NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the second consecutive year will have a "superhero movie featured on his car" at Michigan Int'l Speedway, as primary sponsor the National Guard partners with the new movie "Man of Steel" for Sunday's Quicken Loans 400, according to Jeff Gluck of USA TODAY. The National Guard "has a tie-in with the Superman movie and will have 'Soldier of Steel' written on the side of the car." Superman's familiar "S" emblem is "on the hood" of Earnhardt's car. Earnhardt last year had a Batman-themed paint scheme and "took his The Dark Knight Chevrolet to victory lane in a dominating performance" (USATODAY.com, 6/10). In Charlotte, Jim Utter reported Earnhardt "should have his car fully adorned with sponsorship decals the rest of the year." Hendrick Motorsports Owner Rick Hendrick yesterday said the team was “very close” to a new multiyear sponsorship deal for Earnhardt’s Sprint Cup No. 88 Chevy. Hendrick: “I am very confident that in the next couple of weeks we should have not only this year (covered) but we should have a lot done for next year, too.” Hendrick in January said that he has had companies "interested in sponsoring Earnhardt for the entire season but that would conflict with the organization’s current sponsor contracts" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 6/10).
