If NASCAR fans wanted more proof that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has become an icon who can eclipse his sport, there was plenty during Sunday’s Daytona 500 telecast. In a 15-second spot for primary sponsor Amp Energy – Earnhardt and six buddies are seen racing go-karts, firing paintball guns and shooting pool. “We think we’re breaking new ground with an athlete and how we use him in the creative process,” says Lauren Hobart, vice president of marketing for Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages.The campaign is another indicator of Earnhardt’s endorsement clout as a six-time most popular driver. “Bud did a hell of a job making that identity,” Earnhardt says. “They were this big damn brand in NASCAR, and I rode shotgun for eight years. We’ve got to do the same thing now in reverse. I said to Amp, ‘Instead of snazzy commercials that are fiction, why don’t we do it like Bud?’ The things we preached were real, and that sincerity came across to fans.”

Earnhardt’s legions of followers already seem convinced. Amp’s sales are up more than 70% in the past year. “Dale Jr. was a critical piece of what drove our sales,” Hobart says. “It was a catalyst for 5 million new consumers to try the brand.” Marketing data suggest Earnhardt has no peers as a Cup spokesman. In polling of avid NASCAR fans after the 2008 season for the Davie-Brown Index, which quantifies an athlete’s relevance to consumer behavior, Earnhardt ranked first in all eight categories (including trust, awareness and appeal). Ken Cohn, vice president for the Millsport marketing agency conducting the survey, says fans are 20% more passionate about Earnhardt than about other drivers. “Junior can do no wrong in the eyes of the fan,” Cohn says. “He can solidify a brand because he embodies it. When you transfer the affinity fans have for Junior to a brand, that can be powerful.”

Go Daddy, which also began running commercials last weekend shot on Earnhardt’s property, aligned with the driver partly because he was a customer who had used the company’s domain registration and website hosting. The ads by Go Daddy, which sponsors JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports in Nationwide and Cup, were scripted but with input from Earnhardt. “He’s extremely hands-on,” says Barb Rechterman, executive vice president of marketing for Go Daddy. “He likes to do things he calls ‘the real deal.’ If it’s something he wouldn’t say or do in real life, he likely won’t do it on a commercial.” www.usatoday.com