Jeff Gordon: Merry prankster or ace pitchman?
In a brief video that went viral this week, the NASCAR star appeared to take a car salesman for the ride of his life. The clip began with an incognito Gordon at the wheel of a 2009 Chevy Camaro, gearing up for a test drive with the salesman in the passenger seat. After some initial bumbling, Gordon peels out of the parking lot with a display of stunt driving that sends the seemingly clueless salesman into hysterics.
Riding along with Gordon and the salesman is a prominently displayed can of Pepsi Max ... because the video is a commercial. Uploaded to Youtube by Pepsi on Tuesday, the video racked up more than 7 million views by Thursday, fooling a few people in the process.
The L.A. Times reported that the comic video was produced by Gifted You, which is owned by Will Ferrell's Funny or Die company. According to the Independent Tribune, Brad Noffsinger, a racer with the Richard Petty Driving Experience, was behind the wheel for the stunt driving.
For those looking for an expert breakdown of the several clues that the Pepsi ad was faked, Jalopnik.com broke down every element of the video, including the fact that Chevy never made an '09 Camaro, and that the interior shots were actually that of a 2013 model. The auto news and gossip site also tried to track down the "salesman" at the dealership in the spot only to be told he was "unavailable."
Real or fake, this commercial is still worth a watch. Perhaps the biggest lingering question is why Pepsi didn't have it ready for the Super Bowl?
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