Is this year's Daytona 500 on FOX commercial the greatest NASCAR-related TV spot of all time?

by MattWeaver on Feb 8, 2012 8:36 PM EST in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

This may be the most captivating commercial ever dedicated to NASCAR and the Daytona 500. The 30-second TV spot, set to the tune of Coldplay’s Paradise, sets the tone for everything NASCAR fans love about the Great American Race.

In 30-seconds, the commercial displayed the event’s greatest personalities with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart all making cameo appearances. Spliced within is the 500’s greatest moments in Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 breakthrough, Michael Waltrip’s first-career win in 2001 and Trevor Bayne’s breakout performance in last year’s race.

If this video doesn’t give you the chills, it’s quite possible that nothing will. The 54^th Annual Daytona 500 kicks off on February 26 with the FOX television broadcast starting at 1 p.m. EST.

Paradise indeed.

Tweet Comment 11 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Absolutely terrific—that showed so much of what fans love about the Daytona 500 in so little time! I also like that they didn’t use a cliched rock or country soundtrack. I hope lots of non-fans see this, too, and maybe understand why we love this sport a little better.

"This would have been a goal if it went in."--Paul Steigerwald, 2/10/11

Cocktails with the Penguins

On Twitter like everyone else.

by GreenEyedLilo on Feb 8, 2012 8:43 PM EST reply actions

Great video, TERRIBLE song.

by sillyboob on Feb 9, 2012 10:49 AM EST reply actions

What's wrong with it?

I’m not the biggest Coldplay fan but the song is pretty epic in scope. Would you agree that it’s still a good choice for this commercial?

If not, which song would you choose instead?

Follow me on Twitter @MattWeaverSBN

Senior Writer and Editor for SBNation's NASCAR Ranting and Raving

Correspondent for SBNation's IndyCar Pop Off Valve Blog (http://www.popoffvalve.com/)

by MattWeaver on Feb 9, 2012 12:05 PM EST up reply actions

Some Joe Satriani Epicness Would Suffice

After all, Coldplay did allegedly rip off one of his songs. I do understand that FOX and other major networks like to keep most of their sights and sounds fairly recent, which I personally find somewhat disappointing at times. Overall, it is one of the better promos that I’ve seen though.

by ajcrdstr24 on Feb 9, 2012 6:42 PM EST up reply actions

It’s definitely one of the best dramatic NASCAR ads I’ve ever seen.

NASCAR Editor for SB Nation Atlanta (http://atlanta.sbnation.com) and columnist/cartoonist for NASCAR Ranting and Raving (http://4ever3blog.com)

"Come on baby, take a ride with me. I'm up from Indiana down to Tennesee. Everything is cool as can be in a peaceful world..." - John Mellencamp

by A_Rosser14 on Feb 10, 2012 10:21 AM EST reply actions

Now that I think of it though, the best is probably the first Nextel ad, it featured footage of drivers from the Homestead weekend in 2003 mingling with legends from the past together, and their cars racing with one another. That whole series of commercials was great, with a pretty awesome soundtrack (Boston’s “Long Time”).

NASCAR Editor for SB Nation Atlanta (http://atlanta.sbnation.com) and columnist/cartoonist for NASCAR Ranting and Raving (http://4ever3blog.com)

"Come on baby, take a ride with me. I'm up from Indiana down to Tennesee. Everything is cool as can be in a peaceful world..." - John Mellencamp

by A_Rosser14 on Feb 10, 2012 10:24 AM EST up reply actions