“I Miss Those Days”: NASCAR Fans Go Down the Memory Lane as Iconic Martin Truex Jr. Commercial Resurfaces

Martin Truex Jr. is sorely missed on the NASCAR Cup Series field this season. The veteran retired at the end of 2024 and left a huge void in the hearts of fans. An old NAPA commercial featuring him and Michael Waltrip, his former boss, is making rounds on social media right now. Needless to say, the fandom is loving it.

The commercial is a part of the “Know How” ad campaign that NAPA ran in 2011. Truex Jr. was a driver for Michael Waltrip Racing at the time, and one of his responsibilities was to help showcase the expertise of the sponsor brand in automotive parts and components. Waltrip responded to the commercial on X, “We had fun!”

One fan laughed, “Man….. The good ol days… Mikey @mw55 has always been funny.” Another said, “I miss those days!!!!” The funny video has Truex and Waltrip engaged in some playful singing. Quite entertained, one fan lamented, “Oh, I do miss those Napa commercials.” One can’t find such initiatives from many drivers these days.

Fortunately, the goofiness and the interest all seem to be coming back with time. A comment made a note of the same: “Yea, we need more goofy mainstream stuff from the drivers now to grow the sport! Back in the day, it rocked. Starting to see more in the last two years, keep it going!” 

The 2015 NAPA commercial featuring Dale Jr. and Chase Elliott

The Truex Jr.-Waltrip advertisement wasn’t the only time NAPA hit the bullseye back in the day. In 2015, it aired an equally entertaining commercial featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott.

It came out a year after Elliott became the Nationwide Series champion and shows him discussing merchandising opportunities with a NAPA official along with Dale Jr.

A NASCAR official tries wooing Elliott with a series of hilarious products, but he is impressed by none. Dale Jr. tries his best to coerce him. One of the products that are pitched to him is a “Chase Elliott Tire Gauge.” The others are equally as absurd and funny. The ad trended across multiple social media channels earlier this year.

The importance of such commercials cannot be understated. They showcase the funnier, more humane side of drivers, which isn’t usually visible to fans. It helps people connect with them on a more personal level. The transparent portrayal of driver personalities is a crucial factor in the growth of NASCAR.