Dale Jr. says Nationwide's shift in sponsorship won't hurt NASCAR

TALLADEGA, Ala. – The transition of Nationwide Insurance from series to team sponsor is good for Dale Earnhardt Jr. the Sprint Cup driver, whose No. 88 Chevrolet is fully slated next season.

But is it still good for Dale Earnhardt Jr. the Nationwide Series team owner, whose circuit is seeking a new primary sponsor to promote its stars and fund its purses?

NASCAR's 11-time most popular driver believes so.

"From what I've been hearing behind the scenes, the opportunities and search for a title sponsor in the Nationwide Series won't be a challenging one," Earnhardt said Friday before Sprint Cup practice at Talladega Superspeedway. "There is some good interest there.

"Those type of sponsorships, although both of them are involved in the sport, they kind of accomplish different things. I think this is a direction that Nationwide wanted to go after what they were doing was effective. There will be some opportunity, and there is some good interest to fill that void. I think that the Nationwide Series currently is very healthy due to what Nationwide has been able to accomplish in the series.

Chief communications officer Brett Jewkes said NASCAR had presented the Nationwide Series entitlement to a "wide variety of brands.

"As expected, we've had exceptionally strong interest from several organizations and are very confident we will be partnering with an outstanding brand that will help us take this series to new heights," Jewkes said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. "The NASCAR Nationwide Series is one of the smartest and most effective spends in sports."

Nationwide will sponsor Earnhardt for 12 races next year and 13 events in the '16 and '17 seasons.

Chief marketing officer Matt Jauchius said the company was expecting a bump in exposure with the move to NASCAR's premier series, which enjoys greater TV ratings and attendance, "but that's only true because we spent the last six years as a Nationwide Series sponsor.

"Six or seven years ago, if we tried to step in and sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr., we didn't have the credibility as a sponsor," Jauchius told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview. "We view the Nationwide Series as a vehicle that allowed us to build credibility with owners, drivers, and fans. That's given us this level."

Earnhardt has had a personal services deal with Nationwide since 2009, and the advertising campaigned has centered on his family's 35-year history as customers of the company. Jauchius said that relationship "really was what cemented it for us" along with Earnhardt's sway among the NASCAR fan base.

"We think Dale, much like a Peyton Manning in the NFL, transcends the sport," Jauchius said.

Earnhardt sent a tweet announcing the deal at 10 a.m. Friday. Within 90 minutes, Jauchius said the company had tabulated 7 million impressions (which are calculated through tweets, retweets, replies and the numbers of followers associated with accounts).

Since it began airing commercials with Earnhardt, Nationwide has increased brand awareness and sales by 20% among NASCAR fans.

Jauchius said Nationwide will spend roughly the same amount to sponsor Earnhardt's Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet as it did to sponsor the series (Sports Business Daily estimated the three-year deal with the No. 88 at more than $30 million).

The company will retain a personal services deal with Danica Patrick (who will continue to appear in TV commercials) but won't sponsor Ricky Stenhouse Jr. beyond the Dover International Speedway race next month after backing the No. 17 Ford in a handful of events (including the Daytona 500; Nationwide will remain an associate sponsor with Roush Fenway Racing the rest of the season). Jauchius said the company was exploring a personal services deal with Stenhouse.

Jauchius said Nationwide's deal with Earnhardt could expand to include business with team owner Rick Hendrick's automotive dealerships.

In a statement, Hendrick Motorsports said the Nationwide deal wouldn't affect its ability to extend a sponsorship with Farmers Insurance on Kasey Kahne's No. 5 Chevrolet beyond this season.