This Bud’s Not For Junior
Written by Sheila Scarborough · July 14, 2007
Budweiser will not follow Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to Hendrick Motorsports.
No more crazy Mad Max-ish critters chasing Junior through the desert in TV ads, convinced that because it said Bud ON the car, there was Bud IN the car (you can watch the commercial on the Budweiser Web site, under “Entertainment on Tap.”)
Earnhardt’s famous red Number 8 Chevrolet car won’t be red anymore and who knows what the number will be; about the only thing we do know for next season is that he will still be driving a Chevy.
“We have agreements in place with sponsors for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season which prevent us from having a relationship with Budweiser,” team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement.
According to ESPN coverage of the issue, “Anheuser-Busch is negotiating with Evernham Motorsports to possibly move the Bud sponsorship to Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 Dodge next season.”
Apparently Dale, Jr. is OK with that, based on his quote in the ESPN article that, “Kasey would really have a lot of fun with that. I think they would enjoy Kasey, might bring him out of his shell a little bit.”
Budweiser is the “official beer of NASCAR” and also sponsors the Bud Pole award plus numerous aspects of the marquee Daytona 500 event.
Meantime, if Dale Jr. takes Kyle Busch’s Number 5 car, will we see him as the Kellogg’s cereal guy? It will be hard to get my head around Junior wearing Tony the Tiger instead of the Bud crown.
What will the Red Army become; the Snap, Crackle, Pops?
In a David Caraviello piece on NASCAR.com, Junior indicates that “he’ll still enjoy the product, saying, ‘You don’t have to pay me to drink a beer.’”
Oh, well, you can still get your fix of Budweiser and racing over in the NHRA, with Top Fuel driver Brandon Bernstein driving the red Bud rail.
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This Bud’s Not For Junior
> It will be hard to get my head around Junior wearing Tony the Tiger instead of the Bud crown.
Remember when someone other than Richard Petty first drove the 43 car, and when it ran for the first time in decades without the familiar STP sponsorship and paint scheme(s)? Everyone eventually got used to it.
If Earnhardt delivers the goods right out of the box with Hendrick, his fans will probably quickly embrace his new sponsor.
“What will the Red Army become; the Snap, Crackle, Pops?”
Nice line Sheila, wish I’d come up with it. I’ll allow you to use Bubbacito if you let me use a variation: How about Snapppers Crackers and Poppers?
It really doesn’t matter what the # Or sponser will be he is now driving with WINNERS!! Go Jeff
just because it doesn’t say Bud on the car, doesn’t mean Jr. not drivin’ the car.
In the end, most Jr. fans will back whatever and whoever he partners with. The problem is that #8, Red, Budweiser and Jr. have become synonymous with each other and over the last ten years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested - by fans and sponsors alike. The part I can’t get my mind around is Jr. joining Hendricks - the arch enemy of all those crazed Jr. fans. At least Nascar and the tracks don’t have to worry about beer being thrown at Hendrick cars after they win … or will they?
Thanks for all of the comments.
Sure, George, we could go on forever. The Fruit Loops? :)
Craig, nice one!
DH, there’s “first class” and “no class” IMHO. It will be interesting to see how the latter conduct themselves.
If only the “no class” fans would realize the joke’s on them…Earnhardt Sr. and Gordon were good friends and business partners off the track; most of the on-track stuff was just theater.
So what will all the Junior fans in ‘dega thow at Jeff Gordon now?????
This business stuff is crazy. Who would have ever thought that Jr. would leave Budweiser. They were perfect together.
But that’s the way it is today. If you want to understand the business of NASCAR, I recommend “The 200 MPH Billboard.” It’s a new book written by a guy who writes for The Wall Street Journal. It’s a good history of the sport, but also talks about how all the business deals work today. The smart companies — like Budweiser — actually make money off of their sponsorship. It’s a great book.
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