UPS builds racing truck for Daytona TV ad

NASCAR fans have waited a long time to see Dale Jarrett "race the truck." Now, there really is a UPS race truck.

To prepare UPS's 2006 TV commercials for the popular "Race the Truck" campaign, the company ignored animation possibilities and instead built a real racing truck, starting with a 20-year-old, 250,000-mile workhorse UPS package car.

A team of highly qualified fabrication specialists transformed the old truck, dropping in a 514-cubic-inch factory Ford SVO crate motor that generates 620 horsepower and 700 pounds of torque. The engine, in turn, was fitted with a two-stage nitrous oxide injection system that boosts its output to 800 horsepower, allowing for low gear burnouts and an estimated top speed of nearly 150 mph on the track.

During NBC's Daytona 500 broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 19, viewers got their first glimpse of the modified UPS package car in two new spots. What began as a way for UPS to create awareness for its NASCAR sponsorship has since grown in popularity as fans everywhere are ready for Jarrett to race the truck. But as with any good race car, there's testing required to get driver, pit crew and race truck ready.

Jarrett, driver of the #88 UPS Ford Fusion for Robert Yates Racing, puts custom-made Goodyear tires to the test as he maneuvers the UPS race truck in the first of the new commercials, "Brakes." As Jarrett completes a lap and attempts to stop, team members discuss whether he has enough braking power to offset the momentum behind a four-ton vehicle. Jarrett begins fishtailing as he brings his speedy UPS vehicle to a halt, convincing the team of the need for adjustments.

"Draft" illustrates the force behind the UPS race truck by showing its effects on a father and his young son as they watch a NASCAR practice trackside. One car passes and blows their shirts; another passes and nearly causes the dad to lose his hat. When the brown truck passes, the boy is elevated horizontally as he holds onto his father's hand to avoid being blown away. Subsequent commercials titled "Burnout," "Lug Nuts" and "Sponsor" will debut throughout the 2006 NASCAR season.

"This is the year when we seriously prepare the UPS truck for racing conditions," said Patrick Guilbert, UPS vice president of sponsorships and events. "Just as we've expanded our capabilities to provide delivery and logistics services through our NASCAR sponsorship, we're going to demonstrate our ability to transform the UPS package car for peak performance."

Through its Trackside Services SM, UPS has coordinated thousands of critical inbound and outbound shipments to and from controlled-access garage areas at NASCAR events. Race teams, sponsors, officials, merchandise vendors and media depend on UPS Trackside Services for last-minute needs. For example, anything left stateside during the Busch Series' second annual visit to Mexico City in early March will be just a UPS Worldwide Express® shipment away.

Before those NASCAR teams see the green flag in Mexico, UPS will coordinate the necessary customs clearances for multiple convoys carrying crews and equipment across the border. This marks the second year UPS will facilitate this process, which comes at a time when NASCAR's Hispanic audience is rapidly expanding.