Sales for Earnhardt merchandise jump

Sales of Dale Earnhardt Jr. merchandise has skyrocketed 107 percent in the week since NASCAR's most popular driver said he was leaving his late father's company at the end of the season. The surge surprised industry experts, who believed sales of Earnhardt's red No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet merchandise would dip while he searches for a new team, number and maybe even a new sponsor.

"I was a little concerned about his sales after the announcement, what the reaction would be, but it looks like it's terrific," Mark Dyer, NASCAR's vice president of licensing, said Wednesday night.

"It looks like there's an affinity for that No. 8 car. There's been a lot of great moments, the fact that its a DEI car, and the whole Dale Jr. thing. I think its indicative of the fact that people aren't ready just this moment; they want at least one last souvenir before they move on to the next chapter with him."