A licensing agreement with NASCAR allows West Virginians to purchase license plates bearing the signatures of Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace, as well as a generic NASCAR plate. West Virginia is the second state in the nation, after New York, to allow driver loyalty to be displayed on registered vehicles. NASCAR is talking with North Carolina and South Carolina about similar licensing agreements. New York announced its plate last September and New Yorkers have 14 drivers to choose from. West Virginia’s selection of drivers was based on surveys that showed them to be among the top fan favorites. New York has sold only 288 plates so far. New York has 10 million registered drivers and the state offers several specialized plates. West Virginia has had 3,000 requests for plates that tentatively go on sale Sept. 11.(Charleston Gazette)(9-1-2000)
