But Sprint Drive First? is a mobile application which helps drivers avoid the distraction of texting while driving.
Earnhardt teamed up with Sprint for a 30-second ad to promote the app, which can block and send automatic replies to text messages while you drive. Scott Vincent, a director for three years on comedian Dave Chapelle's "The Chapelle Show," directs the spot, which was shot at Charlotte Motor Speedway in mid-March. It will begin airing during the race weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
The overarching message is that driving isn't the problem, and texting isn't the problem; "and" is the problem -- as in texting "and" driving -- and we all can live without the "and." To help remove the temptation to drive and text at the same time, the Sprint Drive First app is offered as a solution.
The ad features Earnhardt Jr. with two members of his crew in the garage at a track. One of them says, "Hey Dale, I got your text that said you couldn't text." Then the other says, "Wait. What? Why would he text that he couldn't text?" Earnhardt replies: "I was driving." The exchange ignites a discussion about how and why a text is sent when the person who sends the text doesn't actually send it -- all of which refers to the Sprint Drive First app and how it sends reply text messages while someone is driving. (Yahoo! Sports)
