While the chances are pretty slim that Leefers may actually get to thank Earnhardt in person someday, if he does, he might owe the racer a little more than just a thank you. Instead, it’s safely tucked away in the Leefers’ home in Coffeen, another treasured keepsake for the long-time autograph aficionado. It was in that group that Leefers realized just how lucky he was to have the card back, as a friend pointed out that had he moved, the envelope would have likely been returned to Earnhardt or be floating out there in the postal unknown. “That made me think that he hadn’t signed one before so I had a one-of-one at the time.”Īs odd as it seems to receive an autograph back after 17 years, Leefers isn’t the only one in that boat.Īfter receiving the card, he mentioned his new addition in a Facebook group called Autographs 101 and learned that a few other collectors had also recently received Earnhardt autographs from letters sent out around the same time frame. “He asked me, ‘So where do you sign these things?” Leefers remembers from when he asked Ripken to sign the car. He also has a Bobby Labonte die cast featuring a paint scheme honoring Cal Ripken, Jr.’s retirement, and the legendary Orioles shortstop’s signature across the hood. The Earnhardt combo isn’t Leefers’ only NASCAR/MLB collaboration in his collection though. I’ve got the die cast car from that race too, so I’ll set the card beside that car to display it.” “On the card he’s wearing a pin-striped fire suit, which I think was for the All-Star Game that year. That was a race he won and he had a baseball paint scheme on his car,” said Leefers, who added that he had been drawn to Earnhardt after the superstar had several different baseball-themed paint schemes over the year. “I’m glad he signed the one he did and not the other one.
Whether Leefers’ letter got lost in the shuffle or has just been in a box somewhere at Earnhardt’s home is anyone’s guess, but the self-described autograph hound is glad that the NASCAR legend got around to signing the card. DEI continued racing in 2008, but merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009 and shutdown their shop in Mooresville, NC.
DALE EARNHARDT AUTOGRAPH SERIES
The Harvick card came back a few short weeks later, now bearing the driver’s signature, but the Earnhardt cards never followed suit and Leefers assumed they were gone for good, especially with the changes that occurred with Earnhardt and DEI over the years.Īfter driving for his late father’s team since coming to the Winston Cup Series in 1999, Earnhardt moved to Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 season, a team he remained with until he retired. I like to get them in person if I can, but I thought I would take a chance because I never get to a NASCAR race,” Leefers explained. “Normally I don’t send a whole lot of stuff through the mail. While baseball is Leefers’ passion, he remembers dropping a few cards in the mail around 2002 to Earnhardt and fellow racer Kevin Harvick, who was Earnhardt’s teammate at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. “I thought I’d never see those cards again. “At this point I had just written off the whole thing,” said Leefers with a chuckle. Nearly two decades after Leefers first dropped the cards in the mail, and two years since one of NASCAR’s biggest fan favorites retired from full-time racing, the cards had found their way back into the hands of their original owner. “I said, ‘Yeah, I guess, but I sent it like 17 years ago.’” “She said, ‘What? Weren’t you expecting that?’” Leefers remembers. Leefers’ shock at seeing the envelope clued in his wife Tina that this wasn’t a typical delivery. The card looked the same as it did when Leefers mailed it off, but was now adorned with Earnhardt’s autograph in black felt-tip marker across the front. trading cards, including a 2002 Press Pass brand card featuring Earnhardt celebrating his win in the Pepsi 400 from the year before. Inside the envelope were two Dale Earnhardt, Jr. I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Leefers said. “When I saw it sitting on the table, I knew immediately what it was. 10, Leefers was just getting home from work when he noticed an envelope sitting on the kitchen table. But of the thousands that he has obtained over the years, a recent addition to his collection may be one of the most memorable. Autographs are nothing new to Jim Leefers of Coffeen.