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Tag: commercial

NASCAR driver Ross Chastin discusses Daytona 500, Super Bowl commercial, and goals for 2025 season

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It is not easy to win in NASCAR, but that is not necessarily acceptable to Ross Chastain.

Chastain has five victories to his resume, and he narrowly missed out on being the Cup Series winner in 2022, finishing in second on the season.

However, on Feb. 16, the Daytona 500 marks a new season and a new opportunity.

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Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Busch Light Flannel Chevrolet, is carried by his crew on stage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 19, 2024 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

“The Daytona 500 is such a big event to kick off the season. To kick off the first points event, the walking out for the Daytona 500, the race is big, but it’s the most nerve-racking for me pre-race, because it’s the whole season,” Chastain said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “When we’re on the pre-race stage, and we walk out, it’s the first time that the season’s starting. So much opportunity is right there in front of me, and I get to try to take it.

“Once I get in the car, it all goes away, I don’t see the grandstands, I don’t think about anybody else. It’s me, my car, my crew chief, and my spotter. That’s it. It’s amazing how the human mind can just block everything. Everything else goes away. And it’s only that car and every detail, every smell, every vibration, every feeling in it. It’s all that to say, at the end of the race, I’m having a Busch Light no matter what.”

In an ideal world, Chastain would have several cold ones to celebrate a win. The driver partnered with Busch Light last year, and that has landed him an acting gig in a Super Bowl commercial this year – the commercial debuted on Wednesday’s edition of “Fox & Friends.”

Chastain said his initial reaction when he got the nod was, “when can we film it?” However, it took him by surprise how much work actually went into it.

Ross Chastain, #1 TrackHouse Racing Busch Light Throwback Chevrolet, races into turn 2 during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 on May 11, 2024 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. (Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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“We filmed for hours, a lot of takes. Trying to get the angle right and trying to get my ‘What’s wrong with going in circles?’ It sounds so simple to say, but they wanted it to come across a certain way,” he said. “The take they used was actually pretty early, but we did a lot more seeing what else, you know, what kind of octaves and different tones I could do it in,” he said.

The commercial, though, is just another benefit of being a Busch Light athlete, said Chastain.

“It’s been life-changing, really. What it’s done for Trackhouse, my team and me, it’s solidified us in the sport. This will be my fourth year going into a Trackhouse and second year with Busch Light,” he said. “It’s amazing to see what Justin Marks, our owner, what he’s built, and just how the team operates and what his vision was for Trackhouse was exactly this. It was to partner with brands that believed in the future of the sport.

“There can be negativity around anything, you can pick the happiest idea in the world, and somebody’s gonna have a negative view on it, so Justin has a forward-thinking mindset and does things a bit different, and Busch Light wanted to be a part of that. Justin’s a disruptor, he wants us to come inand do things a different way, and Busch Light lets us be us. They wanted to be with Trackhouse because we were different, because we weren’t what they had seen for so long in a sport.”

Just one week after the commercial, his season will officially get underway, and Chastain has had enough of coming up short in both the big race and the season standings.

“[The goal is] to survive 500 miles. It’s such a grueling race from an attrition standpoint; so many cars crash, we’re so close together. We always think we’re all gonna do better and not crash, but we crash. It’s what NASCAR drivers do. If you’re there at the end like we were last year – I could see the white flag and made a move to try to win and spun myself out. I’ll do that a little differently.

“But no, Daytona 500 is played out the same way. It’s always different. And then, once we go from there through the season, this is our fourth year with Trackhouse, my fifth year with my team, just continue to evolve. I think I’ve got the best team, so it’s all out there. When I walk out for driver introductions, it hits me, this is the opportunity to go take what we want. I’m a competitor, I want to beat all the people in this race.”

Ross Chastain, #1 TrackHouse Racing Busch Light Chevrolet, stands next to the Harley J Earl trophy prior to the running of the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, 2024 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Chastain added, “That goal of winning in the competition, it drives me. It’s why I do all this, it’s why I’m in New York today, and brands like Busch Light want to be a part of that. They want to win, as well, they want to win to consumers, sell more beer, and that’s the people I want around me.”

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February 6, 2025
US Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser grades his acting skills in upcoming Super Bowl commercial

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Shot putter Ryan Crouser parlayed his record-setting third gold medal into an acting gig.

The USA Olympian became the first person to win three golds in the shot put this past summer in Paris, and now he is set to appear in a Super Bowl commercial next Sunday.

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“For me as a track and field athlete, [I] never would’ve even thought that a Super Bowl commercial could be a possibility. It’s been great,” Crouser said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

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Gold medalist Ryan Crouser of Team USA looks on during the men’s shot put medal ceremony on day 9 of the Olympic Games Paris at Stade de France on August 4, 2024. (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

“I mean, I don’t know how much of an acting career I would call it, because I’m kind of playing myself. But no, it was a really fun shoot, a lot of fun out flying out to L.A. Really just a dream come true, and I’m really excited about it.”

The Michelob Ultra commercial features Crouser, Randy Moss and Sabrina Ionescu playing pickleball. What makes the commercial great, though, is that Crouser wasn’t exactly doing a whole lot of acting while on the court.

“For me, being competitive, it made it pretty easy. The reason I’m good as a professional shot-putter is because I hate losing and [am] competitive by nature,” he said. “They had me lined up against a professional pickleball coach, player, and he was just bringing the heat on these serves. And I was trying to return them. It was a little bit of acting, but it was also pretty genuine.

Ryan Crouser of Team USA reacts during the men’s shot put final on day 8 of the Olympic Games Paris at Stade de France on August 3, 2024. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

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“And I got a $60,000 camera in front of me, so they’re like, “Try to return it, but don’t hit the camera.”

Crouser has partnered with Michelob Ultra for some time now, which he calls a “genuine partnership.”

“They’ve been great. They do a lot to support Team USA, track and field. They’ve been so supportive of me through the Olympics. I don’t drink too much, especially in season, but when I’m out of season, it’s a beer that I tend to drink. What I’m doing 24 hours a day, I have to be accountable as a professional athlete. So a high-quality light beer is something that if I do drink, I can bounce back from the next day and have a quality training day. It’s a true genuine partnership, which always makes it so much easier,” Crouser said.

As for his camera skills, Crouser gave himself a pat on the back.

Ryan Crouser of Team USA competes in the men’s shot put final on day 8 of the Olympic Games Paris at Stade de France on August 3, 2024. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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“I think I did pretty well,” he quipped.

“I’ve played pickleball. It’s a fun weekend activity. As a professional athlete, you have to find that balance between low risk but still fun activities. Nobody wants to be injured, like, skiing as a professional athlete, so pickleball’s a good happy medium. I can see why it’s so popular.”

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February 3, 2025
What were the most recent commercial aviation accidents in the US?

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provides details during an update on the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter.

The tragic accident caused by a midair collision between a regional commercial airliner and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C., is the first fatal commercial air accident in nearly 15 years.

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter with three crew members aboard while on approach to land at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, and emergency response officials have said they “don’t think there are any survivors from this accident” and shifted to a recovery operation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident with assistance from the U.S. Army.

The disaster marks the first fatal commercial air crash in nearly 15 years, with U.S. airlines having transported about eight billion passengers in the period between accidents.

Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed last night on approach to Reagan National Airport on Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images / Getty Images)

AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE, ARMY HELICOPTER COLLIDE OUTSIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT NEAR WASHINGTON DC

Here’s a look back at five of the most recent commercial disasters in U.S. aviation.

Workers and investigators clear debris from the scene of the plane crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 on Feb. 16, 2009, in Clarence, New York. (David Duprey-Pool/Getty Images / Getty Images)

On Feb. 12, 2009, Colgan Air (operating as Continental Connection) Flight 3407 experienced a stall while on final approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York.

The regional airliner crashed, killing all 49 people aboard, as well as one person on the ground, after the aircraft hit a house. Investigators determined that the pilot’s response to the stall warning contributed to the crash, with fatigue possibly another factor.

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Investigators document the runway that Comair Flight 5191 attempted to depart from on Aug. 28, 2006, in Lexington, Kentucky. (Jamie Rhodes/Getty Images / Getty Images)

On Aug. 27, 2006, Comair Flight 5191 crashed while attempting to take off from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, after using an incorrect runway, which was too short to allow for the regional airliner to safely become airborne. The aircraft overran the end of the runway, killing all 47 passengers and two of the three crew members, with the plane’s first officer the lone survivor. Investigators attributed the crash to pilot error.

FIVE OF THE DEADLIEST US AIR DISASTERS

Firefighters work at the scene of an American Airlines crash in the Rockaway section of New York on Nov. 12, 2001. (Doug Kanter/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

On Nov. 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed after taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, bound for the Dominican Republic, after it suffered a structural failure caused by pilot error and lost control.

The airliner crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, New York, killing all 260 people aboard and causing five fatalities on the ground.

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Family members place roses and form a circle around the memorial dedicated to the 88 victims of the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash, dedicated at Hueneme Beach in Port Hueneme. (Bryan Chan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

On Jan. 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed in the Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island, California, while flying from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle with a stopover in San Francisco.

All 83 passengers and five crew members died in the accident. Investigators determined that improper maintenance caused the failure of a critical flight control system during the flight, resulting in the pilots losing control of the aircraft.

The wreckage of the front portion of the TWA Flight 800 Boeing 747 aircraft is displayed in its reconstructed state in November 1997 in Calverton, New York. (Jon Levy/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, after departing John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, bound for Rome via a stopover in Paris.

All 212 passengers and 18 crew members were killed in the crash. Investigators determined that the aircraft suffered a structural breakup while in flight due to an explosion in its center fuel tank that was most likely caused by a short circuit.

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January 30, 2025