Bubba Wallace's No. 23 Toyota Camry featured a special Alltroo scheme during the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This was a standard race for the 23XI Racing driver but it marked a major milestone in the life of Alltroo co-founder Kyle Rudolph.
"For us to see Bubba go out and qualify in the Open race and drive the way he did in the Open race and then start at the back and work his way all the way up into the top 10, it was just incredible for us to watch," Rudolph, a former Pro Bowl tight end in the NFL, told AltDriver.
"We couldn't have been more proud of the way Bubba represented our brand."
Alltroo is a site that raises money for a wide variety of charitable foundations through "Rallies." Fans can chip in a few dollars to a particular foundation and potentially win a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Alltroo and Rudolph, who retired after the 2022 NFL season, recently partnered with Wallace and 23XI Racing on a multi-faceted deal. There was an Alltroo scheme on the No. 23 Toyota, which Wallace used to qualify for the All-Star Race.
There is also an ongoing campaign to raise money for Wallace's Live to Be Different Foundation through the Alltroo platform. Those who donate can be entered to win a unique NASCAR prize, which includes VIP tickets with pit passes to the playoff race at the Charlotte Roval and a private tour of 23XI Racing headquarters.
Alltroo also has a separate Rally going that benefits the NASCAR Foundation. Those who support this Rally can potentially win a VIP experience at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in August.
"Having stuff like (Daytona) is great because that's kind of the general NASCAR fan," Rudolph said. "But then can we get more specific into doing stuff with Tyler (Reddick) and Bubba at 23XI?"
This trip to the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway was a full-circle moment for Rudolph. His first NASCAR experience actually took place at a different All-Star Race and with a different driver around 2016-17.
Rudolph flew to Charlotte Motor Speedway with Target, met Kyle Larson, and watched Larson drive the No. 42 Target car for Chip Ganassi Racing. It was during this period that Rudolph met Steve Lauletta and Davis Shaefer, who both worked at CGR before moving to 23XI Racing.
Lauletta was the president of the organization. Shaefer worked on the PR side of the operation.
Fast-forward to 2024 when Rudolph ran into Shaefer in Los Angeles after the Busch Light Clash. They were able to catch up about life and careers, and Shaefer invited Rudolph to Daytona so that he could meet Tyler Reddick and Wallace.
"My five-year-old son got an incredible experience seeing all the cars going in and out of inspection and in and out of the garage," Rudolph explained. "But I got time to sit down and talk to Bubba and get to know him a little bit and really feel the passion that he has to make a difference. And I think we just connected on that level.
"Oftentimes in our worlds, you meet so many different people and people have agendas and people want things from you and I think -- for me, at least personally -- I just saw someone who is already making such a big difference. He is truly a perfect partner for us. And at that time, I just thought we'd love to have Bubba on our platform. We'd love to be an asset to him or a resource to be able to help his foundation."
The Alltroo-23XI Racing partnership was not created during this sitdown at Daytona. It took place later in the season when Lauletta reached out and pitched an idea around the All-Star Race, an idea that was much broader in scope than Rudolph could have ever imagined.
"That opportunity was presented, and it was one that we couldn't pass up," Rudolph said.
The move to NASCAR was natural for Rudolph, Alltroo, and the company's founders
Photo credit: Alltroo
Rudolph comes from the NFL. He played for 12 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings, and scored 50 touchdowns. This includes a game-winner in overtime to knock the New Orleans Saints out of the playoffs.
Yet the move to NASCAR was natural for him and Alltroo.
Rudolph has been a fan of racing, especially after getting to meet Larson at the All-Star Race in Charlotte many years ago. He also has a cousin who has competed against Larson and Reddick in numerous dirt races.
"I've been around racing," Rudolph said. "I'm certainly not an expert, but I understand it and I've tried to understand it more the more I've gone to races in person."
These partnerships with the NASCAR Foundation, 23XI Racing, and Wallace are only the latest step for Alltroo as it continues its meteoric rise.
The backstory of Alltroo goes back several years. Rudolph, who had a connection to M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital in Minnesota, began running into NHL player Jason Zucker at events. The two athletes struck up a friendship and began supporting each other's foundations.
The next pieces in this puzzle were Jon Walburg and Joel Kunza. This duo had started a nonprofit helping Minnesota athletes raise money for causes even if they didn't have an existing foundation. These athletes could still try to support those in need through golf tournaments, galas, and other events.
Kunza, Rudolph, Walburg, and Zucker continued working together while particularly supporting M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital, but they didn't join forces to create Alltroo until everything shut down in 2020.
This is when they realized they needed to alter their approach to raise money for charitable organizations.
"We didn't have any of the events that we normally had," Rudolph said. "I didn't have any events that I typically have. Jason, same, and Jon and Joel for their nonprofit as well. And we just kind of looked at each other and said, 'How can we do something different?'"
The answer to this question was right in front of them -- sports fans. Without fans showing up to cheer or boo, they wouldn't have the sports atmosphere they knew and loved. Sports fans are passionate people who are willing to support their favorite athletes in multiple ways.
Zucker had already started a campaign, Give 16, that relied on fans of the Minnesota Wild. These fans could donate in increments of $16 to help raise money for a new space at the Children's Hospital. It was a small amount on paper, but all of the fans raised a total of $1.2 million.
"That's when we kind of started to play with this idea of engaging fan bases, providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and then ultimately raising money that otherwise wouldn't go to charity," Rudolph said.
The first Alltroo Rally took place in July 2021. The prize was a VIP experience at the 3M Open, Minnesota's PGA Tour event. The Rally only raised around $3,000 during the three-day trial, but the number wasn't the important thing.
What mattered was that the website worked, the payment processor worked, and the fans decided to get involved.
Since that test run in 2021, Alltroo has majorly expanded while working with prominent figures across several industries. The list includes such names as Jelly Roll, Patrick Mahomes, Darius Rucker, Drew Brees, Derrick Henry, and Chef Andrew Zimmerman among many, many others.
Alltroo has worked with more than 200 organizations while raising more than $6 million for charity. Those were major milestones for Rudolph and Alltroo, as was seeing this partnership with 23XI Racing come to life.
"Seeing this tiny little brand that we created to try to make a difference going around a track at an All-Star Race on a Cup car was pretty cool," Rudolph said.
Why has this model worked as more and more celebrities and organizations have gotten involved?
One reason is that fans have been willing to spend $10 or more supporting foundations that mean something to their favorite athlete or team. These donations have continued to add up to substantial amounts.
The other reason is that the Alltroo team does the heavy lifting when creating the Rallies.
"To plan an elaborate golf tournament or a celebrity server night or bowling event, whatever it may be, that takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of money," Rudolph explained.
"So to be able to provide something to these individuals, to say 'Look, we don't need any of your money. We need very little of your time. And then you just kind of let the model do its thing. And ultimately, we'll raise some significant dollars for your nonprofit or for the nonprofit of your choice.'"