The Near Miss: Unraveling the Close Call Between the Olympics and Dale Earnhardt's Deal
Joe Mattes, the Senior Vice President of Business and Strategy at JR Motorsports, played a pivotal role in the memorable Olympic campaign of 1996. At that time, with Earnhardt already having secured an impressive seven championships, his team saw an opportunity to showcase the Olympic brand on their car. The primary objective was to generate widespread awareness for the brand while also exploring the possibility of a mutually beneficial royalty arrangement.
However, as one might expect, things didn't unfold quite as smoothly as anticipated.
