While some may have attributed his meteoric rise to fame to being the son of NASCAR's most popular champion, Junior as he's known to most familiar with NASCAR, has eclipsed the popularity of his late father. He has managed to do this without ever being a dominant factor on the race track. In fact, he easily makes more money each year from product endorsements than he does from performing on the race track to the tune of over $5 million a year. Dale is probably most recognized at the driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet, a car he drove for 9 seasons. When he switched from racing for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated to Hendrick Motorsports in 2007, Budweiser ceased to be his primary sponsor. Currently the primary sponsors of Dale Earnhardt are AMP Energy drink and the National Guard.
Outside of Budweiser, the most recognizable advertising campaign involving Dale is for Wrangler Jeans. Dale initially turned down a deal with Wranger since he was't a fan of their products. Wrangler agreed to involve Dale in product design, and eventually launched a line of jeans with his direct involvement. Dale is also heavily involved with advertising for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and appears in several print ads for Drakkar Noir cologne.
Dale's public image is a bit of a rebel, which can be partially attributed to his fathers legacy. Proving that his image is more than just show, he's been known to stick to his ideals when it comes to choosing advertising deals. He has turned down potentially lucrative deals in the past because he doesn't want to limited in his options on or off the track, and he estimates that he turns down 90% of endorsement offers. Until his deal with Adidas AG in 2007 he was said to shy away from endorsements with shoe manufacturers because he wanted to be able to wear whatever shoes he wanted. He was also said to have dictated terms with Budweiser on how he would dress for public appearances for their products. His basic reply was "this is me, and I'm not dressing differently for you."
While his popularity is unparalleled on the NASCAR circuit, transferring that popularity to more mainstream endeavors is a different story. NASCAR has become more savvy with their marketing campaigns in trying to reach new fans, and maintain their growing fan base. Extending the brands created by popular drivers should help in this regard. NASCAR fans are generally regarded as the most loyal in all of sports. Given this, many companies realize when popular drivers endorse their products the fans will generally start purchasing those products.
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