6 July 2007

Dale Earnhardt Jr = the Jay-Z of Auto Racing.

Thats right, I said it.

We know he sells mad merch, has millions of fans, and earns a ton in endorsements, and even manages to win races (although not recently).

Now word is that Dale Jr has signed contracts with Adidas and Sony.

It remains to be seen if either (most likely Sony) will be his primary sponsor at Hendrick next year or, what his number will be, but he is racking up big name sponsors who may be willing to sponsor him even if they are not a primary sponsor. Budweiser would hate to lose him, and since they've had a good relationship I'd think Dale Jr would hate to lose them too, but Bud has 1 year left on the contract w/ DEI which may facilitate a sponsor change. (We'll have to see how the primary sponsor plays out). Rumors are also that VISA wants to get in on the Dale Jr. Bandwagon. Dale Earnhardt Jr is becoming a brand name much like Jay-Z did w/ sneakers, clothes, and oh yeah, records.

There it is Hip-Hop heads, i compared Dale Jr to Jay-Z. Two of my favorite people.