Dale Earnhardt Jr. Featured in New Commercial to Celebrate NASCAR's Return

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ready for NASCAR to return. On Sunday, NASCAR will have its first event since suspending the season in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Earnhardt is celebrating by being featured a new Goodyear commercial. Goodyear is the "Official Tire of NASCAR," and a new commercial will air during The Real Heroes 400 on Sunday, which is called Long Way.

The commercial goes back to Goodyear's entry to the sports, leveraging historical NASCAR footage and commentary from Earnhardt. "We've had a strong partnership with Goodyear over the years, telling my family's story in racing," Earnhardt Jr. said in a press release. "I was happy to be involved and to help welcome NASCAR back to the track with this spot." Along with the commercial, Goodyear announced the Return to Racing Sweepstakes, giving fans the chance to win one of four Goodyear Eagle Racing Tires from the winner of Sunday's race. Fans can enter via Twitter by using the hashtag #ReturnToRacingSweepstakes and share what they're most excited about for NASCAR's return to racing. The contest will run from now until May 31.

"NASCAR's return to racing is a bright spot in these unprecedented times, and, for so many, this year's The Real Heroes 400 carries a special meaning and a sense of normalcy," Karen Maroli said, who is Goodyear's vice president of Marketing. "Goodyear wanted to mark this momentous race by giving fans a chance to own a piece of history that gets them closer to the sport that they currently can only experience at home." Earnhardt is the right person to be featured in the commercial considering the success he had on the track with Goodyear Tires. He won his first Sprint Cup victory in 2000 with the help of Goodyear. Earnhardt also won the Dayton 500 in 2004 in 2014 which has led him to be considered a legend in the sport.

The Real Heroes 400 is one of the many races NASCAR has scheduled for May and June. After announcing its return to the track in April, NASCAR announced additional races in five different cities including Atlanta, Miami and Talladega. Earnhardt has retired from racing full-time, but was the honorary starter for this year's Daytona 500. In 631 Cup Series races, Earnhardt has come in first place 26 times and has 260 top 10 finishes.