Hulu Sponsorship a Major Deal for Jeffrey Earnhardt

Jeffrey Earnhardt, driver of the #33 Towne Bank Chevrolet, stands by his car during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Fourth-generation Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt and Circle Sport/TMG team co-owner Joe Falk paid a visit to the Dover media center on Friday to announce a 19-race sponsorship from premium streaming service Hulu on the No. 33 Chevrolet.

“Being a small team, it’s huge for us,” Earnhardt said. “Every dollar goes a long way, and there have been races where we haven’t had sponsorship, and that’s tough on anyone, but it’s even tougher on a small team like us.

“To be able to have good companies like Hulu come on board is huge and not just being able to have more funding going to the track, but to get us more exposure and branding is a huge plus, too.”

Particularly with his uncle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., retiring from Cup racing at the end of the season, Jeffrey feels a certain degree of pressure to keep the family name in the public eye.

“With Junior leaving, that’s a big shock to this sport,” Jeffrey said. “He has quite the fan base, but I feel like there is always pressure to perform. Probably a little bit more now, but one of the main goals that I want to achieve in my career is to continue the legacy that my grandfather (seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt) built.

“You know that means a lot to me. I know how much that man meant to the sport and the fans and stuff. If I can continue that legacy at some level… I mean I would like to say that I’m going to go deliver it at its best, but those were big shoes that he made and I don’t think I could ever get close to even considering filling those. But if I could just do a big portion of keeping that Earnhardt legacy alive, I would be pretty happy.”