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What would NASCAR do without Junior?
By admin | December 17, 2008
By Richard Allen
With Christmas fast approaching and last second shopping being done, one has to consider what NASCAR would do without Dale Earnhardt, Jr.?
Junior accounts for a large percentage of souvenir sales among NASCAR themed items. It is estimated he earns over $10 million per year from selling items such as T-shirts, hats, posters, flags and all sorts of other items.
Even when he announced he was leaving his Dale Earnhardt, Inc. ride at the end of 2007 to go drive for Hendrick Motorsports his souvenir sales rose, dramatically. Typically, a driver’s announcement that he intends to leave one team for another causes his sales in the souvenir area drop off significantly. Not so for the sport’s most popular driver.
The Christmas buying season only emphasizes Junior’s importance to NASCAR. With one driver accounting for such a high percentage of the total fan base, and thus, such a high percentage of the total of all revenue, the sport is constantly at the mercy of one personality and the fans who follow him.
At the present, NASCAR has very little to hang its hat on. There seem to be so many reasons not to attend or even watch. Earnhardt provides many fans with a positive in a sport that is right now consumed with negatives.
The sagging economy and outrageous gas prices of last summer and fall provided the straw to break the camel’s back for many fans. Empty seats appeared all too frequently in 2008, and there is little prospect for improvement in 2009.
One thing to be said for Junior’s legion of fans is they are loyal. Their driver’s success has not been reason enough to spur the ‘Junior Nation’. He has won only two races over the past three seasons. He has either failed to qualify for the Chase for the Championship or has not been a serious threat to win the title more often than not. And, he decided to leave or was forced to leave, depending on the point of view, his popular late father’s team.
And yet, despite all of that, his fans continue to support him. NASCAR should be glad they do.
Once, while going into a race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, I asked a friend of mine if there was anyone attending the event who was not cheering for Earnhardt. Every fan was adorned with his then colors of red and white. The grandstands erupted with a cheer upon his introduction that far out did the cheers for any other driver.
That scenario is true of almost every race venue.
Love him or not, everyone almost certainly has to admit the sport of NASCAR racing is very much dependant on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for its survival. Imagine even more empty grandstands if he were not racing. Picture the nearly vacant souvenir lot without his multitude of trailers.
It’s Christmas time Junior Nation. Have you bought the latest apparel, die casts and other prizes offered by your favorite driver? NASCAR hopes so because they depend on it.
Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.
Topics: Articles |
December 18th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Nascar would do just fine ! Jr. is a nice guy and very popular, thanks in part to his dad, but we have lost much better driver’s then Jr. and the sport has survived.
We are in tough times, but if the Nascar does not make it through these times, it will have nothing to do with Jr.
December 18th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Nascar without Jr? There is no Nascar without Jr.
December 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I like Dale Jr, but I agree with Burl ! I also think that if Nascar becomes a one carmaker or ’spec car series” it would by far hurt Nascar more!
December 18th, 2008 at 11:58 am
What would NASCAR do without Junior? Given the state of NASCAR right now, I would like to see what it would be like. If you go back and look, the sport has been in decline since he arrived on the scene. Let’s give it a shot!! The only thing he contributes is in sales of merchandise and that mainly benefits him, not the sport. He is the “most popular” because he has the best marketing department. Most of the people in the stands wear his merchandise because they want to fit in and appear knowledgeable. Many don’t have a clue about what NASCAR really is. We have another example coming up shortly: Were going to find out what this country will do without George W. Busch and I betting it will be a good thing.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
There happens to be quite a few fans of other drivers. Junior is the most popular for sure, but to make it seem that every fan at every race cheers for Junior is completely inaccurate.
If the sport is dependent on one driver for its survival - Junior or someone else - then the sport is in even more trouble than it appears. If there’s no NASCAR without Junior, is NASCAR going to suspend all operations and never run another race when he retires?
December 18th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Most Dale Jr fans are not so narrow minded that if Dale Jr were to stop racing tomorrow; we would stop attending or watching races. Is Dale my favorite, of course he is, but I watch several others and root for them to do well. If Jr were to quit tomorrow yes, many of his fans would stop watching but they are into racing for Dale Jr not the actual sport. The fans who enjoy the sport and cheer for Jr will stay. Many of the Dale Sr fans did not leave the sport upon his untimely death; instead they grieved his passing and moved onto another driver. Some went to his son, some went DEI teammates, and some went in a totally different direction.
Its articles like these that make Dale Jr fans look very shallow. It’s really sad because many of us are quite intelligent and well versed in the happenings on and off the NASCAR track.
December 18th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I am a new to NASCAR/JR fan and am not ashamed to admit that if JR is out of the race; I switch to another channel. When JR fell out of the Homestead race, I turned the TV off. Does that make me shallow? Or is is sad that I am exercising my freedom of choice which is my god-given right as an American ? It amazes me how many blogers and commenters seem to feel that NASCAR is the only thing in life. Come on folks , get a life…No matter how you package it NASCAR is still just a bunch of guys in cars mostly turning left and going in circles everyweekend. Happy Holidays.
December 18th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I don’t think there would be a long term impact if Jr. was no longer racing. He has not and probably won’t do anything that will ever show up in the record books and will be remembered as an average driver that happened to be popular. Our celebrity driven culture doesn’t sem to care about ability or experience. The winner of today’s popularity contest will not be remembered unless he or she does something notable. That is as true for Junior, our president elect or any other celebrity that is currently “HOT”.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
BETTER OFF
December 18th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I have been a long time fan as far back as 1959. NASCAR with out jr. would lose fans at tracks all over. How evey I belive a large toyota fild is going to kill NASCAR. I think you only have to go back in time when there were no bowties in the field and look at what happen when Jr johnson and company put a bowtie on the pole a charlotte. I know if they lose any of the big three especialy ford or chev you will see a big drop in attendance. As i turn 68 in Jan I have figured out that no matter if you watch the whole or just the start and the end the results never change. So I still watch and take a nap in between or even cut the grass. I gave up my Richmond tickets this year because I was tired of gettin rip on motel rooms. Happy Holidays to all and I hope we have 30 cars to watch at Daytona
December 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
“Ken says, He has not and probably won’t do anything that will ever show up in the record books” ——-
Dale Earnhardt won 6 of his 7 Championships from the ages of 35 to 44, Dale Jr is now 34 and just getting to the age at which his father starting KICKING BUTT!!!
22 Busch/Nationwide wins with 2 Busch Championships and 18 CUP wins(so far), is far better than “average”!!!
GET A CLUE HATERS!!!
December 19th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
“No matter how you package it NASCAR is still just a bunch of guys in cars mostly turning left and going in circles everyweekend.”
…and you know NOTHING about NASCAR!!!
December 19th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
If Jr were to sit out 5 races or 10 races for an injury, as we have with stick and ball sports, there would for sure be a large decline in ratings and attendance. Likely the sport would survive without an Earnhardt, but to assert that everything would be fine or better is wishful thinking on the part of those who dismiss the importance of popularity. Anyone who thinks that Jr doesn’t play a large roll in what happens to NASCAR for the foreseeable future I suggest you read and learn the definition of “popular”.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:32 pm
As a Jr fan.. I willl say I don’t attend races because of Dale Jr.. However because I love the sport.. If Dale Jr were to leave, I would still attend atleast until the sport prices me out of the market.. It’s nice to have Jr there to root for but I love the races.. Period!