Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rolls The Dice With Hard Rock International
AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 09: NASCAR Hall of Famer and JR Motorsports owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... More reacts to Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, winning the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never considered himself much of a gambler. Sure, he spent his career in a sport where drivers barrel into Turn 1 at 200 mph, mere inches apart, hoping the guy next to them remembers how brakes work. But placing bets? Not really his thing.
And yet, here we are. Dale Jr. has just partnered with Hard Rock International—a brand with casinos and sportsbooks across the country—in a deal that stretches from race-day snacks to apparel and even a digital slot machine featuring his name. A man who's spent his life studying tire wear and drafting strategies is now helping NASCAR fans figure out whether to bet on a top-five finish or just put it all on black.
So, why Hard Rock? What made this partnership make sense for him?
'Yeah, I think the history of the brand,' Earnhardt says. 'Being recognizable. It's resilience. Their efforts to be successful. And the connection to music. There's sort of a kinship there with what we do in NASCAR—probably a very comparable demographic of customer and consumer.'
That's corporate-speak for 'race fans and casino-goers overlap more than you think.' And with North Carolina recently legalizing sports betting—where NASCAR's heart beats the loudest—this partnership has all the makings of a winning bet.
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Sports betting and NASCAR have had an arms-length relationship for years. The unpredictability of stock car racing has always made it a tough sport to wager on. One moment, your driver is running third, and the next, Ross Chastain has turned him into a $300,000 pile of confetti.
Earnhardt isn't exactly out there screaming for fans to empty their wallets, but he does see the entertainment value.
'We talk about this on my podcast,' he says, referencing Dirty Mo' Dough, a segment dedicated to NASCAR betting though he doesn't bet on the sport himself. 'I enjoy telling people my positions. If you're a conservative bettor, you might appreciate my opinion.'
He's not wrong. While some fans want to throw their money on a long-shot win, others are more interested in smaller, strategic bets—top 10 finishes, head-to-head matchups, or even parlaying a few drivers together.
And betting, Earnhardt says, has a way of pulling people into sports they wouldn't normally watch. Like March Madness, or last year's NBA finals something he says he put a few dollars into.
HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Dale Earnhardt Jr., team owner of William Byron's #9 Liberty ... More University Chevrolet and his wife Amy watch during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by)
'I had a little money on this guy scoring 25 points, another getting this many rebounds. It made me more plugged into it. I probably wouldn't have watched any of it otherwise.'
He said having a little stake on a game makes it more fun.
'I would have not watched any of the NBA Finals last year,' he says. 'But I ended up watching two or three series full series just having a little bit of money here and there on the games. It's pretty cool.'
That's the angle here: betting as a way to keep fans engaged. NASCAR's challenge has always been keeping eyeballs on the sport, and if throwing a few bucks on a race makes a fan tune in, maybe that's not a bad thing.
But this partnership isn't just about betting. It's about branding. And nothing says branding quite like having your name slapped on a cocktail.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on October 22, 2019.(Photo by ZAK ... More BENNETT/AFP via Getty Images)
Hard Rock now offers The Ol' 8, a vodka and Campari concoction inspired by Earnhardt himself. It's a sophisticated, slightly unexpected drink for a NASCAR icon. So, is this the most un-NASCAR thing he's ever done?
'Well, me and my wife got into a partnership with Sugarlands in Gatlinburg to create our own vodka called High Rock Vodka… this is kind of one of them deals where when Hard Rock comes to you and says, hey, let's do something together.'
Alongside the drink is a menu featuring Earnhardt's favorite wings—Star Dust Wings, seasoned with a special spice blend and served with blue cheese and ranch. However, let's be honest, NASCAR fans aren't sipping fancy cocktails without a plate of wings in front of them. Until now. But are they best consumed while sitting in a garage, covered in grease, and arguing over whether '80s Dale or '90s Dale was better or should fans eat them like civilized people, or do they need to be three beers deep with sauce on their face?
'Well, I think they're going to be pretty good however you eat them,' Earnhardt laughs. 'But my personal preference? I'd be in a sportsbook at the casino at Hard Rock, with a vodka cocktail and an order of these wings, trying to figure out what game I wanted to put a little bit of money on.'
And let's not forget the merch—there are apparel drops with t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and zip-ups that fans can grab at select Hard Rock locations or online.
Hollywood, Florida, Seminole Tribe, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, people gambling on slot machines. ... More (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Hard Rock is famous for its rock 'n' roll memorabilia. Gold records, guitars, outrageous stage outfits—you name it, they've got it. Which raises an important question: How long before a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fire suit ends up in a Hard Rock display hanging next to Mick Jagger's pants?
'If they wanted to stick my uniform in one of their locations, I'd never turn that down,' Earnhardt says with a chuckle. 'That would be incredible. Dude, when you walk through those places, and it's a who's who of memorabilia. It's as fun as anything else—just seeing all the crazy pieces they have.
'Yeah, I would do that in heartbeat.'
At the end of it all the truth is, this partnership is bigger than betting, bigger than vodka cocktails, and even bigger than Earnhardt's favorite wings. It's about NASCAR planting a flag in new territory—entertainment, hospitality, gaming—and finding new ways to bring fans along for the ride.
And if that means Earnhardt Jr. ends up with his name on a sportsbook parlay, a slot machine, and a neon sign outside a Hard Rock casino? Well, even a guy who doesn't consider himself much of a gambler can recognize a winning hand when he sees one.
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