NASCAR: Dale Jr. Presser Was Not Really About Dale Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. held a press conference that was meant to be about his health. The reality is, it was more about everyone else than it was about him.

Friday at noon NASCAR’s most popular driver stepped to the mic at Watkins Glen media center and intended to update the media on his health. The truth is, with NASCAR in the middle of a search for a new title sponsor and still searching for 2016 race sponsors, NASCAR needed for people to see and hear Dale Jr. at the track. His appearance (in my opinion) was intended to settle some nerves and keep negotiations on track.

It is no secret that NASCAR has been struggling with its popularity and fans. The loss of its most popular driver would have a tangible effect on the marketability of NASCAR. What is even more concerning for NASCAR is they have an example of what they can expect without Dale Jr. from early in the season. The loss of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart was blamed for some of the early season ratings and attendance declines. Then the ratings for the Brickyard 400 and the return of Jeff Gordon along with Stewart’s last Indy race created a ratings spike NASCAR needed.

It is also no secret that NASCAR’s search for a title sponsor has not gone as smoothly as in the past. The latest reports have the length of the deal going from 10 years now to just four. With NASCAR having stated they want to announce the new sponsor in October, that has it getting down to the wire. The rumors also have the field for replacing Sprint having been narrowed from twelve to four companies. A NASCAR without Dale Earnhardt Jr. is very different than what we have today, and would affect the marketability of the sport.

There is no way a sport without it’s most popular driver for more than the past decade and it’s current top merchandise mover would be the same if said driver was removed from the equation, or if it was thought that he might be removed.

With that Dale Jr., still suffering from concussion like symptoms, boarded a plane traveled to the track and dawned an Axalta shirt to answer questions from the NASCAR media at Watkins Glen. None of the questions or responses were greatly different than what he has been putting out on his twitter account. It was all a show to sooth any concerns that NASCAR’s 13-time most popular driver was thinking about hanging it up. The commitments of Dale Jr. at the track every weekend are immense from sponsors and NASCAR.

The thought of having a NASCAR without Dale Jr., Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon is a risky bet for anyone thinking of committing the tens of millions of dollars to be NASCAR’s title sponsor. Having this happen at this stage of negotiations is about as bad as it could be. The lack of a new superstars on the horizon has put an immense amount of pressure on Earnhardt to communicate his return even though he is not fully recovered. Anyone who has ever suffered a concussion will tell you that you are not supposed to travel and avoid doing anything that would aggravate the symptoms. The flight, loud noises and bright lights are all things you are supposed to avoid during recovery. NASCAR needed Dale Jr at the track this week, and he was there.

Related Story: Dale Jr. Talks Retirement and Contract Extension

Friday’s press conference was held at Watkins Glen for a reason, and it was not because the media was all there. He could have done it in Charlotte on Thursday or Monday without having to take even a long car ride. Heck, NASCAR could have sent a media member to his house to host a one-on-one interview with him if they really wanted to. Even though the media and fans see his tweets and comments on social media, most sponsors do not notice such things. The only time they see the face of the sport is at the track, so that is where the update took place. Don’t be fooled, this was not about getting the message to the media or the fans, it was all about calming the sponsors.

The message delivered today? Earnhardt is not done racing, Earnhardt will be back, Earnhardt has a lot of career left in him. That message was loud and clear to those who sink their money into him and the sport and that’s what NASCAR wanted to make sure of, mission accomplished.