mobile app bar

NASCAR-Super Bowl Mix: When Jeff Gordon Got Anxious Before a Super Bowl Commercial

Gowtham Ramalingam
Published

NASCAR History: When Jeff Gordon Was Added to Playoffs to Protect the “Integrity” of the Sport in 2013

Three years after his full-time retirement in 2015, Jeff Gordon was approached by Pepsi to shoot a Super Bowl commercial for them. Getting back behind the wheel of the #24 Chevrolet that won 4 Cup Series championships, Gordon had one hell of a time shooting the advertisement but rather surprisingly, felt nervous behind the wheel of his car.

The ad director had asked Gordon to make some risky maneuvers that were more along the lines of stunt sequences than regular old race car driving. The former champion said, ‘Oh, I need you to get closer to the DeLorean,’ and ‘I need you to step out at this place and accelerate and then slow down.’ So that’s certainly a little bit different than just driving a race car.”

Regardless of the slight discomfort, Gordon was thrilled to be piloting the car that he spent 23 years in. He added that opportunities like the commercial gave him the chance to feel the engine fire up once again. In his words, “It’s one thing to go out and have to focus on being competitive each and every weekend when I was on the NASCAR circuit, but in this scenario, I get to have fun with something that I drove for years.”

The 1998 Pepsi endorsement that led Jeff Gordon to feature in the 2018 Super Bowl ad

The ad that Gordon shot was for the “Pepsi Generations” campaign. For its 2018 Super Bowl ad, the beverage company decided to turn the wheels of time with a video that featured popular icons that had been a part of its marketing efforts in the past. The ad that came out of the idea included many faces including that of Michael Jackson and Britney Spears.

Gordon, having featured in a 1998 commercial for the company, was made to be a part of it. The 1998 commercial showcased Gordon trying to grasp a can of Pepsi that was rolling around in his car in the middle of a race. As he takes his eyes off the track trying to grab it, he crosses the checkered flag in reverse. The ad ends with him taking a sip of the drink as announcers declare, “Pepsi Generation Next!”

The DeLorean that he’d been slightly intimidated by during the 2018 shoot was the time machine from the Hollywood hit ‘Back to the Future’. The ad was put together by Pepsi’s agency, Creator’s League. 

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 350 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

Share this article