Tony Stewart sings, Dale Jr. loves his family and Kyle Busch wears pink for money: Daytona 500 in ads

I really really wanted to do a re-cap of the Daytona 500 like I did last year, but there were two small issues with that. First, I had Season 2 of “Rescue Me” in from Netflix, and, as the pre-game festivities grew closer, and I started thinking about the first of dozens of pre-race broadcasts full of Darrell Waltrip and that inane carton gopher, the trials of Tommy Gavin and Ladder 62 got more and more appealing… so I didn’t tune in until about Lap 50 or so. And then I took a nap. (That’s issue number two.)

Waltrip is Waltrip, Chris Myers is Chris Myers, and I’ve worn out my thesaurus coming up with new ways to describe how much both of them annoy me. But at least there were commercials. The Daytona 500 may just be the second-most creative ad blitz in sports, after the Super Bowl. Highlights:

My favorite:

Coca-Cola: NASCAR Harmony @ Yahoo! Video

I was actually coming out of the nap when this aired, and I thought I was hallucinating for a few seconds. I liked it. Tony Stewart needs to sing more; that would entertain me.

Then this:

Aflac: Snow Angel @ Yahoo! Video

The Aflac duck’s been around that long, really? Wow, that thing really needs to die. Like now.

Sprint: Calling Jimmie Johnson @ Yahoo! Video

Generally, these Sprint commercials bug me just because they’re on *constantly,* but I thought this was cute. Let’s just hope Sprint doesn’t beat this one into the ground, too.

Sunoco: Common Thread @ Yahoo! Video

Ah, nostalgia. The go-to emotion for ads targeted to NASCAR fans.

That and family. If you can mix nostalgia and family, plus an endorsement, you’re gold.

Hellmann's: Dinner with Dale @ Yahoo! Video

Yay, it’s the Earnhardt Family Heart Attack! (Seriously, I didn’t know they even MADE “real” mayo anymore. Why not just mainline cholesterol directly into your veins?

More Earnhardts:

Nationwide Insurance: Nostalgia @ Yahoo! Video

The name of this commercial is – no kidding – “Nostalgia.” A little on-the-nose, Nationwide. And, while I miss the badass spots Dale Jr. used to do for Bud, I get the appeal of bringing in family members… as long as the family member is his sister Kelley, ‘cause a) I’m starting to get a girl-crush on her, and b) she works on camera. The Nationwide spot she and Jr. do is like a normal commercial. This one’s just awkward. I hate endorsement spots where the actors pretend they’re having a real conversation. As if all of us have random heart-to-hearts about our family history with our insurance provider. In the garage. Wearing pancake make-up.

Toyota Sponsafier @ Yahoo! Video

I like this ‘cause it makes Kyle Busch look silly. I dislike it because anything, such as a mainstream TV ad, that makes America more comfortable with Kyle Busch as a driver, rather than an alien life form descended upon us to possess our children and eat our puppies – it’s going to be on my bad side.

Other thoughts... Pothole, blah blah blah... I really think Waltrip needs to stop calling Dale Jr. "Junebug"... Speaking of, what was with Waltrip cheering on Jr. on the last lap (which was awesome, btw), then immediately congratulating Jamie McMurray on the fact that Jr. DIDN'T pass him? He can't have it both ways... I loved McMurray's Victory Lane interview. The guy went from not knowing if he'd even have a ride this year to winning NASCAR's version of the Master's... Digger needs to die - but that's a whole 'nother post.