NASCAR is continuing efforts to broaden its appeal while holding on to longtime fans with a campaign that will portray popular drivers and their supporters as nation-states fighting for hegemony.

The campaign, scheduled to begin this weekend, promotes a revamped 10-race playoff format known as the Chase for the Nascar Sprint Cup, which is to be covered by ESPN from Sept. 14 through Nov. 16. The campaign begins with ads carrying the theme “Sixteen nations. Ten battles. One will prevail,” and concludes with the theme “Four nations battle. One will prevail.”

The campaign includes online content and fast-paced commercials with an intensity that suggests the theme perhaps ought to be “Onward, Nascar drivers, racing as to war.” The spots include scenes of drivers, their teams at work on cars in garages and fans festooned in their favorite drivers’ colors and numbers. The concept is to present the 16 drivers who will qualify for the Chase — backed by their team members, sponsors and the manufacturers of their cars — as powerful nations preparing for rounds of challenges to determine the final winners and losers.

So far, 12 drivers have been selected to take part, among them Kurt Busch, the leader of “Outlaw Nation,” styled after his nickname; Carl Edwards, “Carl Nation”; Jeff Gordon, “Gordon Nation”; and Jimmie Johnson, “Jimmie Nation.” Each designation is accompanied by a hashtag for social media. For instance, Brad Keselowski of “Brad Nation” will be identified with #GoingFor2, and Joey Logano of “Logano Nation” will be identified with #TeamJL.