WHAT’S IN A FACE \ Junior’s recognizability

The Davie-Brown Index is based on responses of approximately 1.5 million online panelists who are asked to evaluate a select number of more than 1,500 public figures. Panelists are shown a celebrity’s photo and name and asked if they recognize that person. Panelists are then asked to rate that celebrity along seven other attributes, on a scale of one to six. One of the questions asked of panelists who recognized the celebrity gauges whether that person believes the celebrity would make a good product endorser. Some 62.2 percent of respondents recognized Earnhardt by name and face. Earnhardt scored a 69.7 in the endorsement attribute. That number is not a percentage, but a weighted score based on how the respondents rated the driver in that specific attribute. All data is from weekly polls taken from January-February 2007.

Driver (overall poll rank) DBI Score Awareness Endorsement*

1. Jeff Gordon (441) 64.2 64.8% 67.1

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (455) 63.7 62.2% 69.7

3. Danica Patrick (615) 56.6 47.3% 71.9

4. Michael Waltrip (811) 48.0 34.2% 72.1

5. Tony Stewart (857) 45.8 33.5% 67.4

6. Mark Martin (948) 42.6 28.0% 67.5

7. Kevin Harvick (1,069) 38.2 18.8% 68.2

8. Kurt Busch (1,204) 34.7 18.8% 59.7

9. Carl Edwards (1,212) 34.4 11.3% 69.4

10. (tie) Jimmie Johnson (1,214) 34.3 13.6% 67.9

10. (tie) Greg Biffle (1,215) 34.3 14.3% 64.7

* One of seven attributes measured

Source: Davie-Brown Index