NASCAR: Daytona 500 2017 Ad Airs During Super Bowl LI

The Daytona 500 is fast approaching, and FOX made sure to let fans know by airing a commercial for the big NASCAR race during Super Bowl LI on Sunday night.

Daytona 500 2017 Ad

The race will be held Feb. 26 at 2 pm ET, and will air on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

There will be four drivers in the field competing for their third win in the Great American Race this year: Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Michael Waltrip.

In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, FOX Sports’ Chris Myers and FOX NASCAR analyst Larry McReynolds were on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub remote from Houston to decide who will win their third 500 first.

McReynolds chose seven-time and defending Monster Energy Cup Series champion Johnson, while Myers went with Kenseth, who was one turn away from winning the Daytona 500 in 2016 until Denny Hamlin sped to the lead for the big victory. It marked the closest finish in Daytona 500 history.

As for the commercial itself, which included the “Daytona Day” tune, shows NASCAR fans excitedly preparing for the competition and watching the race unfold. Kenseth and Hamlin both appear, as do other famous drivers like Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Danica Patrick, Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski and FOX analyst Jeff Gordon. 

The ad also includes a brief cameo from “Dawson’s Creek” and “Varsity Blues” actor James Van Der Beek, who appears dressed like a former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Here is the preview for the race:

FOX asked fans to vote for who they believe the winner of this year’s Daytona 500 will be and Earnhardt Jr. won with 57 percent of the vote.

Caption: DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 21: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, takes the checkered flag ahead of Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 21, 2016 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)