One way to dramatically increase the odds of getting
his autograph is to take along a piece of officially
licensed Dale Jr merchandise such as a t-shirt, hat or
diecast car.
Junior gets a cut of the sales on all this
merchandise, so he is more likely to pick you out of a
crowd instead of the guy who wants a souvenir program or
Jeff Gordon shirt signed.
Early in his career you could mail an item to Dale
Jr, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, and he
would sign it and mail it back. With his popularity now
he can no longer do that.
Sometimes diecast retailers will pay Earnhardt Jr to
sign a group of cars. For example, a dealer may obtain
2,000 copies of a special paint scheme car that was
produced in limited quantities. Junior will then fly
into their shop for a personal appearance, for a fee,
and sign his name to all 2000 cars.
These events are usually videotaped or photographed
for proof, and since the cars are produced in limited
numbers you can be sure the autographs are authentic.
There is a huge secondary market for Dale Earnhardt
Jr autographs, and there are many honest, reputable
dealers who will only sell authentic autographs.
That doesn't mean that every item is a real autograph