Dale Earnhardt Jr. sets record straight on abruptly giving up trademark to Lamar Jackson
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has cleared the air surrounding his surprise decision to give up the pursuit of a trademark for the No. 8 logo after NFL star Lamar Jackson opposed it.
On an episode of The Dale Jr. Download, the NASCAR Hall of Famer explained what went down behind the scenes and why he had no interest in fighting over the trademark.
“We learned that the Budweiser No. 8 trademark is not going to be continued and renewed by Teresa,” Earnhardt said, referencing Teresa Earnhardt, widow of Dale Earnhardt Sr. “We were a bit surprised by that…but we saw an opportunity to pick up the number and see if we could get the trademark.”
Earnhardt’s interest in reviving the iconic Budweiser-style No. 8 for JR Motorsports quickly hit a snag when he discovered Jackson had filed an opposition. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback uses a similar “Era 8” branding for his apparel and business ventures.
“I learned on social media, about the same time that everybody else did, that Lamar was contesting our trademark application,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He wasn’t suing me, he was just contesting it… and there’s a part of the trademark process where if you believe somebody’s applying for a trademark and it will hurt your brand, you can oppose it.”
Dale Earnhardt won't argue with Lamar Jackson over trademark process
What Earnhardt didn’t initially realize, however, was that Jackson had already been building a brand around the number 8. Per Gerbenlaw, the Ravens quarterback owns the “Era 8” apparel line and holds several trademarks linked to the number, including filings for merchandise and business ventures. He also wore No. 8 at Louisville and has consistently used it as a cornerstone of his public identity.
So when JR Motorsports submitted a trademark application for a stylized No. 8 design that resembled Jackson’s branding, Jackson’s legal team filed a formal opposition through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It wasn’t a lawsuit but a procedural move to protect Jackson’s brand from what his representatives viewed as potential consumer confusion in the apparel space.
Earnhardt said he quickly chose to withdraw from the process rather than drag the situation into a legal dispute.
“The next day, actually, we filed the paperwork to abandon the acquisition of that trademark for the JR Motorsports 8,” he said. “We got what we wanted, and down the road, I was not going to argue with Lamar over something that I didn’t plan on using. I wasn’t going to spend thousands of dollars with my lawyers to fight for something I didn’t need.”
Earnhardt emphasized there was no bad blood with Jackson and that the misunderstanding stemmed more from timing and trademark legalities than any business conflict.
“I think it’s all water under the bridge,” he said. “I’m glad Lamar’s building his brand, and we’re happy with the version of the 8 we’ve got now.”
In the end, Earnhardt walked away with the design his team wanted and avoided an unnecessary legal fight.