Made in the USA
General
I'm on my soapbox.
In 1984 the Wrangler Jeans sponsored cars owned by Bud Moore and Richard Childress and driven by Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt began displaying a red, white and blue version of the "Crafted With Pride in USA" logo displayed below.
Last year when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the July Daytona Busch race in his retro Blue & Yellow Wrangler car, the logo was not displayed. As I wrote in a number of letters published in daily newspapers and racing publications, the reason was simple. When the Wrangler cars began displaying this logo in 1984, Wrangler employed 70,000 manufacturing workers in the United States of America making Wrangler Jeans. When Dale Jr. ran the Wrangler colors last year, there were ZERO manufacturing workers in the United States of America making Wrangler Jeans. Wrangler's now owner, VF Corporation moved 70,000 American jobs offshore.
It would be an interesting case study to look at the 1984 season Cup sponsors and compare their 1984 USA manufacturing employment with their numbers today.
I worked with Kenneth Campbell in the PR Department of the Richmond track. Kenneth was a Marine Aviator in the South Pacific in WWII who lost all of the members of his original squadron to Mitsubishi-built Japanese Zero fighters. He died before a Toyota raced at the Richmond track. He refused to allow rental car companies to rent him a Japanese built vehicle. Kind of like many Jewish families not driving German owned Mercedes or BMWs.
I know it is a different day and time as my mom used to tell me, but manufacturing made this country great and when we can, we ought to support American manufacturing. I know the sporty car racers many years ago derided American built cars with the "Detroit Iron" tag, but I hope some day, at least in my grandchildren's lifetime, our store shelves are again lined with American made goods.
updated by @dave-fulton: 04/04/17 04:27:03PM
