No. 8 is No. 1

He had a nickname and a sponsor before he drove his first race in the big leagues. He draws fans from the MTV set, and from old-timers who revered his father.

Now Dale Earnhardt Jr., the son of a stock-car racing icon, is becoming as notable for what he does on the racetrack as for who he hangs with in his spare time.

Jeff Gordon saw it coming a year ago.

"If he wins the championship, game over for everybody else," the four-time NASCAR champion said. "We're not even going to exist out there."

Earnhardt has a season-high three victories in 11 races and the points lead, leaving everyone else battling to be No. 2. But his newfound dominance may be a threat to his far-reaching fan base.

"I'm very curious myself about what the future holds as far as my appeal to the fans when I contend for the championship, if and when I win the championship, what kind of pros and cons is that going to be on the other side of the fence," he said after winning last week at Richmond.

"The more I contend, I see the gray area is less visible. It's a little more black and white as far as who likes me and who don't in the grandstand."

When he arrived in NASCAR, Earnhardt already had a following because of his name. He showed he belonged by winning Busch Series titles in 1998 and 1999, then moved to stock car racing's premier series in 2000.

Budweiser signed on with a $10 million sponsorship.

When the elder Earnhardt was killed in the season-opening Daytona 500 in 2001, his son's fan base grew again because of the tragedy.

"They might be a Mark Martin fan, but they cheered me just because of what we've been through and all this and that," the 29-year-old Earnhardt said. "Now you're starting to see it's a little more black and white."

It has long been a phenomenon in NASCAR that the guy dominating is the one most cheered -- and the one most jeered.Dealing with the adulation, and the other side, is all just part of the game, and Earnhardt learned from his father how best to handle it.

"You've just kind of got to roll with the punches," he said. "You've just got to be tough, be your own man and people will appreciate that."