For more than seven years race fans have been asking Dale Jarrett just exactly when he would race the big, brown truck. The answer finally arrived during the Daytona 500 race weekend as UPS revealed what will most likely be the final installment of the notorious "Race the Truck" commercial campaigns.
Prior to the Gatorade Duels on Thursday, February 14, UPS offered a sneak peek of the final ad spot to members of the motorsports media attending the Daytona 500. Ron Rogowski, director of sponsorship and advertising for UPS, Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann participated in the brief media session. Rogowski explained the history of the commercials and discussed the ideas behind the last "Race the Truck" commercial campaign.
"The fans have been asking for Dale to race the truck for so many years," Rogowski said. "We obviously wanted to make that happen in this last commercial but we also wanted to pay tribute to Dale and to make sure the fans were aware of how important Dale has been to UPS."
Reutimann takes over the driving duties of the #44 UPS Toyota at Martinsville Speedway on March 30. Reutimann considers Jarrett to be a good friend, teammate and mentor. To thank Jarrett for his contribution to the sport and Michael Waltrip Racing, Reutimann had a special helmet designed for Dale that featured a gold filigree base, the UPS shield and the Dale Jarrett retirement logo that includes the phrase "Signed . . . Sealed . . . Delivered."
"Dale has been a good friend and has been a big supporter of mine," Reutimann said. "I am disappointed to be losing him as a teammate and I wanted to do something with UPS to thank him and pay tribute to his career. So, I thought this helmet would be something neat that maybe he could wear for his last Daytona 500 or the All Star race."
The helmet presentation was a poignant moment in the event and proved to be a somewhat emotional moment for Jarrett. Rather than make a number of comments, Jarrett simply thanked Reutimann and UPS for the gesture.
The sneak peek of the commercial played across the televisions in the deadline room of the media center at Daytona International Speedway. The ad features Jarrett stepping behind the wheel of the race truck at Phoenix International Raceway. As Jarrett drives out to the track, friends and peers such as Elliott Sadler, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte, watch and then join him on the track for the impromptu race. The scene closes with Jarrett hanging up the truck keys and closing his hand around a race truck key chain.
Once the 60-second spot concluded, motorsports media members erupted into applause.
"That is the first time I have seen the commercial in its entirety," Jarrett said afterward. "This has obviously been a very successful campaign but more importantly cemented a relationship that I hold very dear in what I've enjoyed with UPS these last seven years."
The last "Race the Truck" commercial will play through Jarrett's final races.
