NASCAR looking to expand into the hip-hop lifestyle

The odds of seeing a NASCAR driver "Pop Lock and Drop It" on pit road are doubtful, but the sport and its personalities are making considerable cross-overs into the hip-hop culture.

Within the last five years, several hip-hop and R&B talents have emerged in a sport deeply rooted and still primarily represented by country music and southern rock.

• Send Raygan your thoughts

On the pop charts, rap and hip-hop stars shout out NASCAR drivers like Jeff Gordon in their lyrics, they attend races and sing the national anthem. Others have gone as far as to buy into a team as rapper Nelly did in 2003 with the Craftsman Truck Series.

Even NASCAR fashion has fallen into favor with urban youth who choose to rock NASCAR jackets produced by Motorsports Authentics because of their bright and vivid colors.

The most recent high-profile collaboration came during the Pepsi 400 in Daytona when Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his partnership with adidas; a major brand entrenched in hip-hop tradition dating back to the days of the culture's pioneer group Run-D.M.C., who rapped about shell-toed adidas with fat laces.

Fast forward about two decades, where today Earnhardt Jr. plans to show NASCAR fans how to Walk This Way when adidas releases his own line of signature shoes and apparel next season.

"Always in this sport we try to find ways to link ourselves with the mainstream and pop culture," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Characters in the sport continue to raise the level and you're starting to see similarities and things we have in common. Adidas is a small chip on that stone."

Mark Clinard, business director for the adidas motorsports division, said NASCAR fans can expect Earnhardt Jr. to be a significant part of adidas commercials and its advertising campaign in 2008, along with NFL endorsee Reggie Bush. The plan, he said, will present a cross-pollination of sorts between the urban communities and NASCAR markets.

As for the messages and products in development specifically, Earnhardt said they will be dope because adidas "always keeps it clean."

While Earnhardt Jr. is enjoying his new street cred with adidas, Clint Bowyer is scoring his own props with hip-hop and pop star Justin Timberlake. On July 18, JT opened a new restaurant in Manhattan, Southern Hospitality, where the likes of rap mogul Jay-Z and Teresa Earnhardt were chatting in the same social circles.

Perhaps the two conversed about the new decor of Southern Hospitality: Jack Daniel's and NASCAR.

Behind his bar, Timberlake wanted to hang a piece of NASCAR memorabilia and was promptly delivered a No. 7 Jack Daniel's Chevy hood from Bowyer as well as a pair of autographed Goodyears.

And trust, if NASCAR is doing something "cool" the oh-so trendy Team Red Bull is usually nearby. (Continued)