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Jade Gurss is Jr.'s PR guy. He works constantly to get us fans all the info we need on Jr. He writes all of the Bud PR, such as the race reports and previews. He also works diligently at keeping Jr. well scheduled and safe. Thanks Jade!
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Dale Jr.
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The following three-part article was written by Kathie Evans, a columnist for The Dale Earnhardt Jr. Pit Stop.
Part 1: Jade Who?
Part 2: The Man Who Is Jade Gurss
Part 3: Jade Gurss - Standing Beside Dale Jr.
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Message posted by: Newbie
"I don�t mean to seem dense, but I�m a newbie and I keep reading about this 'Jade'
person. Who is he/she and what does he/she do?
Thanks for clearing this up�I love this site!
The veterans of The Dale Jr Pit Stop have seen posts like this time and time again.
Occasionally, frequent visitors will even surprise us all and confess that they really don�t
know who Jade is.
So who IS this Jade person? And why does a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. race fan need to know,
anyway?
Jade S. Gurss is the PR "dude� that stands beside Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and not so
behind-the-scenes as most of his colleagues in the NASCAR racing circuit. Interacting with
the fans this past season on the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Pit Stop, he has developed an intense fan
club of his own and his mug has graced many an imaginary milk carton during his recent
months-long absence, thus sparking a �Jade who?� frenzy by the 'newbies'.
Jade is in charge of placing Junior in the public eye. He is
also the guy that whisks him out of sight, shelters him from
groping mobs, frenzied media members, and sometimes
regular, adoring fans as he does his best to help Junior get
his appearances completed, his car qualified, his sponsors
satisfied, his race run�week in - week out. And, if he�s
done his job well, he may get Junior through it and home
in time to enjoy a little relaxation before it�s time to gear
up and do it all over again.
Jade makes miracles happen, even if no wishes are 'commanded', but he can unknowingly
crush your dreams by simply doing his job well.
He is also a professor. A teacher, if you will, who is paid to teach all of us more about the
field of study to which he�s been assigned.
Jade is the Public Relations representative hired by Anheuser-Busch Brewing Companies to
manage the public image of a fellow they signed to drive race cars emblazoned with their
flagship brand logo. This should be a simple enough task for a seasoned PR rep who�s
worked with plenty of race car drivers in the past�Al Unser, Jr., Dario Franchiti, and
Mike McLaughlin, to name a few.
Jade�s assignment, the driver, at the time Jade was contracted, was a fledgling...a 'youngin',
who was getting ready for the big time. He�d met with success in NASCAR�s
developmental series, Busch Grand National, by being crowned the series champion two
years in a row, but, save for a few significant letters in his name, may not have drawn a
whole lot of attention when he made the step up to the big time circuit in NASCAR.
He didn�t look anything like Jeff Gordon. The fact is that he had his OWN style and it was
even more unique to this sport than any other driver�s on the scene. NASCAR didn�t seem
to know what to do with him or his lack of interest in becoming another 'poster boy' for
their move into the 21st Century. He also didn�t come with a long resume like Tony
Stewart. And he sure wasn�t the boastful, marketing mecca of a Buckshot Jones. He hadn�t
even driven in the NASCAR ranks for very long.
He was unseasoned, bashful, and, although very charming, just didn�t have that 'beautiful
people' appeal or composure that seemed to be protocol for new faces in racing once Jeff
Gordon had met with so much success. Plus, the kid liked to do 'weird' things that no one in
the garage, let alone the grandstands would seemingly ever do: listen to loud, aggressive
alternative music; blast funky, sometimes angry, hip-hop and rap tunes; and bleach the tips
of his hair platinum blonde. Other than these idiosyncrasies, he was just another rookie,
getting ready for a run in the big show, and taught people some tough lessons about racin�
and maybe even some musical taste as well.
Oh, but then there�s that minor detail of those letters in that timid and young driver�s name.
They happened to spell the most feared, jeered, respected, loved, hated and debated name
in NASCAR: E-A-R-N-H-A-R-D-T. To make matters a little tougher for Jade, those
letters were followed by a couple more seemingly harmless alpha characters�.ones that
delivered expectations, scrutiny, judgment, excitement and all kinds of attention to Jade�s
new assignment: 'Jr.'
Jade had earned Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as his new assignment. And the brand name whose
image he needed to maintain...well, it was only a long-time sports sponsor and major
contributor to NASCAR racing for many, many years: Budweiser.
Yeah. A daunting challenge.
You�d suppose he�d have been set up to do this with a LOT of support - a LOT of
backup, if you will. He should work for a big corporate giant so he can lean on people for
advice, call a secretary to send out press kits and screen appearance requests for
him�probably he�d even have his own travel coordinator.
Nope. No way.
Jade was contracted to handle this all on his own. He was advised to form a corporation
for himself, and take on the big time task of managing the Earnhardt son that carries the
complete name legacy, and the biggest beer sponsor of the sport...all by himself.
And, like any good PR guy, Jade smiled and graciously accepted the assignment�er,
um...challenge.
When the idea to interview Jade came to me last May, I was making plans for the Pepsi
400 in Charlotte. I had agreed to meet him at the track with camera and recorder in hand,
but our conflicting schedules prevented our meeting. While waiting for a friend on "Speed
Street", I checked my voice mail messages and found that Jade had left one that was not
only considerate, but lengthy; filled with genuine charm, interest and his unfailing wit. The
message gave me a better insight to his caring personality and the charisma to which fans
can relate and made me even more anxious to ask the questions we all wanted to know.
I'm looking forward to sharing my in-depth interview with those of you who feel you
already know the man...and changing the "newbie" status for those who wonder who he is
and what he's all about.
Kathie
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So who does JADE think he is, anyway? What does it mean to him when he says, �Hello,
I�m Jade Gurss� when meeting someone?
�Oh, sh**... I tend to grow on people so my impact grows. I guess friendly, bright,
funny�you should ask people who have met me about that one.� Sensing that he�s rather
uncomfortable addressing the personal questions, I asked him what he would consider his
life�s most embarrassing moment. His response was, �Right now...these answers.�
Born in Topeka, Kansas, his last name is an Americanized version of the German name
�Girsk�. He explained the uniqueness of his name to me.
�Jade was taken from a comic strip in the 1950s. The family in the comic had many
children, all of whose names began with the letter �J�. �Jade� was the one my Mom and
Dad liked�no, my parents were NOT flower children. I was born in the EARLY 60s, not
late 60s��
His family members, not surprisingly, are enjoying his gig with NASCAR. His father has
owned car dealerships for more than 35 years and he has a sister, three years his junior,
who attended her first two Winston Cup races back-to-back with her husband this fall.
Jade doesn�t get home to Kansas as often as he likes, but with the addition of the Kansas
City track, he now gets to go home twice a year.
As an adolescent, Jade spent a lot of time indoors listening to his favorite music.
�Like all shy musicians, I was most happy alone in my bedroom listening to [record]
albums. Anyone who says they got in a band for reasons other than getting [women] is
lying."
Jade was involved in several bands as a
drummer during his high school and college
days.
�[We did] the usual; bad high school cover
bands, a college band with original
songs�toured and toured and signed a
record deal with a company that went
bankrupt�toured some more�formed a
funny �fake� band�blah blah blah�it�s all
a clich�. Like Ringo, I got to sing one or
two [songs] at the most�lots of backing
vocals, though. I can harmonize my a**
off��
Jade's real dream was to become a Sprint car driver. Racing played a large role in his
childhood aspirations as his hero list included Ron Shuman (�the Flying Shoe�), Parnelli
Jones, Jim Clark and Bruce McLaren, to name a few.
A self-described �nerd� in high school, he participated in the marching band, tennis,
debate/speech clubs and theater. Ironically, he was unwittingly preparing himself for the
�Land of Public Relations� if you�ve ever witnessed him in the garage area on Sunday
mornings.
Citing no one in particular as a �best� friend, he does continue to see a group of high school
buddies once or twice a year and has kept in touch with a �dear, dear friend with terminal
cancer who is in my thoughts a lot lately as well.�
Holding the position that he does, it is not surprising that more than a few women with
hidden agendas have approached him for romance in recent years.
�[They�re after] a BIG wallet," he submits. "For all the female BS about wanting a guy with
a sense of humor, I find that my �proximity� to Dale Jr. and the perception that I make more
money as the owner of my company has made a much bigger impression on the ladies than
the best of my comedy routines.�
For that reason, he has a difficult time determining if a woman is sincere and without ulterior
motives.
�It�s verrrrrrrry difficult�I wish I had a good answer, but I�m still suspicious of most of
�em�, he chuckles.
Jade says he considers himself a romantic, �But my ex-wife wouldn�t. I VERY MUCH
wanna have children � much more so than I want to get married again, but I�m hoping for
both in the not-so-distant future.�
So, what would he consider his "ideal" date?
�As in, WHO is my ideal date or WHAT is my ideal date?�, he wonders. �Gotta have a
great meal and then something fun; karting, an event like a concert or sports, etc. The
�ideal� may be different depending on the woman I�m with��
When asked to liken his personality to that of any particular animal, he suggests he�s most
like a dog.
�Loyal, smart, fun-loving, playful�chases toys�� he grins. Then, he adds on a more
serious note, �I have a low tolerance for stupidity.�
He suspects that the column format may not allot him enough pages to elaborate on this
particular pet peeve, so we moved on.
For a bit of Q&A fun, I quizzed him on some of his categorical favorites�Movies: �Pulp
Fiction, Diner, This is Spinal Tap.� Actor: �John Cusack.� Actress: �Hmmmm...how much
space do I have? Right now, it�s Kate Beckinsale because of that SMILE! And those
EYES! This answer may change next week.� Musical preference:
�Rock�Alternative�whatever ya wanna call it.� Musical group: �I�ve been listening to
Ryan Adams/Whiskeytown, Gerald Collier, Freedy Johnston.� Food: "Mexican or Italian.�
At home, Jade only cooks if it �fits in the microwave� and his junk food passion lies within a
bag of Peanut M & M�s.
�Keep �em away from me! I need to try to keep my girlish figure.� Figuratively speaking, he
looks nothing like a girl, but I imagine that stores will have a problem keeping them on the
shelves now that the word is out.
His sense of humor is like a persistent cartoon feather under your arm and you can�t get
anything �over� on him, either�so I learned. When I asked him what he considers his �best
feature�, he replied, �I did a feature story on Darrell Waltrip that was quite
good�otherwise, I�d say, �hmmm�no idea.��
So, is Jade happy with his life and feeling a sense of contentment?
�Overall, I�m never satisfied, which is why I think I work too much. Happy? Contentment?
Hmmm�I have some good medication for that. No one thing would do that. Maybe to be
more pleased with myself and start a family,� he shares. He is, however, content where he
is professionally.
And who WOULDN�T be?
So, Jade...which is it? Boxers or briefs? Without hesitation, �Boxers,
baaaaaaaayyyybeeeee!,� he enthusiastically shares.
As if you didn�t think I�d ask...*wink*
Kathie
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You won't catch Jade away from home without the following items: "My cell phone and my
Dale Jr. notepad in my back pocket. This job is 24/7 and you never know when inspiration
may hit and you NEED to take a note or two. Or perhaps a phone number�heh heh heh.
Or, maybe you write down to remember to buy a volleyball and paint a face on it. Oh,
wait�that'll be in the NEXT book�"
The "book" to which Jade refers is his collaboration with Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. entitled, Driver #8, scheduled to hit the
bookstores within a week. Many have already received their
copies via online pre-sales and it's the latest buzz to hit the
racing circuit.
So, whose idea was it for the book?
"It was my idea. I wanted to mark his rookie season in a
permanent, historical context. A documentary was the first
choice, but no one wanted to write the check for it, so I started
keeping detailed notes about everything. The day after his
dad's death, I was ready to put the whole project on the shelf,
but Junior said 'let's do it as a really kick-ass book and
dedicate it to my dad...'"
We'll undoubtedly learn a lot more about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as we enjoy Driver #8; the
following is a Q&A session I had with Jade about his being the man that stands beside our
favorite driver.
What jobs did you hold before Budweiser gave you the call?
A long list actually. Before starting fingerprint inc., I was managing marketing and
communications for Ilmor Engineering, the racing division of Mercedes-Benz, near Detroit.
I've had agency experience, retail experience, racetrack experience and all kinds of unique
jobs...video production, sound and lighting design, musician...
Describe the events that led you to this job:
I had worked with Tim Schuler nearly ten years before. We stayed in touch occasionally,
and when he was promoted in the sports marketing dept. at Anheuser-Busch, he was trying
to put a team together around the Dale Jr. sponsorship in 1999. He called me at Mercedes
one day and the rest is history.
What is your educational background?
Honors degree from Washburn University - graduated cum laude in Broadcast
Communications, technical degree (with honors) in audio engineering from Recording
Workshop, Chillicothe, Ohio.
What was the make/year of the first car you ever owned?
It was a 1965 Chevelle, with bench seats and AM radio. Sweeeeeeet, until a guy named
"Cheesy" ran into it with his old pick-up truck.
I currently drive an Audi TT�or, as Junior [calls it], "a Nazi Go-Kart".
"fingerprint, inc.": What's the significance in the name of your company?
Well, anyone who knows me knows I'm "digitally challenged": missing two fingers due to a
motorcycle accident in 1976. SO, it had to have a finger theme, and a fingerprint represents
"touch" and "individual" (none are the same - each is unique) so it seemed to fit. Plus, if you
say "inc." out loud, it sounds like "ink". Ya use an inkpad to take fingerprints... heh heh
heh�it was a unique and distinctive name.
When did you start your company and whom did you represent before Jr.?
August 1999... Mercedes-Benz sports: CART (Al Unser Jr., Greg Moore, Dario
Franchitti, etc...), Formula One, PGA golf, ATP tennis, and a variety of other endeavors...
French's Mustard (driver Mike McLaughlin)...
How many employees do you have?
One full-timer: Kristi Boyer, who joined in July, 2001...
What kind of boss are you?
One that gives a lot of latitude. I hired her because she was smart, so I let her run with
ideas...
What is the hardest part of your job?
The travel. The schedule. The travel. The hours. The travel.
How do you measure your performance?
With a ruler.
Is your involvement with Junior typical of the involvement of a PR rep with his/her driver?
Or are you more involved?
I'd say I'm more involved. Most are little more than helmet carriers....
Do you manage Junior's complete schedule?
Yup. Except his social calendar.
Who decides what appearances Junior attends?
Mostly based upon his contracts with sponsors.
We rarely if ever accept an appearance request
from a non-sponsor. Junior and I work on the
timing to try to make appearances and travel the
most efficient possible.
How involved are you in Junior's appearances...
i.e., do you make suggestions for his wardrobe or
topics during public appearances such as the
Tonight Show or the MTV Awards program or
does he have a lot of freedom in areas such as
these?
I make suggestions, but he's pretty well self-directed. I arranged for the stylist for the MTV
deal and helped re-write his introduction of Linkin Park. I prepared the Leno staff with
several hours of pre-interviews and background material. The same also applies with print
projects such as the Playboy Interview and up-coming major stories in Newsweek
Magazine and USA Weekend (the Sunday edition of USA Today).
Has there ever been a time that you wanted to quit?
Hmmmmmmmmm. Yes. But usually only for a few hours. Then, usually after a good night's
sleep, I lose the desire to bash his face in...heh heh heh.
What happened to make you feel that way?
Loooooooooooooooooooong story.
Have you ever made a PR decision that resulted in regret? What was it?
Yes. Losing control of the 700 Club situation. The Today Show appearance was too soon
- though Junior doesn't agree...
If public relations weren't a major factor in this sport, would you have found another way to
be involved and what would you be doing?
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...marketing or televising the races. That's how I got in the door: I
worked on a video crew in the early days of motorsports magazine shows like "Motorweek
Illustrated" and "Raceday."
What is the one event while representing Jr. that stands out in your mind as the most
outrageous thing that has happened?
Uh... the Salt Lake City appearance. (Read the book.)
There has been much talk of crowded garages, security, and autograph hounds lately. How
do you help keep Jr. safe AND the fans happy?
I can't. The fans are turning more and more angry and aggressive, so I try to keep everyone
SAFE first of all, and then get to where Junior needs to go.
What do you most want to accomplish in your job? Happy Junior? Happy fans? Happy
sponsor?
All of the above. I am paid by Bud, so they need to be happy. I have to deal with Jr. daily,
so he needs to be happy.
What changes would you like to see regarding security at the tracks?
No fans/autographs in the garage...
What bothers you the most when leading Jr. through a crowd?
Pushing. Cursing. Tripping. Yelling.
It seems nowadays, everyone knows that Jade is Junior's PR guy. When was the first time
you were recognized in public by a fan? What happened?
Oh jeeeeeeeeeeez...FIRST time? No idea. My sister loved it when someone asked for my
signature at Charlotte. She thought it was a set-up for her benefit until it happened again an
hour later...
How different is working with a NASCAR team compared to the work you did before?
Not much different. NASCAR, CART, NHRA... there are many similarities. The schedule
here is more grueling. I hate getting e-mail messages from my Mercedes buddies from the
beach at Surfer's Paradise, Australia, while I'm huddled in the cold rain at Darlington, SC.
What is your typical week like?
There is no typical week. This week, I stayed in Miami with Junior to shoot two new
commercials for Budweiser. We were up for 36 hours straight... ughhhhhhhhhhhh...
Sometimes we're at home and I can spend a week in the office (Mon-Tue-Wed) before
leaving Thursday to fly or drive to the track. On raceday, I take him to his sponsor
meet-n-greet(s), then driver's meeting, then driver intros, and so on...
If you could change any one thing about your job, what would it be?
The travel and lack of social life.
What two or three accomplishments have given you the most personal satisfaction?
Hmmmmmmmmmm. The book. The first Rolling Stone article. Lemme get back to ya on
the third one...
How much contact did you have with Dale Sr. and do you have a favorite memory of him
that you'd like to share?
Not much contact. The best was being thrown to the ground in Victory Lane at Texas.
(Read the book.)
Until recently, you have been an active participant at The Dale Jr. Pit Stop...why was that
important to you and why has that changed in recent months?
It has changed because of the increased demands for my time and the increased pace of
finishing the book. Only so many hours in a day. It was important to develop a link to the
fans as things grew...but I found that my day was increasingly being taken up by repeated
e-mails and IMs from fans. It simply became more productive to step away and let the site
grow without my direct contact.
You have been missed by many and have
developed your OWN fan club at that site. Do
you have a message for the fans at
dalejrpitstop.com who have missed your
participation?
Hey kids. I'm still here and I still stop in quite a
lot. I've just reached a point where I had to
devote my focus to several other projects.
While you may not often catch him on the Pit
Board, you can always find him standing right
beside Junior and doing one helluva job.
Obviously, this three-part series on Jade has come to an end. Though he's one busy guy, he
was generous enough to share his time and to share who is he with all of us. Can't thank
you enough, Jade.
If you're looking for me, I'll be in my room reading a book�
Kathie
(part 1 in a three-part series)
By Kathie Evans - December 14th, 2001
Subject: Jade WHO?
Signed, Newbie"
(part 2 in a three-part series)
By Kathie Evans - December 24th, 2001
(final in a 3-part series)
By Kathie Evans - January 15th, 2002
No, it's tough to quantify sometimes, so you make the most of the goals you set. We
originally dreamed of getting a mention in Rolling Stone and People, and now Dale Jr. and
Bud have been in both several times... The Tonight Show was big...