enabled, Google may process technical data related to that check under Google’s terms. We may retain contact messages as part of our ordinary business records.
  • Sponsorship inquiries. If you use our sponsorship request form, we collect company/brand name, contact name, email, optional phone and website, package interest, budget range, and your message so we can evaluate and follow up on partnership opportunities.
  • Digital photo purchases. When you buy gallery photos on the Site (where purchasing is enabled), we collect the email address you provide for receipt and delivery, and we store order details such as which photos were purchased, amounts, timestamps, and payment references. Card and wallet payment data is processed by Square; we do not store full card numbers on our servers. Square may receive your email and payment details under its own privacy policy.
  • Accounts. Optional accounts (for example contributors, photographers, members with access to private galleries, or staff) may require an email address, display name, password (stored as a secure hash), and optional profile fields such as a biography, website URL, or social links. Signed-in users may access features such as posting race-weekend live updates, viewing members-only galleries, or managing assignment-related information where enabled. You can review or update much of your profile at your account page. Two-factor authentication (TOTP), if enabled on your account, uses codes from your authenticator app; we do not receive the secret key from your device.

Information collected automatically

  • Server and device data. Our servers and hosting environment may log information such as your IP address, browser type, referring URL, date and time of requests, and general diagnostic data. We use this to operate, secure, and improve the Site.
  • Cookies and similar technologies. We use cookies, local storage, pixels, and similar tools as described in our Cookie Policy. The Site loads CookieChimp so you can review categories and update preferences; you can also use Cookie settings in the site footer.
  • Analytics. Depending on configuration and your consent where required, we may use Plausible Analytics and/or Google Analytics for aggregate readership, and/or lightweight first-party metrics (for example article view counts, gallery and individual photo views, magazine issue views, or race-weekend live page views). First-party metrics are generally aggregate and are not used to build advertising profiles about you unless combined with other data in a way that identifies you.
  • Advertising. We may display advertisements through Google AdSense and/or custom sponsor placements. Ad partners may use cookies or similar technologies to measure delivery and, where permitted, personalize ads. We also measure ad delivery on our own systems (for example served impressions, viewability, clicks, and whether AdSense filled or a house fallback was shown) using first-party requests that may not always involve cookies. See the Cookie Policy and industry opt-out tools linked there.
  • Search. Site search runs on our servers using the terms you enter; we do not use a separate public search engine profile tied to your identity unless described elsewhere in this policy.

Embedded content, shop, payments, and third-party services

Articles may include embedded media (for example YouTube videos) or links to third-party sites. Embedded providers may collect data according to their own policies.

Our Shop may display products fulfilled by Fourthwall. Checkout and payment typically occur on Fourthwall’s domain; their privacy policy governs purchase data. We may receive order or fulfillment information needed for customer service or internal reporting.

Digital photo gallery purchases on the Site are processed by Square (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App Pay, or hosted Square checkout, depending on configuration). Square’s privacy policy applies to payment processing. We retain purchase records (including buyer email and photo references) to fulfill orders, provide customer support, prevent fraud, and maintain business records.

We use service providers for hosting, email delivery (including transactional mail such as staff invites or purchase-related messages when configured), analytics, advertising, consent management (CookieChimp), spam protection (Google reCAPTCHA), payment processing (Square), and security. They process data only as needed to perform services for us, subject to contractual and legal obligations.

How we use information

We use the information above to:

  • Provide, maintain, and improve the Site and our editorial products (including race-weekend coverage, photo galleries, and magazine issues);
  • Process digital photo purchases, send receipts or delivery-related messages, and keep purchase records;
  • Evaluate and respond to sponsorship and partnership inquiries;
  • Authenticate accounts, prevent fraud and abuse (including sign-in rate limiting), and protect security;
  • Respond to general inquiries;
  • Measure readership and advertising performance in aggregate;
  • Comply with law, enforce our Terms, and defend legal rights.

Legal bases (where applicable)

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on one or more of the following: performance of a contract (for example providing the Site, an account you request, or fulfilling a digital photo purchase), legitimate interests (for example security, aggregate analytics, and improving the Site—balanced against your rights), consent (where we ask for it, such as for certain non-essential cookies or advertising), and legal obligation.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We may share information with:

  • Service providers as described above (including Square for payments and Fourthwall for merch checkout);
  • Advertising and analytics partners, subject to your choices and applicable law;
  • Professional advisers when necessary;
  • Authorities when required by law, legal process, or to protect rights, safety, or property.

Some providers may process data in the United States or other countries. Where cross-border transfers apply, we use appropriate safeguards where required by law.

Retention

We retain information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law. Contact and sponsorship messages, account data, photo purchase records, analytics aggregates, and server logs may be retained for different periods based on operational, tax, and legal needs.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect information against unauthorized access, loss, or alteration. No method of transmission over the Internet is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export personal information we hold about you, or to object to or restrict certain processing. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. To exercise rights, contact us through Contact Us. We may need to verify your request before responding.

United States – California and similar states. Residents of California and certain other states may have additional rights under applicable privacy laws (for example, to know categories of personal information collected, to request deletion, and to opt out of “sale” or “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined by law). We honor applicable rights requests as required by law.

Email. This Site does not currently offer a public mailing-list signup on the contact form. We may send transactional messages related to accounts, purchases, or inquiries you initiate. Staff may also send editorial newsletters using our outbound email configuration to existing subscriber lists managed separately; those programs, if applicable to you, will honor unsubscribe or other notices provided with those messages.

Cookies. Manage non-essential cookies through Cookie settings in the footer or as described in our Cookie Policy.

Children

The Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

Do Not Track

There is no uniform industry standard for how browsers communicate “Do Not Track” signals. We treat consent and opt-out mechanisms (including cookie controls and ad industry tools) as primary ways for you to express preferences about certain third-party tracking.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Material changes may be highlighted on the Site where appropriate. Continued use of the Site after updates constitutes your acknowledgment of the revised policy, except where your consent is required for a new use.

Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy: Contact Us. Magazine index: Magazine.