Ragan, UPS win 2010 Daytona 500 Ad Showcase (cont'd)

Even pitted against Toyota's visual treats, Jimmie Johnson literally flooring a teenage girl who calls his Sprint phone, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s earnest spot for Hellman's, eating his grandmother's sandwiches, as well as one for Nationwide Insurance, trusted by the Earnhardt family for more than 30 years, Ragan, an affable chap from Unadilla, Ga., was not to be denied as the top vote getter.

For UPS' second high-scoring spot, delivery icons such as the milkman, a newspaper boy, a guy with a pizza, a Chinese takeout deliveryman, a golden Greek messenger, the stork, and Santa Claus stand in frustration outside the NASCAR garage. For the delivery trade, this walled-off sanctuary is only open to UPS, the official delivery company of NASCAR. The odd-ball scene crosses into hilarity when Santa goes off the rails and claws up the chain link fence to get into the garage.

See them all

Watch all the commercials from the 2010 Daytona 500 and see which one is your favorite.

• '10 Daytona 500 Ad Showcase

Following its award-winning "Race the Truck" campaign with Dale Jarrett, the Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., has again come through with new commercials that resonate in a big way with NASCAR fans.

"Each year, the commercials seen during the Daytona 500 form an extraordinary body of creative work," said Norris Scott, managing director of partnership marketing and business solutions for NASCAR. "During the Daytona 500, NASCAR official partners again showed fans and the entire ad world they know how to get their messages across in a highly entertaining way that showcases drivers' unique personalities."

Fans don't have to be exclusively tuned to races or racing shows to see their favorite drivers appear in commercials. Aflac's new "You Don't Know Quack" spot with Edwards and the ever-present duck on a ski slope ran on the Daytona 500 and is also a staple in prime time, including the Winter Olympics.

Usually seen in his Aflac driver's suit, Carl is never identified as a NASCAR driver. Viewers who don't know quack about NASCAR, probably believe the former substitute school teacher is a commercial pitchman rather than an athlete who hangs onto a loose race car careening through treacherous turns at 180 mph. He does a pretty good job explaining Aflac insurance before pushing the screaming duck down the slope.

Almost 30 million people tuned into FOX Sports' coverage of the Daytona 500, including strong gains in places like Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C, Indianapolis, Nashville, Tenn., and Orlando, Fla.

According to a new Nielsen study, advertisers in the Daytona 500 enjoy higher brand recall, and overall "likeability" of their spots. TV ads airing in the Daytona 500 are 26 percent more likely to be recalled by viewers than those who saw the ad run elsewhere, the Nielsen study showed.

In layman's terms, that means David Hill, who runs FOX Sports, can charge even more for ad time next year, and it will be worth every penny for sponsors.

On race day, NASCAR.COM enjoyed more than 10 million page views and set a record with 1,494,374 unique visitors (+7 percent vs. the 2009 Daytona 500). The race was pretty darn good, and those who checked out the new commercials were not disappointed, either.

Andrew Giangola is the author of "The Weekend Starts on Wednesday: True Story of Remarkable NASCAR Fans." Click here to purchase.