The Daytona 500, known as "The Great American Race," has become a great American marketing event.  A full field of NASCAR sponsors is expected to break new campaigns during the broadcast of the Daytona 500 (Feb. 18, FOX, 2 p.m. ET).

In 2006, the Daytona 500 broadcast attracted 37 million viewers, making it the highest-rated and most-viewed NASCAR race in history.  The 2007 race boasts a record purse of more than $18 million with the winner set to receive at least $1.44 million.

For NASCAR drivers, the Daytona 500 is the venue to showcase their "off-road" skills to promote their sponsors in new commercials. More than a dozen NASCAR drivers are expected to star in new ads for the big brands involved in stock car racing.  From NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, to the sport's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., the stars of NASCAR trading paint on the track will also keep fans tuned in during commercial breaks.

Other NASCAR drivers scheduled to appear in commercials during the Daytona 500 include: Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip.

The spots will all be available for NASCAR fans to view on a special ad showcase on NASCAR.com beginning Feb. 18.  Fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite spot.

"NASCAR drivers have a very strong public image, and they literally drive their sponsors' business," said Steve Phelps, NASCAR's chief marketing officer. "Drivers resonate with fans, allowing sponsors to tap into the NASCAR fans' legendary brand loyalty. And with drivers in so many spots, it makes for continuous viewing; fans see their favorites making moves on and off the race track."

New campaigns scheduled to air during the Daytona 500 include:

• Allstate breaks a new spot continuing heartthrob Kasey Kahne's popular "Girls Day Out" campaign.  The Allstate Girls - a trio of gasping, 30-something women quite fond of Kahne - have become very popular and a hot topic on NASCAR bulletin boards.
• Budweiser, the Official Beer of NASCAR, will debut a new commercial with Dale Earnhardt Jr. racing across the desert in a chase reminiscent of the film, "Mad Max."
• Chevrolet will use NASCAR to re-ignite the passions of Americans for its cars with spots featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. The Daytona 500 serves as the manufacturer's third pillar of its new campaign celebrating passion, fun and freedom. Following spots on the Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards, the Daytona 500 ads use NASCAR's superstars joining other celebrities and "regular folks" in a memorable "mashing" of cultures and song.  The scene is an intriguing infield celebration where fans evoke their passions for Chevy cars…most notably the Impala, which will complement the Monte Carlo racing in NASCAR in 2007.
• Coca-Cola has a new NASCAR-themed animated ad humorously touting MyCokeRewards and the motorsports items available to fans. The spot uses stop-motion animation to depict the members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family, such as Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Burton. The animated drivers surprise fans with new NASCAR-themed prizes and experiences, including race helmets, firesuits and steering wheels from their racecars. Some of the once-in-a-lifetime experiences available to MyCokeRewards members include ride-alongs with Coke's drivers, a fishing trip with Greg Biffle and a chance to attend the Coca-Cola 600 and spend an afternoon with Michael Waltrip at his race shop enjoying a Domino's Pizza lunch.
• DirecTV is launching NASCAR HOTPASS at the Daytona 500 with five fully-produced channels showing the entire race through the vantage point of a single race team. The spot features Dale Earnhardt Jr. "taking a break" from a race to tell fans about NASCAR on DirecTV.  Dale Jr. will be one of five drivers featured on HOTPASS at the Daytona 500.
• Oreos, the Official Cookie of NASCAR, is baking the car numbers right into its cookies while airing its first NASCAR commercials.  Oreo Double Stuf has teamed up with driver Greg Biffle on a new ad campaign and promotion giving fans an opportunity to twist, lick and dunk their way to Homestead-Miami Speedway in November to compete for a $10,000 prize. The Oreo Double Stuf Race sweepstakes launches at Daytona with Biffle driving a custom No. 26 Oreo Double Stuf car in the NASCAR Busch Series Orbitz 300 race.  In the ad, Biffle gets "creamed" in an Oreo Race by one of his oldest fans, who leaves him watching as she celebrates with victory laps in his custom racecar.  Fans can find more information on the sweepstakes by looking on packages of new, limited edition NASCAR Oreo Double Stuf cookies, or by visiting www.oreo.com.
• Toyota's Camry begins racing in NASCAR at the Daytona 500, with an accompanying campaign showing how the trials, tribulations and eventual success of Toyota's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams have led to this historic moment.  One spot highlights Toyota's determination to leave no stone unturned in the quest to be as competitive as possible. Toyota will air a one-hour documentary prior to the Daytona 500 on FOX that shows an intense race against the clock as all three of Toyota's new teams prepare -- over the course of many months - for their historic entrance to the series and the biggest race of the year. Print, radio, outdoor and interactive ads will further surround the story of Toyota's history-making debut.
• Sunoco has two new spots starring Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart.  NASCAR's official fuel reminds fans they "may not be able to take Kasey to dinner, but you can take his fuel."  In the commercial Kahne is at a quiet romantic dinner where he becomes the center of attention, and winds up spraying a bottle of champagne.  In the Stewart spot, fans are told, "you may not be able to go grocery shopping with Tony Stewart, but you can take his fuel."  The driver known for climbing fences after race wins scales a supermarket shelf to reach a can of soup for a customer.
• Sprint Nextel's Daytona 500 primary spot features NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and Elliott Sadler giving racing advice to one another.  Nextel's walkie talkie feature helps to settle the discussion - with the arrival of the Nextel Cup.  A second humorous spot features a Nextel phone, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and a white bunny pulled out of a race helmet.
• UPS's 2007 campaign features Dale Jarrett in pursuit of the ultimate pit crew for his long-awaited running of the big brown UPS truck. The former NASCAR champion and a host of celebrity helpers, including a hilarious sooth sayer, team owner Michael Waltrip and his father, Ned, comb the country looking for the perfect pit crew.  The challenge of servicing the UPS truck's nitrous-injected, 800-hp engine with a racing enforced chassis makes for some interesting scenes.
• Gillette's new commercial is so highly-anticipated and closely-guarded, the Official Shaving Products of NASCAR prefers to keep it a secret, asking fans to tune to the Daytona 500.

About the Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 on Feb. 18 is the ultimate season-opener for a professional sport.   It is NASCAR's richest and most prestigious race, filled with tradition and lore. Accordingly, it also is one of the most attended and watched sporting events of the year.

Approximately 200,000 fans will attend the "Great American" race at Daytona International Speedway, starting the season for the second highest-rated regular season sport on television. In 2006, the Daytona 500 broadcast attracted 37 million viewers, making it the highest-rated and most-viewed NASCAR race in history.

FOX will broadcast the 49th annual Daytona 500 live on Sunday, Feb. 18. As some of the world's best drivers fly around the towering, high-banked track known for door-to-door racing, breathtaking sling-shot passes and close finishes, a number of compelling storylines will be on display.

Forbes magazine recently ranked the Daytona 500 No. 4 on its list of Most Valuable Sporting Event Brands.  "The Great American Race" is the only motorsports event to be ranked by Forbes. The magazine calculates the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series' season-opening event is worth $91 million.  The Daytona 500 trailed behind the NFL Super Bowl (No. 1), The summer Olympic Games (No. 2) and the FIFA World Cup (No. 3). It outranked the Rose Bowl (No. 5), the NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament (No. 6), the winter Olympic Games (No. 7), the Kentucky Derby (No. 8), the MLB World Series (No. 9) and the NBA Finals (No. 10).