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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Breaks Silence On Legal Battle With Lamar Jackson

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 1:10 PM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. discussed his resolved trademark dispute with Lamar Jackson.

Last week, Jackson filed an opposition claim with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to block Earnhardt's attempt at trademarking a JR Motorsports styling of his No. 8 to use on merchandising. The NASCAR Hall of Famer announced Friday that he's "moving away" from that version after securing the rights to another No. 8 font.

Earnhardt explained the situation on his Dale Jr. Download podcast.

"I learned on social media about the same time as everybody else did that Lamar was contesting our trademark application," Earnhardt said. "He wasn't suing me. He's just contesting it."

Earnhardt said he had only filed to trademark the JR Motorsports as a "back-up plan" to the Budweiser No. 8. His stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, decided not to renew that trademark.

He's never had a trademark for the JR No. 8 that he's used since 2019 with "no problem." Dale Jr. wasn't too concerned when discovering which filing Jackson opposed.

"When I learned about it, I thought for sure it was over the Bud 8," Earnhardt said. "But when I dug into it, I learned that it was that JR Motorsports font. And we weren't ever gonna use that again. Ever."

After consulting with Kelley Earnhardt Miller, his sister and the CEO of JR Motorsports, they decided to drop that trademark pursuit.

"So yeah, it's not an issue. It's a non-issue," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Much ado about nothing."

Earnhardt had no interest in starting a legal battle with the two-time NFL MVP quarterback. They filed to halt the JR trademark application the day after Jackson's contest.

"I was not gonna argue with Lamar over something that I did not plan on using," he said. "I wasn't gonna spend thousands of dollars with my lawyers to fight for something that I didn't need."

However, Earnhardt called it "funny" that Jackson's website has the No. 8 shown in multiple different fonts while disputing his right to use a different style of No. 8. The Baltimore Ravens star has the trademark to "ERA 8 by Lamar Jackson."

Earnhardt was also worried about how people responded to the situation on social media. The 50-year-old, a die-hard Washington Commanders fan, didn't want to create a public feud with Jackson.

"I don't know Lamar's team or him. Never met the guy," he said. "I didn’t wanna see this get nasty for no reason."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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