For all the flaws that were there with NASCAR before the current playoff format was introduced in 2014, there is no denying that the period churned out some of the best TV commercials. One such commercial from ESPN that advertised the ‘2013 Chase for the Cup’ involving Jimmie Johnson remains a top favorite for many fans to this day.
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The ad shows five-time Cup Series champion (at the time) Jimmie Johnson walking through the pit road. A voice-over relays his thoughts to the audience, “Winning a sixth championship might add to your legacy. But is it enough to make you a legend? Because there is a big difference between being the best driver of your generation and the best driver ever.”
Watching him as he passes by them on the pit road are Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. As the advertisement made its way into the social media algorithm in 2025, fans couldn’t stop themselves from expressing their admiration for it.
One wrote, “One of my all-time favorites NASCAR commercials. I know that we’ll probably never get advertisements like this ago, but I’d love for them to make a comeback.”
I shared this awhile back and my thoughts were, we need to get overall branding back to this. No more silly gimmicks on Fox. The Netflix show nailed the tone of gladiators in the arena. This commercial is amazing and I wish the sport was portrayed like this more often.
— Grant (@iRacer24) January 2, 2025
Another said, “Hands down the best NASCAR commercial of all time. Still get goosebumps every time I see it.” NASCAR is making plenty of advertising efforts today, but the consensus is that they don’t compare to the ones of the old. It might be time for the sanctioning body to step up its marketing.
Following the release of the advert, Johnson went on to secure two wins in the Chase. He reached victory lane in Dover and Texas and secured multiple top-10 finishes to ultimately land his sixth Cup Series title. The achievement brought him another step closer to matching the legacy of Petty and Earnhardt Sr., as the ad teased.
Johnson won a total of six races that season. He swept the two races at Daytona, won at Martinsville and Pocono to qualify for the Chase. He was given the nickname ‘Six-Time’ for winning the title, but would get rid of it soon with his seventh championship victory later in 2016.
