NBC’s NASCAR commercial with Michael Rooker has arrived. It came right as the Coca-Cola 600 race was also going down from the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Martin Truex Jr. captured the important victory after a restart. Now drivers and fans are gearing up for the remaining race schedule. It includes the NBC and NBC Sports Network which will present live racing. A new advertisement spotlights the excitement.
NBC’s new NASCAR commercial stars Michael Rooker
Fans of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and The Walking Dead from AMC are quite familiar with Michael Rooker. The actor played the wisecracking blue-faced character Yondu Udonta in the first two Guardians movies. On The Walking Dead, Rooker portrayed Merle Dixon for 14 episodes from 2010 through 2013. True Detective viewers also saw him pop up during a few episodes of the third season.
However, diehard fans of racing and sports movies will recall Rooker starred in Days of Thunder as Rowdy Burns. Now Rooker brings the NASCAR heat with a brand new ad.
The new commercial focuses on the second half of the NASCAR season. Drivers will be looking to get into the playoffs and ultimately capture the latest championship. The Monster Energy Cup Series is in full focus with Rooker providing the in-your-face narrative in the commercial (below).
"The second half is when things get real."@NASCAR returns to NBC and NBCSN on June 30th. https://t.co/LLz717XciI
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) May 26, 2019
NASCAR’s upcoming schedule, return to NBC/NBCSN
NASCAR will be on a hiatus from NBC and NBC Sports Network, hence the ad for its return there. However, the NASCAR schedule will continue with next Sunday’s Pocono 400 on Fox Sports 1. FS1 will provide the June 9th race, FireKeepers Casino 400, and then the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on June 23.
- SUN 6/2 Pocono 400 (FS1, 2 p.m. ET)
- SUN 6/9 FireKeepers Casino 400 (FS1, 2 p.m. ET)
- SUN 6/23 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (FS1, 3 p.m. ET)
Once Sunday, June 30 arrives, it’s NASCAR’s return to NBC Sports Network with the Camping World 400 from Chicago Speedway. NBC will provide the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, July 6 and then continue with coverage through the remaining schedule into November. Here’s a look at what’s on the slate for late June through July courtesy of NBC.
- SUN 6/30 Camping World 400 (NBCSN)
- SAT 7/6 Coke Zero Sugar 400 (NBC, 7:30 p.m. ET)
- SAT 7/13 Quaker State 400 by Walmart (NBCSN, 7:30 p.m. ET)
- SUN 7/21 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET)
- SUN 7/28 Gander RV 400 (NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET)
You can see the full schedule here at NASCAR.com for all of the race information.
Right now, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup standings have Kyle Busch ahead of all drivers with 528 points. However, Joey Logano is right behind at 522 points. Chase Eliott (478), Kevin Harvick (478), and Brad Keselowski (459) round out the top five drivers. Saturday’s winner Martin Truex Jr. has moved into sixth with 448 points on the standings.
As Michael Rooker says in NBC’s new NASCAR commercial, “the second half is when things get real.” Buckle up!