We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Published|Updated

Nobody plays the marketing game better than Dale Earnhardt Jr. Guy was a great racer, don’t get me wrong, but what he did off the track was far more beneficial to his bank account back in the day. 

Sure, having that last name didn’t hurt, but don’t get it twisted: Junior wheeled and dealed (dealt?) with the best of ’em. Budweiser? Mountain Dew? Amp? 

Remember the Amp 88 car? What a machine.

Anyway, his most iconic ride was obviously the red, No. 8 Budweiser Chevy. I’d argue it’s in the top-four of the most recognizable cars in NASCAR history. 

You’ve got Dale Sr.’s No. 3 black Goodwrech automobile, Richard Petty’s No. 43, Jeff Gordon’s rainbow warrior (go ahead, make the joke), and Junior’s No. 8. Rank them however you’d like. I’m not touching that one today. Don’t have the energy for it. 

Anyway, Dale announced last week that he was teaming back up with Bud to bring the No. 8 out of retirement next month, and – shockingly – he’s since made an absolute fortune off of it. 

NASCAR fans still love Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

JR Motorsports sold six figures’ worth of merchandise for the reunion between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Budweiser. 

Six figures? Six figures! 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been retired for nearly eight years now. Did you know? Nearly eight years! He’s closing in on a decade post-NASCAR career, and he’s still able to outsell every single current driver in less than a week by what I would imagine is a very large margin. 

Insane. What a driver. What a marketer. What a promoter. Hell, I bought two shirts last week when the news dropped. How could you not? And honestly, the prices aren’t awful. $50 for a Dale Jr. No. 8 Budweiser crewneck? I mean, my God. What a deal!

Anyway, all of this has actually been months in the making. True story. Dale just recently got the rights to the No. 8 trademark BACK from his stepmother, Teresa, after she didn’t renew it under her DEI umbrella. 

The would be Dale Earnhardt Incorporated for those unfamiliar, not the woke propaganda the left is pushing nowadays. Two different DEIs, thank goodness. 

I’ve followed this story like the OJ trial since word started to spread last spring that it was a possibility, mainly because I knew this was always the end goal. If Dale got the rights back to the No. 8, he was gonna roll out something big – and this was BIG. 

I said it last week when the news dropped, and – six figures later – I’m saying it again. 

We all grew up watching Junior run the No. 8 Bud Monte Carlo round and round every Sunday, and it was the best. We all fell in love with Bud Heavys because of Dale Earnhardt Jr., and I think we’re about to, again. 

Raise hell, Praise Dale (Jr.)! 

Welcome back, King.