Comparing Dale Jr. To His Father, Off The Track

NASCAR fans, like those of other sports, are tremendously loyal to their favorite driver.  They wear the numbers, watch religously, and cheer in good times and bad.  When children, or even grandchildren, of drivers have begun racing careers they are instantly compared to their fathers, older brothers, or grandfathers.  Pettys, Bakers, Jarretts, Wallaces, Earnhardts and more have had to prove themselves worthy of carrying their own name.

So many people have compared Dale Earnhardt Jr. to his late father, especially while he was trying to recoup from dissappointing finishes the last few seasons.  They often compared his ability to draft or "see the air" to his father's ability at NASCAR's restrictor plate tracks, Daytona and Talladega.  They have even compared his less aggressive style to his father's aggressiveness that got him the nicknames Ironhead and Intimidator.

Junior's inability to be 'Dale Earnhardt' has often been discussed, but almost always in reference to their on track talents, not their off track successes.  So just how does Dale Jr. compare to his father from monday to thursday?

In Earnhardt's later years he was known as one of NASCAR's best business men.  Earnhardt owned car dealerships, was part owner in a minor league baseball team, started and ran a multi-car NASCAR Sprint Cup team (Winston Cup at the time), and had by far the most successful merchandising machine selling Dale Earnhardt, #3, and DEI merchandise by the millions.

Dale Earnhardt's marketing business was eventually sold to Action Performance, which is currently owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc. and International Speedway Corp., owners of most of NASCAR's tracks, marketing and more.  His head of marketing that helped build his empire was Joe Mattes.  Where does Mr. Mattes currently work?  You guessed it, as VP of Merchandising and Licensing for JRMotorsports.

JRMotorsports began as a management company for Dale Earnhardt Jr., but has grown into a merchandising company and Nationwide Series racing team combined.  In 2006, JRM began running Nationwide series races and since has begun the NASCAR careers of both Danica Patrick and 2012 Sprint Cup Chamption Brad Keselowski.

Whether you are a fan of the 88 on the track or not, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had a huge amount of success off the track.  He has appeared or done voice work in movies like Talladega Nights and Cars.  He has appeared in music videos for Sheryl Crow, Jay-Z, Nickelback, Three Doors Down, Trace Adkins and more.

Ok, so you say that has all come because of his last name... Yeah, probably, but he has taken that opportunity and ran with it.  His enjoyment of NASCAR history was the foundation to his ownership of Hammerhead Media, a production company that produced his show Back In The Day which aired on the Speed Channel and Shifting Gears which aired on ESPN2.

Earnhardt Jr.'s latest ventures include opening two large-scale bar/nightclubs in both Charlotte, NC and Jacksonville, FL called Whiskey River and two car dealerships in Tallahassee, FL which he ownes in conjunction with Rick Hendrick.

No, Junior will never win seven championships.  He may not win the first one. But whether you believe he is worthy of driving a Cup car (I do) or not, he most definitely learned much from his father off the track as well.

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