When Dale Earnhardt Jr. featured in a Budweiser Super Bowl commercial alongside a Hollywood star

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a household name early in the 21st century. As a longtime Budweiser ambassador, he starred in numerous commercials for the brand, including a memorable 2002 Super Bowl ad alongside comedian Ed Helms, who later became a Hollywood star.

In the Budweiser commercial that aired during Super Bowl XXXVI, Earnhardt played the role of a responsible designated driver, while a drunken Ed Helms, riding shotgun in the iconic #8 DEI Chevy, flirted with women as they cruised through the neighborhood. The humorous PSA about designated drivers ends with Helms comically revealing that he lives right next to the bar.

Here's a clip of the Super Bowl commercial released exactly 23 years ago, starring Earnhardt and Helms:

Last year, when Dale Jr. reunited with Budweiser, he reminisced about past commercials, including the one with Ed Helms. He shared that he had a great time filming with Helms as they were towed around a neighborhood, but the shoot seemed to take hours.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer noted that Helms was only doing comedy sketches at the time, long before his rise to Hollywood fame. Years later, Junior was thrilled to see him in his favorite sitcom, The Office.

"The Ed Helms one was great. Me and Ed were in that car on a trailer getting towed around in a neighborhood, what seemed like for hours. When Ed Helms was in that commercial, I was asking him about his work and what he was doing, he's like, 'I'm going around in the local clubs doing comedy sketch. That's what I do, I do standup around town. And I got this opportunity to do this shoot and I'm pumped!' He was really excited because it's going to be a Super Bowl commercial." he said on Ask Jr. [from 2:29]

"Naturally, a funny guy and we had a fun time sitting in the car all night, and then he becomes this megastar, that was pretty cool. He's on my favorite show, I was a massive fan of The Office. He then becomes a part of that show, and I'm like 'Holy Crap!,'" he added.

Ed Helms has also starred in the hit movie series Hangover and alongside Jennifer Aniston in We're the Millers.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. discloses his favorite Budweiser commercial

Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioned Budweiser's farewell tribute as one of his favorite commercials.

When he announced his retirement from the Cup Series in 2017, Budweiser released a touching tribute honoring his time behind the wheel of the #8 Bud Chevy. The tribute featured footage of the Budweiser Monte Carlo SS racing around an oval, set to the music of Lord Huron.

The 50-year-old added that his favorite Bud commercial, which he starred in, was one with the lipstick that aired during the Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.

"My favorite, I wasn't in it, my favorite one was the Farewell, Lord Huron video that they put together when we retired from Cup Series. They didn't have to do that. They did that out of their own pocket, and that was really just a nice thing. My favorite one that I was in, was probably the lipstick one, that was fun." [from 1:55]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reunited with Budweiser for a late model race last year at Florence Motor Speedway, and his star power was once again undeniable. The #8 Budweiser late model became the best-selling diecast of 2024.