Revenge is a dish best served at 180 mph.
Almost a year ago, Jeff Gordon teamed up with Pepsi Max to prank an unsuspecting car salesman. Gordon disguised himself and took the salesman along on a test drive, only to dangerously speed around town. The salesman's terrified reactions, and subsequent reaction to discovering it was a NASCAR driver all along, earned the Pepsi spot more than 40 million views on YouTube.
See also: Hair-Raising Subway Ad Blows Away the Competition
But not everyone was so impressed by the viral video, mainly Jalopnik reporter Travis Okulski. Okulski was among the first to point out inconsistencies in the original ad, writing it off as a staged performance by several actors.
Okulski's accusations apparently angered Gordon, who decided to seek revenge with a similar driving prank. In this ad, Gordon poses as a cab driver in Charlotte, NC — where Okulski had been sent by his boss (who was in on the prank) for an assignment.
Upon entering the cab, Okulski learns his driver was recently released from jail after 10 years. The cab was then pulled over by a cop car.
That's when the fun starts — Gordon takes off, "kidnapping" Okulski in the process.
"I was just kidnapped by an ex-con in the back of a cab that is now speeding down a hill, busting through a chain fence and narrowly missing buildings while trying to get away from a North Carolina State Trooper," Okulski wrote in a Jalopnik post that chronicles his adventure. "I thought I was going to die. I yelled, I banged the glass, I actually tried to kick through the plexiglass window between the driver and me. I pulled out my phone to call 911, but couldn't keep it steady enough to dial."
And for the naysayers out there, Okulski stands by the truth of this video.
This is a real thing. It really happened. It’s not fake. At all. http://t.co/tYguV1ZPg2
— Travis Okulski (@tokulski) February 27, 2014
.@JeffGordonWeb hey what's up I'm still screaming
— Travis Okulski (@tokulski) February 27, 2014
I sure hope I’m never really kidnapped, because I’ll just assume it’s @JeffGordonWeb trying to get me back for something again.
— Travis Okulski (@tokulski) February 27, 2014
See, here’s a thing. I never said Jeff Gordon couldn’t do those stunts in the first video, I just said he didn’t. That stands true.
— Travis Okulski (@tokulski) February 27, 2014
Because, you know, Jeff is one of the greatest drivers of our generation.
— Travis Okulski (@tokulski) February 27, 2014
@SalesGuyOH When it’s happening, you aren’t on the lookout for that. Never crosses your mind that it’s a prank. It’s more about surviving.
— Travis Okulski (@tokulski) February 27, 2014
"So, just as I was able to say with total certainty that the first Pepsi Test Drive ad was totally fake, I can say with total certainty that this second Pepsi Test Drive ad is unequivocally, one hundred percent, totally, absolutely real," Okulski writes.
TL;DR - Never mess with Jeff Gordon.
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