$300M-worth Dale Jr. discloses how Lamar Jackson’s move derailed his ‘backup plan’

Earlier this month, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took legal action against Dale Earnhardt Jr. for using the number 8 in a similar font. This prevented Dale Jr. from attempting to trademark the number 8 font, derailing his "backup plan."

Jackson argued that the number 8 in the JR Motorsports logo was too similar to his Era 8 collection, including the 'ERA 8' and 'ERA 8 BY LAMAR JACKSON,' which encompasses a dedicated range of products. Conversely, Dale Jr.'s co-owned team, JR Motorsports, also has official merchandise featuring the number 8. In light of this, Jackson filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

During the latest episode of the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Dale Jr., valued at $300 million via Celebrity Net Worth, revealed his backup plan. It was to file a trademark for the JR Motorsports number, but the NFL quarterback disrupted his backup plan. Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained [00:52 onwards]:

"I learned on social media around the same time as everyone else that Lamar was contesting our trademark application... I thought for sure it was related to the Bud situation, but as I investigated further, I found that it was regarding the JR Motorsports one, which we weren’t ever going to use again."

The former NASCAR Cup Series driver added:

"After some discussions with Kelley and our team, they said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to abandon that.’ So, yeah, it’s not an issue. It’s a non-issue. A lot of people obviously thought it was the Bud 8. Initially, I dove into it, and social media got all riled up and upset for a while. I didn't want to see this get nasty for no reason. So, yeah, all that got sorted out."

Sammy Smith currently drives the #8 Chevy Camaro SS in the Xfinity Series for Dale Jr.'s co-owned team. Smith ranks 11th on the Xfinity Series drivers' points table with 193 points, having secured one top-five and three top-10 finishes in eight starts this season so far.

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NASCAR champion Dale Jr.'s team announced they would change the font of their #8 Chevy

Earlier this month, Dale Jr.'s co-owned team, JR Motorsports, announced its decision to change the font of the #8 Chevy amid the dispute with NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson. The team revealed they would adopt the iconic Budweiser 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) style font, replacing the one used since 2019.

In the same episode, Earnhardt Jr. shared that after his stepmother, Teresa Diane Earnhardt, opted not to renew the Bud 8 trademark, the team acquired the number. Furthermore, Dale expressed his desire to avoid any conflicts with the NFL star.

"Through the USPTO, we successfully secured the rights to the stylized (#8). Therefore, we will be moving away from the original (#8) we have used since 2019," said the two-time Xfinity Series champion.

"We are looking forward to the remainder of an already successful season," he added.

The number 8 has a long history with the Earnhardts, and Earnhardt Jr. also drove this number during his time with Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI). He later transitioned to Hendrick Motorsports and drove the #88 Chevy in the Cup Series.