Not red, just hot

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead at the Budweiser Shootout here a week ago, it was almost more than Earnhardt fan Marty Briles could stand.

“I was on my hands and knees [at home] pulling as hard as I’ve ever pulled for anybody,” said the Mansfield, Texas, business manager. “I was as excited as a 6-year-old on Christmas morning.”

So was Kenneth Draper, a truck driver who watched the closing laps with colleagues at a truck stop in Breezewood, Pa. “We were on the edge of our seats when he took the lead,” Draper said. “We’re like, ‘Come on Junior!’ Then we were all jumping up and down.”

That’s because NASCAR’s most popular driver kept the lead and won the Shootout, his first victory since May 2006. Then he won again Thursday, taking the first of two 150-mile qualifying heats for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Never mind that both events are abbreviated races that don’t pay championship points. The wins finally gave “Junior Nation” cause to celebrate again, and the renewed excitement could have ripple effects felt throughout NASCAR.

“It’s huge,” said Mark Dyer, president of Motorsports Authentics, the leading seller of NASCAR merchandise, after Earnhardt’s win in the Shootout.

“NASCAR fans across America are talking today about Dale Jr.’s win and the ramifications of that,” Dyer said, adding that his company might enjoy record sales this weekend as a result.

Earnhardt already had stood apart in the market for NASCAR merchandise, accounting for 20% to 30% of industry sales. Now his piece of the pie could swell further. “He’s our Michael Jordan from a marketing standpoint,” Dyer said.

After a meteoric rise in popularity, NASCAR’s attendance and TV ratings level off the last two years, which was the same period Earnhardt went winless. Many NASCAR observers believe that was not a coincidence.

With Earnhardt in Victory Lane again, the sport could see a renewed lift, and there have been murmurs here that ticket sales for upcoming races, such as the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway on Feb. 24, are picking up.

Earnhardt is winning after leaving his family team -- started by his late father, seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt -- to join powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, and he’s now a favorite to win the prestigious 500 for the second time (he won it in 2004).

At his old team, Earnhardt drove the iconic red No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, and his sea of red-clad fans at each race was dubbed the “Red Army.”

Now he drives the No. 88 Hendrick Chevy and has two new primary sponsors, PepsiCo’s Amp Energy drink and the U.S. National Guard, along with new paint schemes that include white, green, blue, black and red.

The switch sent his loyal fans scurrying to buy new jackets, T-shirts, hats and other merchandise displaying his new logos. Briles’ mother, Martha Williams, said her son and granddaughter ordered $100 jackets and other items “as soon as they became available online” last month.

Then, after the family arrived this week at Daytona International Speedway for the 500, Williams bought her own jacket at one of five trailers that sell Earnhardt merchandise exclusively. Briles said that in the past, “We wore Budweiser, we’ve had plenty of red. The day that he changed, or announced it, we decided [to change].”

Amy Maciel, who arrived at Daytona from Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., did the same. “As soon as I got down here, I saw the white jacket and said ‘I have to get it,’ ” Maciel said. . “He changed and I needed the up-to-date stuff.”

That loyalty works both ways.

After Earnhardt and several other drivers announced plans to change teams and sponsors during last season, the value of their 2007 merchandise plummeted.

Motorsports Authentics was hit hard, losing $112.5 million on sales of $210 million in its fiscal year that ended Nov. 30, in large part from writing down the value of its outdated inventory.

Dyer, who was named president last summer, said “we certainly are dedicated to getting this company profitable.” And Earnhardt and his fans might speed the process.

Draper, the truck driver, arrived in Daytona wearing a cap with the new Earnhardt logo. But he also was wearing the driver’s old red Budweiser jacket.

“I haven’t had time to buy the new jacket yet, but I plan to,” Draper said. “I plan to get the Amp jacket and the National Guard jacket both, and soon.”

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james.peltz@latimes.com

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DAYTONA 500

Sunday, 11 a.m. PST

at Daytona Int. Speedway

Channel 11 (12:30 race start)