The Dale Earnhardt "rush is on," according to Paul Newberry of the AP, who reports, "Anything and everything with his name on it became the hottest sports merchandise a day after his death." Getting "hold of the memorabilia became a challenge at best. In many cases it was impossible." NC-based Action Performance Co. President Fred Wagenhals, whose company is a licensee of Earnhardt merchandise, said, "Everyone is sold out." Wagenhals will "wait until next week before determining whether [Action] needed to make more products to meet the demand." Meanwhile, NASCAR.com stated that its store was not accepting orders on Dale Earnhardt products (AP, 2/20). NC-based Sports Image Associate Manager Dennis Kern, whose company markets Earnhardt clothes and model cars, said that "there will be no more shipments of Earnhardt merchandise until further notice" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 2/20). SFX/Cotter Group VP Ben Schlosser said that Earnhardt merchandise "accounts for about half" of the $1.2B in NASCAR's licensed sales (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 2/20). In Dallas, Steve Quinn writes that at TX Motor Speedway's Speedway World souvenir store, fans "were lined up when the doors opened" at 9:00am CT yesterday and "the cash register lines were" 13-15 "people deep most of the day." Speedway World execs announced that "it will donate all earnings" from Earnhardt merchandise to NC-based Speedway Children's Charities (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/20). Phoenix Int'l Raceway Race Shop Manager Steve Ward said that the store "sold more merchandise in four hours Monday than all of last week" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/20). Pro Sports Memorabilia Exec Bryan Miller said that his firm "sold out of its supply of Earnhardt photos Sunday" (USA TODAY, 2/20). In Atlanta, John Manasso reports that the amount of Earnhardt memorabilia for sale on eBay.com "soared," as the number of Web pages listing Earnhardt memorabilia "increased from" 590 to 684 in about three hours (ATL. CONSTITUTION, 2/20).
FOR CORPORATE AMERICA: In Charlotte, Stella Hopkins reports that Coca-Cola "rush[ed] to stop TV ads that kicked off NASCAR's new season with Earnhardt." SFX/Cotter Group Chair Tom Cotter "estimated the Earnhardt name was worth" $20M a year in sponsorship dollars. Cotter also said that in the "short term," company ads featuring Earnhardt "should be pulled." However, Earnhardt sponsor General Motors "plans commemorative ads" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/20). In Atlanta, Scott Leith writes that people "on the business side" of NASCAR "wonder if it will be possible to replace" Earnhardt, who "had the power to make the sport more attractive to corporate sponsors." Home Depot spokesperson Carol Schumacher: "He was somebody who made the transition and was a bridge from the old school NASCAR stereotype of the guy running moonshine to the corporate world of today" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/20). In discussing the future of NC-based Dale Earnhardt Inc., Liz Allison, whose husband, former racer Davey Allison, was killed in an off-track incident in '93, said she believed Dale Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, will become more involved in the company: "She's always been involved in his business and she's involved in the day-to-day. She knows what's going on" (CNN/SI, 2/19). Single A Kannapolis (NC) Intimidators GM Todd Parnell said that team execs "will meet" to talk about the effects of Earnhardt's death "on the team," as Earnhardt had an ownership stake in the franchise (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/20).
