Controversial NASCAR Number Placement Rule, Strongly Backed By Dale Earnhardt Jr, Reaping Rich Rewards for Sponsors

A while back, there were reports that NASCAR planned to shift the driver numbers further ahead. The reason behind this was to grant more space for sponsors to advertise themselves better.

Truthfully speaking, it was a controversial move, and many were divided on the matter. Chief among them were Dale Earnhardt Jr and Mike Joy, who were on opposite ends of the debate.

Now, it seems that Earnhardt Jr is vindicated because the sponsors are enjoying increased brand exposure. This conclusion came about, largely thanks to analysis and interviews with industry executives.

So when the 2022 NASCAR Cup season began, all teams had their car numbers moved from the center of the door to the front of it.

READ MORE: Mike Joy Not in Favour of Controversial NASCAR Number Placement Rule That Dale Earnhardt Jr Approved

Why did NASCAR go in this direction for the 2022 Cup season?

This has been a beneficial move because sponsor value shot up by 15%. The reason behind the increase is that of television exposure and the cost of traditional TV advertising. When the number was situated in the middle, there was little space available for branding.

Now with the extra space, it allows primary sponsors to fully exploit the new space for their sponsor logos.

To make matters even better, this scheme has benefitted all cars. In fact, cars running outside the Top 10 witnessed a 36% increase in value. Of course, some brands had to make certain changes to their brand format to allow for a bolder display. This new system was trialed at the 2020 All-Star Race and was seen as a resounding success.

Once the Next Gen cars came out, the challenge was to see how well the shifted numbers would look. Judging by all the data from the study, things have only changed for the better.

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It is also worth mentioning that this practice was not a new concept for NASCAR. Instead, it had been in place since the early 1950s.