Getting close to NASCAR used to be difficult. Now it takes a phone. Drivers post on social media, teams share behind-the-scenes clips, and journalists open up a world that once felt out of reach. But that access has a downside: for NASCAR’s security team, deciding when an online post is more than just an angry fan has become a very difficult call.

Lissette Deschamps is the person NASCAR’s security team calls when a fan post crosses the line. She told journalist Kelly Crandall how the organization tracks suspicious social media activity and the people behind it. Her explanation offered a rare look behind the scenes. It also came with a warning for anyone who thinks their access to a NASCAR race is guaranteed.

“So I can ban you for eternity,” Deschamps told Crandall. “Or, I can ban you for a couple of races. I mean, it depends on the level and what needs to happen”.

Deschamps built a hypothetical situation of what would happen if an accredited journalist were to give their pass to someone else, which is a big “no-no” for NASCAR. 

Deschamps was not talking about banning people simply for being critical or outspoken online. The concern, as she explained, is figuring out when a post might signal something more serious, and whether the person behind it could pose a genuine threat.

Crandall asked how NASCAR’s security team works with teams and public relations representatives when suspicious accounts or posts come to their attention.

Deschamps said those relationships are important, and the team has technology that can monitor activity connected to particular social media accounts. When something raises a red flag, the next step is to look at the person responsible.

“What we do is we then go to an extra level where we kind of do an individual person search on that person just to see what their background is, to see where they come from, to see what kind of arrest, criminal history they’ve had,” Deschamps said. “And then we kind of move forward in it to see if it’s just talk or if it’s something that we kind of need to look forward a little bit more into to notify local law enforcement of it.”

The distinction matters because, according to Deschamps, not everyone who raises concerns is necessarily looking to cause trouble. Some are devoted fans who do not always recognise how their words or actions might come across. That does not mean the team can afford to ignore a worrying post, but it does mean context matters.

“We’ve had a couple of incidents…,” Deschamps said. “And sometimes, you know, they’re taken out of context because they just want to be a race fan, but they just don’t know their limitations. Right? So they mean no harm. Right? But sometimes you don’t know that until you’ve looked into who they are, what their posts are, where they come from.”

The team keeps records of these cases, too. Deschamps explained that having a record means security personnel can return to an earlier incident instead of starting from scratch whenever the same person comes up again. And that history can become especially important when someone wants to attend a race.

NASCAR has to consider whether a person who behaves in a concerning way online might eventually show up at the track. That is where the credentialing system comes into play.

Deschamps explained that credential information is stored in a database available to the security team. If someone on a restricted list is submitted for a new pass, the application can be flagged, with the reason for the restriction visible to the team. A request from a team or another organization does not automatically mean that person will be allowed back in.

There is, however, a difference between a ban and a permanent ban. Deschamps recalled a social media professional who repeatedly flew drones when he was not supposed to. She contacted him at a race and put him on the list. He later came back to ask what he needed to do to regain access.

“He does great stuff for our industry,” she said. “So he proved himself. So he then was taken off the list. But we do have the right to be able to say, no, you cannot come to a race.”

That case is worth noting because it shows the other side of NASCAR’s policy. Deschamps made clear that the organization can refuse entry, but the drone incident did not end in a permanent exclusion. The individual was eventually allowed back after demonstrating that he could meet the expectations placed on him.

For people who work in and around NASCAR, access to the garage and pit road is a privilege that comes with rules. And NASCAR’s security team takes those rules seriously, whether the concern begins with a social media post or behaviour at the track.

In a sport where the line between online activity and real-world access can be surprisingly thin, losing a credential can be a much bigger consequence than some people expect.