[Tuck4Bama]

Earnhardt, Jr goes on Despite DEI detection Last Edited: Wednesday, 30 May 2007, 2:50 PM CDTCreated: Wednesday, 30 May 2007, 2:50 PM CDT CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- On the day he announced he was leaving his
late father's company, Dale Earnhardt Jr. fretted over fan
reaction.
He worried the "Red Army" wouldn't understand his decision,
and the loyalists would resent him -- maybe even boo him -- for
walking away from Dale Earnhardt Inc. But based on souvenir sales
in the three weeks since he made his decision, NASCAR's most
popular driver had nothing to be concerned about.
Sales of Earnhardt merchandise at race tracks is up 17 percent
since his May 10 announcement, industry analysts said. At
NASCAR.com, where his figures spiked 107 percent the first week,
sales have now leveled off but are still slightly above last
season's pace.
"I knew people were going to collect. I knew they were going to
want a piece of his legacy," said Chris Williams, director of
trackside sales for Motorsports Authentic, the company that manages
60 of the souvenir trailers that are stationed at every race track.
"His Daddy wanted Dale Jr. to win a championship at DEI, and
people want a memento from that part of his career. Now, if he
should start winning races and get into championship contention
this season, his sales are going to be like nothing we've ever seen
before."
Hats, shirts, beer holders, pins, and the diecast cars -- a
collector's staple -- are flying off the shelves at a frantic pace.
It's a stark contrast to say, Greg Biffle, who is in flux right now
at Roush Fenway Racing.
Because Biffle's sponsor wants to leave at the end of the
season, and he's in the middle of contract negotiations that could
end with him leaving Roush, his souvenir sales have dipped.
Earnhardt is for certain leaving his team at the end of the
season, and nobody has any idea if he'll be with sponsor Budweiser
in 2008. But it doesn't stop the fans from shopping at a dizzying
pace.
"I think it all has sentimental value now," said Lee Madison,
of Asheville. "He's part of history. The red Budweiser 8, get it
while you can."
Earnhardt had a series-high five trailers surrounding Lowe's
Motor Speedway last weekend, and a sixth truck sold merchandise for
both Junior and the elder Earnhardt.
Rob and Suzanne Carpenter crowded around one of them early
Saturday with their three sons looking for new gear. They had
plenty already -- Suzanne wore her Budweiser bikini, with a gold `3'
charm on her bellybutton as a nod to Earnhardt Sr. -- but needed to
pick up the latest fashions.
"We spend about $500 a year, usually on hats, a (beer) cozy or
two, maybe a T-shirt. Anything I need to replace," Rob Carpenter
said as he picked up a limited edition camouflage `8' hat for his
son to wear.
The family didn't flinch after dropping $53.38, and Carpenter
was certain he'd spend more at trailers closer to the track.
Because he makes up 30 percent of the market, Earnhardt has the
most trailers and gets the best locations every week. Laying out
the sales is a surprising science and Motorsports Authentic has to
carefully plan the grid each week.
Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart rank second and third in sales,
owning about 15 percent of the market each, and Williams said he
can never put an Earnhardt trailer across from one of them because
the shoppers would clog the lane. Although he spaces Junior's
trailers around the facility, there's no mistaking that each one is
in an upfront location.
"As consumers, we shop at the same stores and usually the ones
closest to your house," Williams said. "The fans who go to races
are the same way. They park in the same locations, walk into the
track through the same entrances, follow the same routine. Since
the market shows a high percentage want to buy Junior's
merchandise, you hit all the high-profile areas with his trailers.
"The places that draw the most volume, interest and sales is
where you put two or three of his trailers. Whatever it will bear,
which right now is quite a lot."
Tony and Cindy Smith of Roanoke, Va., snapped up a pair of new
T-shirts, fully aware Earnhardt's merchandise will look different
next season. Unless his stepmother stops leasing the No. 8 from
NASCAR, he most certainly will have a different car number -- at
minimum.
"That just means I'll have to buy a whole new wardrobe," Tony
Smith said. "I'm hoping it will be a 3 for Richard Childress, but
it doesn't matter. We'll follow him anywhere."
Kelley Earnhardt Elledge wants to sign a new deal for her
brother by the end of June, a deadline partially set by Motorsports
Authentic.
Because souvenir sales make up such a huge part of his annual
income -- he's estimated to earn $20.1 million a year, and about $10
million of that is believed to come from merchandise -- Earnhardt
must have licensing approvals in hand by late summer to ensure
he'll have stocked trailers at next year's season-opening Daytona
500.
There's a fan push for him to sign at RCR, where the elder
Earnhardt won six of his seven championships in the famed No. 3.
Bill Miles from Montana said he'll abandon Junior if he moves to
Hendrick Motorsports, and the Carpenters don't want to see him a
Ford.
Williams is convinced Earnhardt's numbers won't suffer either
way.
"Everyone is waiting for him to win that championship, and if
he goes to RCR to do it, everyone will be extremely happy,"
Williams said. "But if he goes somewhere else, he'll still be
fine. He's got it all, everything going for him -- the name, the
fans, the legacy that his Daddy left behind.
"He's sitting pretty no matter where he goes."

[Racer Duck]

and the beat goes on.....

chi-ching!

[LSC9901]

It's been reported that Jr is responsible for about 30% of all souvenir sales for NASCAR.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

It's been reported that Jr is responsible for about 30% of all souvenir sales for NASCAR.

or, put another way, equal to the totals for Jeff Gordon AND Tony Stewart (in the #2 and #3 spots)

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

or, put another way, equal to the totals for Jeff Gordon AND Tony Stewart (in the #2 and #3 spots)

Jeez! I have a life-size cardboard Jr. in his Bud uniform that a friend of mine gave me for my birthday a few years ago. He stood in the corner of my office for years. Wonder how much I could get for that!

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

Jeez! I have a life-size cardboard Jr. in his Bud uniform that a friend of mine gave me for my birthday a few years ago. He stood in the corner of my office for years. Wonder how much I could get for that!

wait awhile...

when the known number of life-size cardboard Jr.s dwindles down to .. say a couple million, then strike!

you do know that when you give up a cardboard Jr. for adoption, you are required to pre-screen his new home? yeah, it's in the small print right inside his waistband...

[LSC9901]

So what you are saying RD is that by the time it has any real value it will be worthless????

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

So what you are saying RD is that by the time it has any real value it will be worthless????

...one man's junk is another man's treasure...

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

...one man's junk is another man's treasure...

I'm at that point in my life where more and more of it is becoming trash.

[Lefturn]

If I had the money I'd buy a die cast and a pit cap of the #8 from the All star race. I wonder what they are worth?

I also wonder if (like the Elvis plate collection) these things are going to be of any value. I have a Wayne Gretzky rookie card that is supposed to be worth something, but finding the guy to pay for it is the hard part.

The last die cast I bought was outside in the dirt that last time I saw it, the kids like racing too

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

wait awhile...

when the known number of life-size cardboard Jr.s dwindles down to .. say a couple million, then strike!

you do know that when you give up a cardboard Jr. for adoption, you are required to pre-screen his new home? yeah, it's in the small print right inside his waistband...

I'd never sell it.






http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb114&pp=ZN

[Tuck4Bama]

Dale Jr has the pole so far but Gordon still ha to run

[wardfan]

I also wonder if (like the Elvis plate collection) these things are going to be of any value. I have a Wayne Gretzky rookie card that is supposed to be worth something, but finding the guy to pay for it is the hard part.

Thats the trick to the whole "collectable" world. Finding someone to pay what they say the value is. These days everything is a "collectable" and will be worth a fortune someday. Remember beannie babies for example, now they can't give those away. All the special paint schemes are simply to sell cars. You should buy something because you like it because chances are they have made thousands of the cars for example and you are not going to make a fortune down the road by reselling it. Ever wonder why there are so many storage unit parks these days? If for people that have so much junk that they are "going to sell for a fortune". Of course by the time you deduct all the money you have spent each month on the storage, it kind of cuts in the profit.