Dale Earnhardt Jr., Redskins fan, won't drive an Eagles-themed car after all
Next week’s Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania was slated to have quite the drawing card: an Eagles-themed car, driven by none other than NASCAR fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. Unfortunately, the NFL stepped in and halted that idea, noting that NFL trademarks can’t be used in the promotion of any other sport.
The move takes some of the burden off of Earnhardt himself, who’s been a Redskins fan since childhood. Earnhardt’s sponsor Axalta and the Eagles worked out the deal, and Earnhardt swallowed his burgundy pride and accepted that it was part of the job. “I’m really sad about that,” he said at the time. “Being a Redskins fan, it was very hard to wrap my brain around it.”
The Redskins noted that they understood, and that all is well:
It's okay, we know it's always #HTTR pic.twitter.com/a96bAKwCBQ
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) April 5, 2017
NASCAR drivers using local sports teams to drum up attention is nothing new; drivers have run both Auburn and Alabama-themed cars in Talladega, Alabama, for instance. But it looks like there won’t be any NFL-themed cars hitting the track any time soon. Perhaps it’s for the best; an Eagles-themed car would’ve won pre-race love and started well but sputtered to a dead stop long before the end of the race.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
