A few days ago, NBC Sports leaked a 30-second teaser of its NASCAR ad starring Nick Offerman. Now, with a handful of days to go until the Super Bowl, they’ve unveiled the full spot, “America Start Your Engines” (the online version of which clocks in at just over two minutes).
The ad features Offerman lamenting the current state of our country, before offering NASCAR as an antidote. He sing-talks lyrics like “Welcome to the place where we speed all day/Where we bump and grind in a non-sexual way” over racing and tailgating footage (also featuring Offerman, naturally). It makes the most of Offerman’s persona, largely allowing the actor to play up his own personality for laughs, and is ultimately a pretty clever effort — especially considering it was done in-house in collaboration with Hungry Man and director Dave Laden. While certain elements of the gag run out their welcome during the full duration, we imagine that will largely be taken care of during the edit for the broadcast version.
A 60-second version “America Start Your Engines” will run immediately following the conclusion of the Super Bowl, plugging NBC’s coverage of NASCAR beginning July 4th.