Advance Auto Parts is jump-starting motorists’ attention to the safety and reliability of their automobiles during Sunday’s Big Game in Las Vegas by highlighting how “false starts kill drives” – both on the gridiron and in garages, driveways, parking lots and roads across America in the form of a dead car battery.

To encourage motorists to get their car batteries checked for free at Advance Auto Parts stores nationwide on National Battery Day, Feb. 18 – the Sunday after the Big Game – Advance will give select fans free DieHard automotive batteries for life if there is a false start penalty in Sunday’s Big Game. Fans and motorists should visit AAPFalseStarts.com or follow Advance on Facebook, X (Twitter) or Instagram by 6 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 11, before kickoff to register for a chance to be one of five who will win DieHard batteries for life.

Unlike many “prop” bets during the Big Game in Las Vegas, Advance says this one is winnable: during the regular football season, games averaged more than two false start penalties. It’s also timely: the Big Game and National Battery Day arrive as the record-cold winter enters its fourth quarter. A new national survey by Atomik Research reveals that, while 91 percent of American motorists say they have experienced a dead battery – a false start – nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of motorists admit they don’t think about having their car battery checked until it’s too late. 

“Whether you’re under center or sitting behind the wheel of your car, false starts are the most frustrating way to kill a drive,” said Baker Mayfield, pro football star quarterback . “I’ve experienced false starts on the field and on the road. Both are self-‑inflicted and preventable, so I’m excited to partner with Advance to remind motorists to get their car batteries checked on National Battery Day and maybe win a free DieHard battery.”

As part of Advance’s “False Starts Kill Drives” campaign, the company will also surprise 58 randomly selected customers with a free DieHard battery on National Battery Day at participating stores nationwide. 

“We’re committed to customer care and advancing the needs of today’s motorists, such as offering complementary curbside battery testing and installation every day, including on National Battery Day, Sunday Feb. 18,” said Junior Word, Advance’s executive vice president, U.S. stores. “With Baker quarterbacking this effort, watching for a false start in the Big Game is a clever opportunity to remind motorists how easy it is to check the performance of your car battery and prevent unfortunate and even unsafe events caused by dead batteries,” Word added.

Additional data from the national Atomik survey commissioned by Advance in January validates the need to remind motorists to get their car batteries checked:   

• Only 2 percent of motorists indicate they have had their car battery checked before a cross-country road trip
• Only 5 percent of motorists report having ever checked their car battery when there is a drop in temperature
• 65 percent of motorists say they have missed or been late to something due to a dead car battery, including nearly 10 percent saying they missed or were late to an important life event – such as a wedding, funeral or birth of a child

To learn more, visit www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.