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Dale Earnhardt and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. are still a force to be reckoned with despite their departure from active racing. While Earnhardt is no more, his son left the Cup Series at the end of 2017. Despite this, the Earnhardts remained within the top 10 of driver merchandise sales in 2024.
Sports Business Journal recently published a report, revealing the top 15 names in NASCAR that sold the most merchandise last year. Chase Elliott, who had won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award winner for the previous few years, was in the number one position, ahead of the NASCAR brand in second spot.
Elliott's teammate Kyle Larson was at number three. Following him were Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain and Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch in fourth and fifth places, respectively. The Team Penske duo of Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano occupied sixth and seventh spots, respectively.
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Retired driver Martin Truex Jr. occupied the eighth place, ahead of the late seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt. William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports completed the top 10. However, it was also about organizational sales since the NASCAR brand was listed at number two.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. occupied 11th place, which is effectively 10th if the NASCAR brand is taken out. Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin and Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suárez were 12th and 13th, respectively. 23XI Racing drivers Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace wrapped up the final two places on the list.
What makes Dale Earnhardt and his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. so popular?
Dale Earnhardt and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. are two of the most renowned names in NASCAR. Their father-son relationship is also very esteemed, with the reason being Earnhardt's racing legacy and Earnhardt Jr.'s contribution to the sport.
Earnhardt was a seven-time Cup Series champion and a winner of 76 Cup Series races. He was also a NASCAR Hall of Famer, and one of NASCAR's 50, and 75 Greatest Drivers. Earnhardt raced in the top tier of stock car racing for over 27 years before breathing his last during the Daytona 500 in 2001.
Following his death, Dale Earnhardt Jr. carried on the family legacy. He continued racing in the Cup Series and racked up 26 wins in 631 races in over 19 years. Dale Jr. is also one of NASCAR's Greatest 75 Drivers and a Hall of Famer. A 15-time NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award winner, Earnhardt Jr. is still active in NASCAR as a team owner.
The 50-year-old co-owns the Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports. He won the 2024 Xfinity Series championship with Justin Allgaier and became a team owner champion. Besides his on-track activities, Earnhardt Jr. also runs Dirty Mo Media, a media group focused on creating content around NASCAR.
