Professional Car Racing

Accenture Case Study Prompt

Your client is the owner of UPS #88, a racecar on the NASCAR tour. It races in the Nextel Cup, a points-based championship where the season winner has accumulated the most points over the course of the racing season.

There are 36 races in total, running from February to November. Dale Jarrett, a well-known celebrity driver, races for the team. Dale helped win the Nextel Cup three years ago, and so far this year is eighth in a field of 43 drivers.

The VP of marketing at Home Depot recently contacted the client. She inquired about co-sponsoring a second racing team with the client. She recognizes that NASCAR is the fastest growing segment among males ages 18-45. She also has talked to a successful driver from a regional drag racing circuit to try out as the driver of the team. 

How would you go about evaluating the decision?

Case Overview

In this Accenture case study, you have been approached by your client, a race car owner, about the possibility of investing in a second racing team with Home Depot. It is up to you to get to know the market, do your research and come back with a solid recommendation for your client.

We recommend using the Market Study framework to approach this case, but don’t get boxed in by it. In this non-traditional case study, you can get a little creative, and the most sought after candidates know how to create a custom framework that is suited to the case.

There are math exhibits in this case. The case has a qualitative difficulty score of 3 out of 4, and is comparable to a case you would see on a second round interview.

Accenture Interview Tips

Accenture interviews are largely situational – they are looking to see how you handle “XYZ situation.” Keep this in mind for your interview and be prepared to think on your feet.

Structured answers are the way to go to impress your interviewer.

In this Accenture case study, time yourself as you go through the case – push yourself to hit the recommended time allotments per section (2min for structure, 5min for math, 2min for brainstorming, and 2min for conclusion). Also, focus on your polish and communication.

Book an hour of out-loud practice with an ex-MBB coach.