Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets Simpsons treatment in Super Bowl 51 ad
By Phil Naegely
Dale Earnhardt Jr. got the Simpsons treatment in one of NASCAR’s Daytona Day ads during Super Bowl 51.
FOX went all out as they promoted NASCAR’s biggest race weekend of the 2017 season during Super Bowl 51. Dale Earnhardt Jr. got the star treatment during a nice cross-promotional advertisement of the Daytona 500 and The Simpsons.
Earnhardt Jr. is just the latest star to get The Simpsons treatment. Super Bowl 51 was the perfect time for the television network to promote the biggest NASCAR event they broadcast this year. At the same time, The Simpsons helps anchor a strong Sunday night lineup of shows.
Earnhardt Jr. and his wife weren’t aware of how the commercial was going to look. Amy Earnhardt loved the commercial despite not seeing the final product. FOX got permission from the NASCAR driver’s camp as the duo were on their honeymoon.
Holy smokes Dale Jr Simpson wth
— Amy Earnhardt (@AmyEarnhardt) February 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/AmyEarnhardt/status/828426440454598656
https://twitter.com/MikeDavis88/status/828427390653169665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
This commercial is yet another reason to love Earnhardt Jr. He looked great in the commercial and as serious as he looks when he races around the race track. Super Bowl 51 had one of the best ratings in the event’s history, so plenty of NASCAR and non-NASCAR fans saw the funny commercial.
FOX was wise to promote two popular programs on the network at once. While Super Bowl 51 commercials were average overall, this commercial was one of the better ones. Did it make people laugh? Probably not, but it clearly fulfilled its purpose. It reminded people The Simpsons is on Sunday nights and NASCAR coverage is returning to FOX along with when Daytona Day is.
The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series begins on Saturday, Feb. 26 with the Daytona 500. The first event of the season is the Advance Auto Parts Clash on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8:00 p.m. before the Can-AM Duel on Thursday, Feb. 23. All three events take place at the Daytona International Speedway.
Next: Was Fox's #DaytonaDay Super Bowl ad good?
Hopefully for Earnhardt Jr., he won’t lose the Daytona 500 in a photo finish like he did to Maggie Simpson in Sunday’s ad.