Behind nearly every superstar is a publicist. For a young Dale Earnhardt Jr, the man behind the public machine that became the Dale Jr and the Budweiser number eight was a man named Jade Gurss. Not many will know the name, but he was a major player in the growth and trajectory of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Hall of Fame NASCAR career. For the first time ever, Jade and Dale Jr sit down to talk about the good old days and some that were far from it.
While doing public relations for Budweiser, Jade was the man managing Dale Jr behind the scenes. From at-track interviews to magazine articles, to appearances on major television shows, Jade Gurss was making things happen. Gurss and Dale Jr talk about some of the biggest things they did together, from presenting at the Video Music Awards, being on the Late Show, to Dale Jr hosting an episode of MTV cribs, it was a publicity path that brought Dale, and NASCAR, to areas of American culture that most drivers never went. Just how did some of it come about and how did the introverted Dale Jr handle being thrust into the spotlight on such a stage? It wasn't always simple. Dale and Jade even joke about sitting between Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore at the VMA's to a blundered appearance on David Letterman's show. The print about the second-generation driver didn't just come in racing publications, the exposure soon rocketed from Sports Illustrated all the way to Playboy and Rolling Stone magazine.
