Earnhardt opens retail store

The first-ever retail store exclusive to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports brand officially opened its doors Tuesday afternoon as part of a company-wide grand opening at his team’s new 66,000-square foot facility. The store, fittingly called JR Nation, consists of more than 500 items of merchandise, including shirts, hats and collectables fashioned less like traditional track gear and more to Earnhardt Jr.’s style. It is located at the entrance to JR Motorsports, easily accessible to guests visiting the shop.

“I’m very proud of this store, and I think the fans are going to really like what we have in it," Earnhardt Jr. said Tuesday at the grand opening. “The shirts and hats are not flashy and over-the-top like you sometimes see at the race track. It’s more subdued and cool. I had a lot of input in how I wanted this apparel to look, because I didn’t want to sell anything I wouldn’t wear myself."

To enhance the fan experience when visiting JR Motorsports, the retail store is connected to the “Dale Jr. Fan Experience" room, which chronicles the life and racing career of Earnhardt Jr. It contains exhibits featuring the U.S. Navy, primary sponsor of JRM’s No. 88 car in the NASCAR Busch Series, and XM Radio, home to Earnhardt Jr.’s weekly radio program, “Dale Jr. Unrestricted." It also features a life-size “Dale Jr." wax figure sculpted by Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, and a large viewing window into the race shop.

“When fans visit this race shop, we want to give them an opportunity to get to know Dale Jr. in a new way," said Regina Smith, manager of JR Nation. “Whether it’s through his product line in JR Nation or the exhibits in the Fan Experience, Dale Jr. was involved in essentially every phase of this process. There are things in the Fan Experience that you will not find anywhere else – exclusive family pictures, memorabilia, and trophies that he has won."

JR Nation and the new JR Motorsports race shop is located at 349 Cayuga Dr. in Mooresville, N.C. Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.