The sight of Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving his #8 Budweiser Car still brings joy to race fans everywhere. There’s a certain magic to it that we wanted Dale and his fans to experience one last time. So that’s what we did, bringing the Budweiser Car back for one final lap around the Daytona International Speedway, a racetrack that’s forever tied to his name. It’s the same location that was home to some of his greatest triumphs, along with his greatest loss – the tragic crash that took his father’s life years earlier.

The scene of the #8 Budweiser Car driving once again was literally a trip down memory lane. By combining it with archival footage, video of fans saying goodbye, and poignant music from Dale’s favorite band, the video is a celebration of an unforgettable man, his fans, and the car that helped make it all possible.

Through research we found two key things: one, that fans still associate Dale Jr. with the Budweiser car and two, that Dale Jr.’s fans mean more to him to anything. So we brought the Budweiser Car back to life for one final lap and took to Talladega to film real NASCAR fans saying goodbye to their favorite driver.

We launched our digital film on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter the week of Dale Jr.’s retirement to join in on the conversation surrounding the last race of one of America’s favorite athletes. We targeted the film to NASCAR fans first, knowing they would be most likely to share and help us garner additional engagement from their friends. Additional multi-channel activations, such as a TVC, Snapchat ads and in-bar promotions supported our long-form tribute.

The film extended beyond NASCAR and into culture. One Last Ride played behind NBC’s Dale Jr. montage during coverage of his final race, and Dale himself even raised a Budweiser with sports reporter Marty Smith once he crossed the last finish line.

All in all, the film reached nearly 20MM people and resulted in 100K shares across social platforms. Additionally, it garnered 13MM+ total views and boasts an 11% completion rate. But most importantly, we truly honored Dale Jr. and his team. He even tweeted about the video to his 2.5mm followers --at no cost--to say as much, and specifically called out the impact of our song choice on the film.

Budweiser has a storied history with NASCAR and its fans. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he was retiring last year, it gave the brand permission to go back in time and remind their audience that his greatest years happened behind the wheel of the legendary #8 Budweiser Car. The sponsorship may have ended ten years earlier, but an unspoken bond between the racing legend and the brand still existed. Our goal was to bring that spirit back to life in a manner that was authentic and true to the brand’s personality.

Whether it was using Dale’s favorite band for the music, capturing footage of his fans saying goodbye, or digging deep to find archival footage that spoke perfectly to the moment, every part of the story offers a deep, unmistakable connection to the NASCAR legend being honored. Right down to Dale’s final lap in the #8 Budweiser car.

Though it may surprise some, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been one of America’s most beloved sports stars for decades. After a legendary racing career that included dozens of wins and fifteen Most Popular Driver awards, “Junior” was set to retire from NASCAR in November of 2017. Knowing that Dale’s greatest years were spent behind the wheel of his iconic #8 Budweiser Car, we wanted to relive that magic and remind people about the deep connection that still exists between him and the brand. All despite the fact that the sponsorship ended a decade earlier.

Our goal was to create an emotional video that would be appreciated by fans of all ages. One that allows the audience to share in the joys and sadness that defined Dale’s incredible career. And we wanted to do it in a way that was authentic to both the brand and the legend it was honoring.