Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s partnership with Budweiser is perhaps one of the most iconic collaborations in the history of NASCAR. What started back in 1999 and continued till 2007, is still something that the fans cherish even to this day. And now, to their utter thrill, the iconic Chevy is about to make the most-awaited comeback of the year.
Dale Jr. will race the No. 8 Bud-sponsored machine at Florence Speedway on November 23, ahead of which, the NASCAR vet decided to put some Budweiser items from his own collection up for auction on The Dale Jr. Foundation website. According to Dale Jr. the money from this auction will help the community nationwide and support the charities that his foundation works with.
The 50-year-old took to X and shared a tweet with the caption:
Auctioning off some pretty cool items from my storage to benefit @tdjf .
In the video the North Carolina native shared how there were times when fans came up to him with racing memorabilia of their own, urging him to keep them in his collection. However, Dale Jr., an enthusiastic collector himself, has them all and so, oftentimes, he has had to turn the fans down.
“People bring me old Bud stuff all the time and wanna give it to me. Items that they collected over the years. I have to tell them every time...I'm like man; we have everything; we kept everything. If they made it, we've got some prototypes and some samples of anything and everything they made. If it got made, we got it.”
The presale for tickets for the race has ended already. However, entry passes are still available at the Box Office on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 5 pm. Named South Carolina 400, the gala event can be watched live on FloRacing as well.
“He was a rock star”- How Dale Earnhardt Jr.s iconic sponsor preferred him over his legendary father
In a virtual interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s sister Kelley Earnhardt, sports marketing executive Steve Ultine reflected on how Dale Jr. joining forces with Budweiser, changed the sport forever.
According to Ultine, the $110.6 billion sponsor chose Dale Earnhardt Jr. over his father and seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr., such was the popularity of the now 50-year-old man. He received NMPA’s Most Popular Driver award 15 times in a row for a reason.
“When we did that deal, I said to myself, this is gonna be the best deal I ever do in sports marketing and I originally wasn’t even a motorsports aficionado.” Ultine told Kelley. “He (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) took us places that we would have never gone and I think we also took him places. We were cool, he was cool. He was a rockstar. The excitement that it created through the whole system was immediate.”
The famed No. 8 machine will be hitting the track for the first time in 17 years. Needless to say, even the NASCAR Hall of Famer is equally excited for the opportunity.
“It is an incredible opportunity for me to be able to reunite with Budweiser, and the No. 8," Earnhardt Jr. said (via ESPN). "Budweiser and I had some great memories with that iconic scheme and number. We've always supported each other over the years. It's going to be really special for me to be able to represent that brand on the racetrack again."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. made 291 starts and amassed 17 victories with the No. 8 car. In just his second year (2000) driving for Budweiser, he broke the record (previously held by his father) for the fewest starts by a driver before bagging their first victory in NASCAR’s modern era by winning the DirecTV 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.