This was the scene at the end of last Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Michigan - Dale Earnhardt, Jr crossing the line first, winning after a four year drought. For his fans (myself included) and for the race following media, this was a very big deal. Why? There are several reasons, but probably the biggest is that Dale Jr is by far the most popular driver in NASCAR. Forget about Danica Patrick, when it comes to NASCAR, Dale Jr, #88, is the big gun.
Dale's dad was (of course), Dale Earnhardt. Love him or hate him, he drove NASCAR and when he died during the Daytona 500 in 2001, he made the front cover of just about every mainstream media publication including Newsweek. Even I, who named his first cat after him, shed tears at his death. So the huge following that worshipped the father, also loves the son. What is interesting about Dale Jr, is that he has always been down to earth and seemingly not affected by his fame.
And this is probably what has helped him to keep his huge fan base. At NASCAR races, he'll have three 45' souvenir trailers (like the one below) selling anything you can think of branded with his name or his 88 number. Just open up the side and you have an instant store. At one time, his stuff was selling at a rate of $750 million/year. Yes, you read that number correctly. $750 million.
So Dale Jr winning last week was a very big deal in NASCAR land, punctuating an already very good season. So next time you happen to watch a NASCAR race, either on purpose or by accident and if you see the result below with 88 leading, you'll know that all is right with the world.......
Until next time.........
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