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Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the South Carolina 400 Late Model racing for a third consecutive time albeit with a nostalgic touch. The NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Awards winner donned the iconic #8 Budweiser red-white paint scheme that marked the duo's return to the track after 17 years.
But what makes Dale Jr.'s collaboration with America's first truly national beer brand so iconic and what does it mean to Junior's legacy as a third-generation NASCAR driver?
Earnhardt Jr. is the son of seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Sr. and the grandson of Ralph Earnhardt. Since his childhood, Junior followed in his family's footsteps and went on to become a dominant name in stock car racing. He began his rookie Xfinity Series season in 1998 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) and clinched the National Series title.
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The next year saw Dale Jr. collaborate for Budweiser's NASCAR campaign. He donned the stylized #8 on his Chevy with the brand's red-white paint scheme and ran multiple races, even against his father in the 2001 Daytona 500. It's worth mentioning that Junior believed he got the Budweiser because of Dale Sr.'s stature in the sport. However, that wasn't the case, as Budweiser's chief aptly expressed otherwise.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Anheuser-Busch's beer brand collaborated for nine seasons. During his five-season run in an all-red paint scheme in the Cup Series, the North Carolina native clinched 10 victories. His immense popularity in the sport boosted Budweiser's customer base and helped Junior become a household name and a key ambassador for the sponsor.
The collaboration between the beer brand and the driver ended in 2007, and the following year, the North Carolina native moved to Rick Hendricks' garage.
Another reason the reunion is so iconic is that following Sr.'s tragic death in the 2001 Daytona 500, stepmother Teresa took over the trademarks of multiple numbers under the DEI banner.
While she let go of #15, she didn't permit anyone to use #8. But Teresa refrained from renewing the trademark due on June 3 this year, making Dale Jr. the next benefactor, as his company, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Holdings, applied for the rights a month before they expired.
Finally, the two-time Xfinity Series champion got hold of his iconic #8 which beholds countless memories of the driver.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens up on how he collaborated with Budweiser after a 17-year hiatus
After retiring from full-time Cup Series racing at the end of the 2017 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. withdrew from the packed schedule. Still, he made one-off appearances annually in the Xfinity Series.
Before kicking off the Late Model Race at the Florence Motor Speedway, where numerous fans showed their love for the iconic reunion by donning symbolic attire, Junior said they called Budweiser to ask if they would like to do another collaboration since the #8 is now free from intellectual property rights troubles.
Junior added they presented multiple options to go about the sponsorship deal and didn't expect it to gather the love it did. He said (via Flo Racing).
"We just called Budweiser and asked them if they wanted to do something since the #8 was no longer licensed. We pitched them a deck of an idea and what we've done in the past with SunDrop and Bass Pro with his car and they were all about it," Dale Jr. said (0:19).
The South Carolina 400 isn't the only race to witness Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Budweiser's return, the duo will be seen in multiple limited series Late Model races through 2025.
