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LOUDON, N.H. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been winless for more than a year and needs the greatest comeback since the title Chase was created to even hope to contend for a Sprint Cup crown, but he remains NASCAR's dominant seller.

Despite his lack of success, it is only recently that Earnhardt's position in the marketplace has been challenged.

Points leader Tony Stewart has overtaken Earnhardt in merchandise sales on the NASCAR.com Superstore. It's only the second time since 2003 that someone other than Earnhardt has been that site's top seller any week. The last time it happened -- in November after Jimmie Johnson won his record-tying third consecutive series championship -- Earnhardt quickly regained his throne.

While Stewart's ascension shouldn't be overlooked, it doesn't mean that Earnhardt's popularity is waning. The NASCAR.com Superstore is just one of many outlets in the fragmented world of driver merchandise sales. Major stores, Motorsports Authentics and at-track stands are among the numerous outlets for fans to find die-cast cars, T-shirts, hats or other trinkets.

Look around a race track and you'll find more Earnhardt trailers than any other driver. Earnhardt has three trailers this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- Stewart has two as does Jeff Gordon. Drivers get additional trailers based on sales. Don't sell a certain amount of merchandise and a driver doesn't get another trailer. Also, Earnhardt's total doesn't include a Junior Nation trailer and one for adidas that sells Earnhardt merchandise.

"Junior is still the king of trackside,'' says Chris Williams, vice president of trackside sales for Motorsports Authentics.

So, how to explain Stewart's rise? It's a combination that rarely comes together. Among the top sellers before this season, Stewart is winning races. He leads the points. He's with a new team. He has new colors and a new number.

That's like hitting a lottery for a driver.

Whenever a top driver changes teams, fans buy the new items. Earnhardt's move from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick Motorsports last season led to a selling season not seen before at Motorsports Authentics, Williams says.

This year, Earnhardt's sales have cooled as his performance declined and fans had many of his items. Earnhardt's on-track struggles have him 20th in the driver standings heading into today's race. He's 277 points out of the last transfer spot to the Chase. Matt Kenseth, who was 271 points behind at this time in 2005, is the only driver more than 200 points behind this late in the season to make the Chase.

Even if Earnhardt doesn't make the Chase, his merchandise sales could strengthen this season.

"All it takes is one win, one streak of good finishes and he's going to go,'' Gordon said of Earnhardt's sales. "That's the difference. With him, it doesn't take anything to bounce back.''

Until that happens, Stewart could grab more of the market as long as his success continues.

Stewart surprised many when he left Joe Gibbs Racing for his own team after last season. He won the all-star race last month and sales put him ahead of Earnhardt briefly at the NASCAR.com Superstore. Earnhardt recaptured the top spot. Stewart then won at Pocono earlier this month and again topped Earnhardt at the website.

That isn't the only sign that Stewart's reach has grown.

Sports Media Challenge, a sports consulting company, measures Internet chatter on blogs, chat rooms and discussion boards, among others, with its Buzz Manager program. Kathleen Hessert, president of Sports Media Challenge, notes that the Internet chatter for Stewart has spiked higher than Earnhardt recently.

So, can Stewart overtake Earnhardt as NASCAR's most dominant personality? Not likely. Earnhardt's brand and name recognition stretches well beyond the sport's borders.

While Stewart likely won't supplant Earnhardt as the No. 1 seller, he can't be disappointed with his sales figures.

"It's not the end of the world,'' says Max Muhleman, president of Private Sports Consultants, "to be one of the top three or four (in sales), which he probably will be as long as he drives.''

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com