Dale Earnhardt Jr. is arguably one of the front-faces of NASCAR. Fittingly, this veteran, also known as the Pied Piper of Daytona, won the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award consecutively each year from 2003 to 2017 and was also inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame. However, Junior’s popularity skyrocketed in 2004 when he featured in a pair of commercials, that ranked 7th and 10th most popular commercials according to USA Today’s Ad Meter.
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The first one was for Junior’s longtime sponsor Budweiser. The ad shows Junior saying goodbye to a beautiful lady (seemingly someone Junior was doting on) who is supposed to fly to Los Angeles. However, as the plane departed and Earnhardt sat in his car to drive back home, he found that the lady had left her lipstick behind. Showcasing the speed of his red Chevrolet Monte Carlo, he drove all the way to LA to give the lady her lipstick back, only to find out it wasn’t hers.
The second commercial was for Dale Jr’s new title sponsor for 2004, Nextel Communications. The curtains to the ad parted with Junior sitting in the grandstands of an NFL game, fantasizing about scoring in his #8 Chevy. The coach used a Nextel walkie-talkie and told Junior, “Earnhardt, you’re in”. Needless to say, Earnhardt roared across the field and registered the winning touchdown. But alas, it was all in his head.
February 1, 2004: Dale Jr appeared in two commercials during Super Bowl XXXVIII
According to USA Today's Ad Meter, Jr's Budweiser and Nextel commercials were the 7th and 10th most popular commercials, respectively. 💄🏈 pic.twitter.com/GDD0N7Kovr
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) February 1, 2024
Dale Earnhardt Jr. teases the fans
NASCAR’s documentary, which was recently released on Netflix, has taken the fans into a frenzy. Before it had even made it to the online streaming platform, constant teasers and trailers kept the fans expecting a power-packed and thrilling experience and needlessly said that’s exactly what they were served.
The first season revolves around the 2023 playoffs and is bundled up into five less-than-an-hour episodes. But is that even enough? The masterpiece surely left the fans wanting for more and on that note, Earnhardt wrote on X, “Let me know what ya think! Too early to start suggestions for season 2? “
Let em know what ya think! Too early to start suggestions for season 2? 😀 https://t.co/1GbIZarduc
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) January 30, 2024
Someone commented,
I want to see a full season long season two.
— EagleEyeM16 (@Eagle_eye_m16) January 30, 2024
While another wrote,
I hope it’s a huge success. I want to see grandstands built, not torn down.
— Mike Curry (@MC412) January 30, 2024
A fan demanded that the series cover the entire season and not just the playoffs. They wrote:
Season 2 but do the entire season not just the playoffs
— GlockN9ne (@Gl0ckN9ne) January 31, 2024
While another demanded more drivers to be covered:
More drivers. If a legend is known to be retiring, Cover them. Take care of legacy fans as much as chasing new fans. It’s bad enough we have to deal with all these BS changes NASCAR has done with these next gen cars the teams can’t work on bc they’re playing handicapper general
— Gregory Latham Jr (@B7grWinning) January 31, 2024
Safe to say, the one demand that everyone can agree on having is,
Only suggestion so far, MORE! This is the type of content we’ve been missing out on. Massive win for the sport.
— Zach Sullivan (@BiggelsTV) January 30, 2024
Take note speed enthusiasts; the executive director might be taking in suggestions for the upcoming season.