Lamar Jackson, the Ravens QB with unstoppable swagger, forged his “Era 8” brand around that number—bold, blazing, pure him. Then there’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose No. 8 car, steeped in Earnhardt grit, roared through NASCAR history with Budweiser red lighting up tracks. The clash erupted when Dale Jr. moved to trademark his iconic 8, and Lamar hit back on April 2, 2025, filing an opposition, saying it could confuse fans. Suddenly, this felt bigger than a number.
Imagine two legends—NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. and NFL dynamo Lamar Jackson—colliding over a single number. The number 8. It’s not just a figure; it’s their legacy, their everything. This showdown has had us on edge—fans fired up, hearts racing, picking sides like it’s a family feud. Who owns the 8? Who’s earned it? Well, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has neatly put this situation to bed.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. maturely sidesteps from the trademark dispute
Rumors spread like wildfire. Was Lamar hauling Dale Jr. to court? Some fans dragged Teresa Earnhardt, Dale’s stepmother, into the fray, reopening scars from years back when she “slammed the door” on his dreams of owning the Earnhardt legacy outright by denying him the rights to the #8 in 2007. In 2024, Teresa did not renew her trademark, and Jr. scalped it up, reclaiming the #8 and his legacy. However, Lamar Jackson’s legal team took notice in recent weeks. The NFL star’s team stated, as per The Athletic, “(Earnhardt Jr.’s) mark falsely suggests a connection with persons, living or dead, namely, Lamar Jackson, who is well known by the number 8.”
Then came the moment that flipped the script. On April 4, 2025, Dale Jr. dropped a statement via his team on X: “Through the USPTO, we successfully secured the rights to the stylized (#8). Therefore, we will be moving away from the original (#8) we have used since 2019.” JR Motorsports didn’t flinch—they’re already tweaking the 8’s font, dodging Lamar’s design entirely. It sent fans into a frenzy, a throwback to the No. 8’s glory days.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 4, 2025
As per Bob Pockrass on X, Lamar Jackson’s problem was purely rooted in the styling of the 8. “DaleJr company filed two applications- one for his Cup stylized 8 that has no opposition and the general JRM 8, which is what Lamar Jackson opposes,” he wrote on X. So Jr. moving back to the old #8 style not only sends waves of nostalgia but also ends a legal battle which he did not want to fight. While Lamar’s legal team challenged the #8, they did not realize that Jr. had multiple styles trademarked as well. While Lamar gets to keep his ‘Era 8,’ it’s certainly Junior who is having the last laugh.
Lamar Jackson is already wrestling Troy Aikman over “Eight” in another trademark tangle—he’s in deep. Aikman also used “Eight” on his apparel brands, and this caused Jackson to send a legal notice in 2024. However, this time, it was clear from the outset that Jackson’s claims were too far-fetched for Dale Jr. Trademark attorney Josh Gerben wrote on his personal blog about this, posting, “Ultimately, Jackson, Aikman, and Earnhardt Jr. will likely all get their registrations and coexist on the trademark register, each with slightly different branding approaches.”
At the end of it all, Era 8 can continue the way it was, and Dale Jr. can reprise an iconic style of the #8 for Sammy Smith as they continue their Xfinity Series journey. Speaking of which, Dale Jr. shared some strong thoughts on the winner of the Martinsville Xfinity race that was ignited into chaos by Sammy Smith’s moves.
Dale Jr. rips apart Austin Hill for his piggyback win
Dale Earnhardt Jr. just dropped a blunt take on his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, about the wild finish at Martinsville that left us shaking our heads. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill snagged the win, but it came at a cost—specifically, to Dale Jr.’s own JR Motorsports driver, Sammy Smith. 256 laps, 14 cautions, and a chaotic final lap pile-up. Sammy Smith and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Taylor Gray were battling hard for the lead.
On that last restart, Gray took the front, but Sammy wasn’t letting go. He dove deep, clipped Gray’s rear, and sent Gray spinning while he also piled up with the field behind him, causing a multi-car wreck. Cue the mess and Austin Hill slipping through to victory lane when he was 6th at the start of the final lap. Dale Jr. didn’t hold back, saying, “Austin Hill gets out of that car, and he’s like, I damn won! What the hell did I do wrong here? I am at victory lane; I must have done it right.” For Austin Hill, Dale Jr. feels that his win will overshadow the poor driving from himself and the rest of the grid. Hill notably moved JRM’s Justin Allgaier up the track when the last lap crash happened in order to squeeze through the gap created by Smith and Gray, and clearly, Jr. didn’t appreciate the move.
But here’s where it stings for JR Motorsports. NASCAR slammed Sammy with a 50-point penalty and a $50,000 fine for that move, dropping him from sixth to 13th in the standings. Fans online went nuts, some even saying Dale Jr. should “park” Sammy. Dale Jr. denied those claims, saying it was “never gonna happen” on his podcast.
Austin’s win was a thrill, but seeing Sammy take the fall and Dale Earnhardt Jr. watching it unfold makes for the perfect potboiler. Tensions are certainly high heading into Darlington this weekend as the Xfinity Series grid seeks to improve its reputation after getting battered by the NASCAR community over the past week.
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