Nationwide returns to normalcy with Earnhardt

Sunday's 59th annual Daytona 500 will bring a big sigh of relief for Jim McCoy and Nationwide Insurance.

The company's driver and friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is finally back behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet, which carries the Nationwide colors. It marks the end to what McCoy, the Director of Sports Marketing for Nationwide, called a strange back half of last year when Earnhardt missed 18 races because of a concussion.

It was a situation, of all the ones that could have happened, that Nationwide didn't have a contingency plan for. Yet instead of panicking and taking its support off of the car, Nationwide stood behind its driver.

The message was loud and clear: Health first, and we'll be happy to see Earnhardt back when he's ready and able.

"No hesitation," McCoy told RACER about staying on the car. "We're the sponsor of the 88 team. It was more of how do we adjust our program to get behind and talk more about Alex (Bowman, who drove the car in 10 races) and share his story, because he's got a pretty unique story in terms of his talent and everything that he's been able to accomplish.

"It was great to see him get the pole at Phoenix and have some really strong finishes down toward the end of the season. Martinsville with Jeff (Gordon, who drove the car in eight races), his last race there likely and celebrating some of those other moments. But we didn't waiver."

Make no mistake, it wasn't an easy situation.

The initial uncertainty of Earnhardt's status from week-to-week was the hardest for the company. Understandably Nationwide saw a dip in its investment with Earnhardt gone, but there were also activation plans and social media promotions that were put back on the backburner for a bit.

Helping Nationwide get through the process was the strength in communication from Hendrick Motorsports, keeping everyone updated. McCoy says it was near weekly. Earnhardt was also forthcoming about his progress.

In September, the announcement that Earnhardt would not return to competition before the end of the season made things easier. Nationwide was able to move forward with its programs while leveraging who was in the car each week. Seeing that the fan base was hungry for content, Nationwide continued to use Earnhardt when possible as McCoy said he honored all of his commitments.

"He's got a built-in fan base, and we know anything we put out there they're going to react to it," McCoy said. "As Dale came back out to the track and was more involved in sitting on the pit box and spending time with the team, fans responded to that, and I think they responded to Alex. So, we were still using our channels, still hitting Junior Nation, but we were able to leverage that strong connection that I think Dale and Alex were forming.

"Jeff was unique. To have access to a Hall of Famer like that was great. His social channels tagging the Nationwide (page). We had some of our best weekends with him in the car, too, because he was so willing to go above and beyond for us."

Earnhardt's return has Nationwide trending back upward. In the offseason, the company put emphasis on the Daytona 500 and what it takes to prepare for a new season through a six-part video series, "Unfinished Business." Met with such a positive reaction, McCoy says the company is going to eclipse its goals of views.

Daytona now upon them, McCoy looks back at last year and sums it up as a learning experience. Not having their driver for an extended period of time "taught us a lot," he admits.

But, just days away from the Daytona 500, it's hard for McCoy not smile at the excitement and relief of seeing Earnhardt back behind the wheel and embarking on a new season.

"Yes, and they have some speed," he said. "That's even better."