Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Joins Forces With NASCAR for New Commercial

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson lent his dramatic voice and his amicable personality to a new ad for [...]

By Michael Hein

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson lent his dramatic voice and his amicable personality to a new ad for NASCAR over the weekend.

Johnson has been out in full force promoting his newest movie, Skyscraper, which hits theaters next week. As part of a cross-promotional deal, he recorded a commercial for NASCAR that got them both some solid publicity. In it, Johnson stands in a recording booth with headphones on. He recites generic narration for an exciting entertainment event.

"Do you like epic action?" he asks rhetorically. As he speaks, highlight footage from NASCAR races plays intermittently. "Edge of your seat excitement? Top to bottom, honest to God, no holds barred drama?" At that point, Johnson pulls his headphones off and speaks normally to an unseen production staff outside of the booth.

"Guys, I'm just curious, are you running NASCAR footage over this?" he asks. "You should have told me! I thought we were talking about my new movie, Skyscraper."

The commercial ends with a few quick shots from Skyscraper, ending with the release date of July 13.

The official NASCAR account posted the 30 second clip to Twitter on Sunday evening. It picked up a couple hundred likes and some retweets, but it really blew up when Johnson retweeted it a few hours later, adding some hype of his own.

"Fun promo," he wrote. "Let's get it boys!"

Many fans were glad to see Johnson working closely with NASCAR. The racing sport somehow holds the position of a national phenomenon and a niche interest all at once, as it isn't universally accepted among spectators. It draws a lot of legitimacy from association with a massive star like Johnson.

"Glad to see you and #NASCAR working together!" one person wrote. "Y'all need to make a movie together."

"I cant wait anymore @TheRock," joked another, "I'm just going to stand in line for @skyscrapermovie right now... don't try and talk me out of it!!"

However, not everyone was so enamored of Johnson's synergistic approach to marketing.

"what a fake world we live in. I find it hard to believe that anyone would fall for this crap," wrote a follower.

"Very surprised Rock is supporting NASCAR after they opposed kneeling for the flag," added another.

Skyscraper is expected to have an excellent opening next week, especially considering its stiff competition at the box office. The film has even secured a rare July release date in China, where American movies are typically banned for the summer. Because it is set in Hong Kong and made in part by a Chinese-owned production company, Skyscraper will premiere in China on July 20.

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