Dale Earnhardt Jr. stated Friday that JR Motorsports will use the stylized 8 he made famous when he raced at Dale Earnhardt Inc. after a trademark dispute with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
An April 2 notice of opposition to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on behalf of Jackson challenged the trademark application by Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a particular style of the No. 8 used by JR Motorsports since 2019.
Jackson contended in his submission that: (1) he’s widely associated with No. 8 due to his NFL status; (2) Earnhardt’s efforts could falsely imply a connection between the two athletes; and (3) customers could mistakenly believe products offered by Earnhardt are related to products offered by Jackson.
The dispute was first reported Thursday by trademark attorney Josh Gerben on his blog.
Earnhardt acquired the stylized No. 8 he used while at DEI last year through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office when Teresa Earnhardt did not renew the trademark for it. That was approved.
Earnhardt's application with the 8 that has been used by JR Motorsports was challenged by Jackson. DEJ Holdings filed paperwork Friday that it was withdrawing its application for use of that No. 8
Friday, Earnhardt stated on social media that JRM will be moving away from the 8 used currently and go to the stylized 8 that he had when at Dale Earnhardt Inc.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 4, 2025
