Chevy chosen as best spot during Daytona

NEW YORK -- While Kevin Harvick won the Daytona 500 this past Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart were number one when it came to the new sponsor commercials debuting during FOX's broadcast of The Great American Race.

The duo's Chevy spot, "Infield," was judged as the best by fans who visited the Daytona 500 Ad Showcase on NASCAR.COM. Chevy's winning commercial brings together Chevrolet, NASCAR, and Hip Hop in a mash up of cultures joining to celebrate the Chevy Impala SS coming to NASCAR.

Fans picked another Chevy spot, "Switcheroo," in which Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rap artist TI switch roles and meet in the garage, as their second favorite. Coca-Cola's stop-action ad showing the Coke family of drivers tearing across America to promote MyCokeRewards was third. Allstate's latest Kasey Kahne ad, "Flashback," in which the Allstate Girls cause more chaos, was fourth. The UPS commercial, "Imposter," in which Ned Jarrett impersonates his son Dale in an attempt to race the Big Brown Truck, rounded out the top five.

Overall, 30 new commercials were available for viewing on NASCAR.COM. More than 15 NASCAR drivers appeared in the spots -- an unprecedented level of participation of a sport's athlete in the advertising supporting a marquee event.

"Turner Interactive did a great job building and promoting the Daytona 500 Ad Showcase, including putting some of 2006's most memorable NASCAR spots on www.veryfunnyads.com, which generated more than one million views," said Paul Brooks, NASCAR senior vice president and president of NASCAR Digital Entertainment. "Across the board, NASCAR sponsors captured our drivers' star power and charisma in the ads. Looking ahead, as these companies create new campaigns, we will make the Ad Showcase even bigger for the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 in 2008."

NASCAR fans who may have missed the new ads can view many of them this weekend during the Auto Parts 500 at California Speedway.

The 2007 Daytona 500 on FOX ranks as the fifth highest-rated and the fifth most-watched Daytona 500 in history, and the second highest-rated and most-watched ever on FOX. An estimated 33.7 million Americans watched at least part of The Great American Race, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research.