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The DEI decision may have pushed adidas over the edge, but Lavielle said Earnhardt’s expanding portfolio doesn’t correlate directly to changing teams. Instead, it’s a culmination of the work she has done with his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, in the year since Lavielle joined JR Motorsports.
Now that they’ve inked two significant deals, Lavielle said they will wait to see how sponsorship of his new Hendrick ride shakes out before making more moves. Budweiser has sponsored Earnhardt’s Cup car since 1999 and wants to stay with him, but Hendrick might not be interested in signing the company. Regardless, Earnhardt has a personal services contract with Bud through 2008.
Whatever company ends up sponsoring Earnhardt’s new ride will use an intense marketing campaign, and Lavielle said they don’t want the driver to become a rolling billboard. His late father was widely recognized as a pitchman for just a handful of companies, and Earnhardt wants the same image.
“We want a small stable of partners, to align him with brands that he’s comfortable with and projects that are fun for him,” Lavielle said. “This sport is, by it’s nature, riddled with sponsorships. But we are in a good position where we can say ’Hey, I don’t know if that one fits for us,’ and make careful choices when it comes to his lifestyle management.”
One deal already in the pipeline, though, is a candy bar that Earnhardt has had a hand in developing. He won’t reveal many details, only that he and the JR Motorsports staff tasted endless combinations looking for the perfect match. Earnhardt has been involved with how the bar will be shaped, what it will look like and “if it’s going to break into pieces when you take a bite. You gotta have it how you want it if your name is on it,” he said.
He’s come a long way since his days as a short, skinny kid just trying to fit in at school, and Earnhardt has clear ideas on how he wants to be perceived. He believes carefully choosing his endorsement deals helps him convey his desired image.
“I would like to be the guy, your friend next door that you hope gets home early so you can start playing video games,” he said. “I want to be that guy.”
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