You remember that grainy, dashboard-cam footage from 2013, right? The one where a "nerdy" guy named Mike with a bad goatee walks into a car dealership and asks to test drive a 2013 Camaro. That was Jeff Gordon Pepsi Max at its absolute peak. It was the "Test Drive" video that basically broke the internet before we even used that phrase for everything.
At the time, nobody could stop talking about it. Was it real? Was the salesman an actor? Could Jeff Gordon actually pull off a disguise like that? Honestly, the chaos that followed the release of that video says more about how we consume "viral" content than the stunt itself.
What Really Happened During the Jeff Gordon Pepsi Max Test Drive
The premise was pretty simple. Pepsi Max wanted to show they were "a zero-calorie cola in disguise," so they put NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon in a disguise. They gave him a fake mustache, a goatee, and a slightly awkward personality. He walked into Troutman Motors in Concord, North Carolina, and met a salesman named Steve.
Gordon played the part of a timid, middle-aged guy who was "a little nervous" about the power of the Camaro. Then, he floored it.
What followed was about 60 seconds of high-octane drifting, screaming, and a very terrified car salesman. When they got back to the lot, Gordon ripped off his disguise and revealed his true identity. Steve’s reaction was legendary. But as soon as the video hit YouTube—racking up over 40 million views in a blink—the internet’s "BS detectors" went into overdrive.
The Truth About the First Prank
Let's get real for a second. The first Jeff Gordon Pepsi Max video was, in many ways, a produced commercial.
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Travis Okulski, a writer at Jalopnik at the time, was one of the first people to call out the inconsistencies. He pointed out that the Camaro in the video was an older model than what Gordon was supposedly looking at. He noted that the salesman, Steve, was actually an actor and that the stunt driving was largely performed by Brad Noffsinger, a pro from the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
Even the director, Peter Atencio, eventually admitted that they had to use a stunt driver for the heavy lifting because of insurance reasons. You can’t exactly risk a four-time Cup Series champion's life for a soda commercial on a public-ish road without some serious legal paperwork.
The Revenge: Test Drive 2
If the story ended there, it would just be another clever ad. But Pepsi and Gordon weren't done. They decided to target the biggest skeptic of all: Travis Okulski.
This is where the Jeff Gordon Pepsi Max saga gets actually interesting. They spent eight months planning a "revenge" prank. They lured Okulski to Charlotte under the guise of an early morning car review. They put Gordon in a taxi—a Chevy Caprice—complete with a neck tattoo and a backstory as a convicted felon.
When a "cop" (actually another stunt driver) tried to pull them over, Gordon told Okulski he "couldn't go back" to jail and took off.
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Why the Second Video Was Different
- It was 100% real: Unlike the first one, Okulski had no idea what was happening. He was legitimately terrified.
- The stakes were higher: There was a simulated police chase through an industrial park.
- The emotional payoff: Seeing a professional skeptic get absolutely played by the person he criticized was marketing gold.
Okulski later wrote a detailed piece about the experience, admitting he thought he was going to die. He was trying to kick through the taxi partition. He was pleading for his life. When Gordon finally pulled into a garage filled with Pepsi Max branding and revealed himself, the relief on Okulski's face was genuine.
The Marketing Genius of "Prankvertising"
Why does this still matter years later? Because it changed how brands talked to us. Pepsi Max wasn't just showing a car; they were leaning into the "fake" allegations. Most brands would have ignored the criticism. Pepsi leaned in.
They turned a PR headache into a sequel that was even more successful than the original. It proved that in the digital age, being "real" matters, but being entertaining is what keeps people watching.
What You Can Learn From the Campaign
If you're looking at this from a business or content perspective, the Jeff Gordon Pepsi Max campaign offers a few massive takeaways:
- Don't ignore the haters: Use them as your next plot point.
- Production quality isn't everything: The "grainy" look of the first video made it feel authentic, even if it wasn't.
- Humanity wins: The genuine fear in the second video resonated more than the scripted screaming in the first.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Content
If you're trying to create something that actually gets noticed, you don't need a NASCAR driver and a fleet of stunt cars. But you do need to understand why people shared those videos.
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Embrace the "Meta" Narrative
People love being "in" on the joke. By acknowledging that the first video was questioned, Pepsi made the audience feel like they were part of the story. If you're building a brand, talk to your audience like they're smart. They know when they're being sold to.
Focus on High-Stakes Emotion
You don't have to scare someone to death, but you do need to evoke a strong reaction. Whether it's humor, surprise, or even a bit of controversy, middle-of-the-road content gets forgotten.
Verify Before You Share
In 2026, we're even more skeptical than we were in 2013. Before you jump on a viral trend, look for the "Travis Okulski" of the situation. Is there a breakdown of why it might be fake? Understanding the mechanics of how things go viral helps you spot the difference between a clever ad and a genuine moment.
Go back and watch the second video again. Watch Okulski's hands. Watch how Gordon handles that Caprice. It's a masterclass in performance and precision, both in driving and in marketing.