Memorabilia: 'He started a new way of doing business'

Dale Earnhardt turned the selling of No. 3 products into a number one business -- and set the standard for all in the NASCAR industry to follow.

Earnhardt was a pioneer in the memorabilia market, the first driver to take control of any souvenir or retail item bearing his name or likeness.

"What Dale did was to protect the quality and image [of the product]," Joe Mattes said. "He was the first to do it in his style. He was ahead of his time."

Mattes served as president of Sports Image, a licensed memorabilia company Dale and Teresa Earnhardt owned from 1995 until Earnhardt sold it to Action Performance in December '97.

Any products sold first had to be met with Earnhardt's approval.

"He started a new way of doing business," Mattes said. "He focused on bringing value back to the sponsors."

Sponsors such as GM Goodwrench, Snap-On Tools and Food City started carrying Earnhardt products in its stores.

"He worked with the sponsors so they could activate their customer," Mattes said.

One of Earnhardt's primary concerns from the time in the late 1980s when he personally became involved in the merchandising of his products was its availability to his fan base.

"He wanted to support the people who got him there," Mattes said. "The old mom and pop stores were very loyal. It was pure grass-roots ... they stretched totally across the country. It wasn't in the mass market. He was very reluctant to go into the mass market."

By the time Earnhardt sold Sports Image to Action Performance, NASCAR was growing. And while Earnhardt still had control of his products, Action Performance took advantage of the sport's popularity that Earnhardt helped create.

"With that came expanding into the mass market," Mattes said. "They opened distribution to mass merchandisers."

Today NASCAR is a $2 billion retail industry, and Earnhardt was the first captain of that industry.

"Without a doubt Dale was the anchor," Mattes said. "He was in the position to make the biggest change and he raised it to another level. He was the one that could make the biggest impact. And he did make the biggest impact.

"Without him they never would've got there. He helped build and pave the way for all drivers. That never would've opened up without door No. 3."

Earnhardt's death caused a spike in sales Mattes said the likes of which NASCAR will never see again.

"A lot of retailers made a lot of money because everyone wanted a piece of Dale," Mattes said. "When the Elvis of the sport dies ... it created a frenzy. It was the most significant boost in NASCAR licensed sales."

Unfortunately, unlicensed products found its way to the market, most notably the No. 3 with angel wings.

"The demand was such that not all was licensed. It allowed those who did illegal things to do illegal things," said Mattes, who noted Earnhardt's crusade against non-licensed products.

"He was aggressive pursuing knockoffs," Mattes added. "He just attacked that fraudulent market."

Despite NASCAR's growth and the diverse backgrounds from which drivers hail, Earnhardt remains a popular figure today, and his merchandise still is among the top sellers.

"The fan base has grown, but you still need a cornerstone. You still need a Lakers, a Cowboys, a Yankees," Mattes said.

"He was one of them. He was blue-collar. He drove a tractor, he had a pair of blue jeans on, he liked to fish and hunt."

Earnhardt's legacy will live forever in NASCAR lore, and it stems much farther than the racetracks that made him famous.

"As smart as he was on the track he was that smart off the track," said Mattes, who held a diverse financial and marketing background but knew very little about NASCAR upon joining Sports Image in 1994.

"He got it and was passionate about it. He taught me a lot. But when you go to every race with Dale and Teresa for three years, you get educated."