“It was no longer licensed” - Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals how his Budweiser reunion came about

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Dale Earnhardt Jr. wheeling the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy for the first time in 17 years. The driver recently revealed how the deal came through.

The two-time Xfinity Series champion has shared how the iconic number, the trademark to which was earlier held by Dale Earnhardt Inc. and his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt, fell into the hands of Dale Earnhardt Jr. During a recent interview with FloRacing’s Rob Blount, Earnhardt Jr. said:

“We just called Budweiser and asked them if they wanted to do something. Since the 8 was no longer licensed, we could if we wanted to.”

The said license expired on June 3, 2024, and rendered the No. 8 free. Teresa could have held on to the No. 8, but after years of bitter feuds, she decided not to claim a renewal of the trademark.

“We pitched them a deck of an idea and what we've done in the past with some of our partners like Sun Drop and Bass Pro with this car and they were all about it,” Earnhardt Jr. added. "I didn't expect it to get this much excitement. I'm glad the fans are happy...lots of folks are here today, they're wearing old Bud stuff. It's good to see. Car is driving good and hopefully, we'll have some fun to race.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was seen strapping himself to the iconic ride moments before qualifying for the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway on Saturday, November 23. From 1999 to 2007 (291 starts), Dale Jr. wheeled this car to victory lane on 17 occasions. Following his stint at DEI, he moved to Hendrick Motorsports, where he won nine more races in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks about how much they had wanted the No. 8 trademark

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt own JR Motorsports, a four-time championship-winning team. For a long time, the siblings had wanted to add the No. 8 car to its Late Model lineup.

Speaking of the same, in an episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, the NASCAR Hall of Famer said:

“So there’s been this conversation on social media, online about the old DEI trademark for the No. 8. And all the things you’re reading about that for the most part are true. We have noticed that, at least as far as I know, Teresa hasn’t re-upped for that trademark. And Kelley and I both were interested in acquitting ownership of that.”

Earnhardt Jr. wanted to use the number in the CARS Tour races initially, but Kelley had to agree to that. Dale Jr. owns the CARS Tour alongside Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Justin Marks.

“We have other owners in the JR Motorsports building that would have to sign off on ever using that number in the Xfinity (Series) level. But I would be wanting to activate it, I’d be wanting to get it out there and get it going,” he explained.

As per reports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet through 2024 and 2025. However, as of now, his schedule is unknown. But one thing is certain, the veteran racer is not giving up his fire suit anytime soon.