Dale Earnhardt Jr. officially became the second
male Go Daddy spokesperson late in 2007 when the domain giant signed on as a sponsor
of Dale Jr.'s
Hendrick Race team. The NASCAR driver
represented the fifth in a growing line of Go Daddy spokespeople, joining WWE's
Candice Michelle, IndyCar star Danica Patrick, and
college football star Chad Johnson in representing the company.
Under the sponsorship agreement, Go Daddy served as the primary sponsor of the No.
5 NASCAR Nationwide Series Chevrolets for six events in 2008 featuring Dale Jr.,
as well as teammates Mark Martin and Ron Fellows.
With 72 Nationwide victories between them, Earnhardt (22 wins), Martin (47 wins)
and Fellows (three road-course wins) comprised a formidable lineup. In addition,
Earnhardt is a two-time Nationwide Series champion, while Mark Martin is considered
one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and holds the all-time record for Nationwide
Series victories.
"We are ecstatic to be a part of both NASCAR and IndyCar racing," said
Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons of the sponsorship.
Dale returned the favor by designing the
Go Daddy sponsored NASCAR car
-- a sleek black, orange and green Monte Carlo SS. "I'm very proud of this car and
I'm looking forward to driving it and representing GoDaddy.com in select Nationwide
Series races this year," Earnhardt said. "It's racy and edgy. It's a sharp-looking
car and we are going to have some fun driving it this year."
Earnhardt was the first to drive the car at the Texas Motor Speedway Nationwide
Series event in April 2008. But it wasn't until August that the #5 crossed the finish
line first. Dale Jr.'s teammate and elite road racer Ron Fellows drove the #5 in
Montreal, navigating a wet Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course to win the race.
Dale Jr. is no stranger to publicity. He has appeared
on more than 150 magazine covers and has been featured in Sports Illustrated, People
magazine, Rolling Stone, GQ, Men's Journal, and TV Guide. The NASCAR star has made
guest appearances on "60 Minutes," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "The Today Show, "The Daily
Show with Jon Stewart," "The Jimmy Kimmel Show," "Good Morning America," "Live with
Regis and Kelly," and "Larry King Live."
In 2008, Dale Jr. also made two commercials for Go Daddy, which aired during the
NASCAR racing season.
