INDIANAPOLIS - For sale by owner: Major sponsorship for NASCARs most popular driver. Act fast, time is running out. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not only looking for his first win of the season, hes still hunting for a big-bucks sponsor for 12 Sprint Cup races this season. Earnhardt said hes not worried, a sign that perhaps Hendrick Motorsports has a deal on the horizon. "It is important to try to fill out what we have this season and we will," Earnhardt said Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I dont have any doubt at all that we will get that done. I think we almost have to look forward beyond that to try to find out who is going to be the partner that we can put a long term deal together that matches up with what we want to do in the future." Thats part of the problem. Hendrick and Earnhardt would love to find a primary sponsor that would fund whats left on this seasons slate as well as 2014, and possibly beyond. With 16 races left, putting together a multi-year deal with a committed corporate backer seems almost impossible to pull off. "Its just all the dollars and cents are accounted for at this point in the year," Earnhardt said. "That doesnt mean we cant put some things together and do some creative stuff with some people and some partners that we already have." Earnhardts sponsorship woes started when Pepsi, through Diet Mountain Dew and Amp, sliced its sponsorship from 20 races to five in 2013. The National Guard did bolster its support of the No. 88, going from 16 to 20 races. Earnhardt, whos made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship each of the last two seasons, is somewhat hindered in finding the right fit because of conflicts with committed corporate sponsors. For example, his Pepsi deal is the reason he ditched Budweiser when he signed with Hendrick for the 2008 season. Its not like he doesnt have options. Earnhardt is one of the superstar faces of NASCAR. Even as the wins have dried up, he was still voted NASCARs most popular driver for each of the last 10 years. Owner Rick Hendrick isnt interested in sponsors looking to work their way in for a race or two, or the kind of companies that would conflict with his corporate image. Earnhardt was set to drive an unsponsored race at Daytona until Hendrick put the National Guard on the No. 88. Hell use the National Guard again for Sundays race at Indy. Another reason he can be picky: The sponsorship he does have on the 88 is so lucrative that he has one of the highest-funded cars in the garage even with available inventory. Hes also kept an eye on sponsorship for his Nationwide Series program competing under the JR Motorsports banner. Great Clips signed on as primary sponsor for 28 races this season. Great Clips and Hendrick on Friday announced a three-year extension through 2016 that bumped its primary sponsorship from three Cup races a season to 10 for Kasey Kahnes No. 5 Chevrolet. Great Clips also will serve as a major associate sponsor. Great Clips will be on Kahnes car this weekend in Indianapolis and again for the Sept. 22 race at New Hampshire. "They continue to see a great return on investment, and were focused on continuing that trend by performing at a high level on the racetrack while delivering business wins," Hendrick said. Earnhardt, though, said he didnt know how Great Clips increase would affect its future relationship with his Nationwide program. He seems just as confident that hell find the right sponsors. "We have some potential to have some really interesting things announced down the road with that," he said. "Due to how well weve run this year and how weve been able to turn that program around, we definitely caught the eyes of a few sponsors and potential partners. So, were looking a lot better on that front, too. I think everything is going to be fine. I dont believe anybody needs to be too concerned at this point." 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The United States earned its 1,000th gold medal at the Summer Olympics when Jeff Henderson won the long jump at Olympic Stadium. Thats over 600 more golds than any other country has won. (And no, Michael Phelps hasnt won them all.)Of the athletes who contributed to that grand total, who are the 10 greatest U.S. gold medalists? Its a matter of opinion, but such a narrow list means a lot of superb athletes wont make the podium. Cassius Clay, for instance, won gold in 1960, but he is known more for his pro boxing career as Muhammad Ali than his Olympic feat (plus, legend has it he might have tossed his medal in the Ohio River). As renowned as Bruce Jenner was for winning the decathlon and waving the U.S. flag in 1976, that was only a single victory. And the 1992 Dream Team isnt on this list because our pro players were so much better than those of the other countries that it was hardly even a competition.So with apologies to the above (along with Edwin Moses, Matt Biondi, Al Oerter and others), here are the top 10 American gold medalists in the Summer Olympics, based on performance and lasting influence:10. Bob BeamonSure, he won only a single gold medal, the only athlete on this list to do so. But he did so by breaking the world record in the long jump by nearly 2 feet at the 1968 Olympics. That would be like Usain Bolt suddenly running the 100 in under nine seconds. Beamons record stood for 23 years, inspiring many jumpers, such as Mike Powell and Carl Lewis.9. Mark SpitzPrior to Phelps, Spitz was the legend of swimming, winning seven gold medals (and breaking the world record in each event) at the 1972 Olympics. No swimmer was able to attain that gold total until Phelps won eight in 2008. Spitz famously posed for a poster with the seven golds draped around his neck while sporting his famous mustache and wearing his swimsuit -- and it was so popular the poster sold more than a million copies. Perhaps only Farrah Fawcetts sold more, but she never medaled in her swimsuit.8. Florence Griffith-JoynerFlo-Jo set the world record in the womens 100 meters at the 1988 Olympic trials with a time of 10.49. While the record in the mens 100 has been steadily declining in the 28 years since then, Griffith-Joyners mark still stands. In fact, no other woman has come closer than Carmelita Jeters 10.64 in 2009. Griffith-Joyners world record in the 200, set during the 1988 Seoul Games, also still stands. In addition to the 200 gold in Seoul, she set the Olympic record in the 100, winning by 0.3 seconds, and added a third gold in 4x100 relay. She might rank higher, but there were rumors of steroid use, though she never tested positive. Maybe it was just her ultralong fingernails that got her across the line so fast.7. Simone BilesMary Lou Rettons all-around gold medal in 1984 dazzled the country and got her on a Wheaties box, but she says Biles might be the best American gymnast ever. So do others. Biles has won two gold and a chance for more golds in Rio -- and she hasnt lost a world or national all-around in three years. Watching her leap, twist and fly through her routines is like watching Spider-Man swing through the city, only Biles is real, not a CGI creation. Expect to see her image on more than just a cereal box.6. Jackie Joyner-KerseeJoyner-Kersee won two gold medals (1988, 1992) and a silver (1984) in the heptathlon, plus a gold (1988) and two bronzes (1992, 1996) in the long jump. To compete -- and win -- in the heptathlon and the long jump? That is simply stupendous, and a reason she continues to inspire athletes. Shes a mentor to me, 2012 long jump gold medalist Brittney Reese said.5. Bob MathiasThe U.S. has dominated the Olympic decathlon,, where the winner is hailed as the worlds greatest athlete.dddddddddddd Thats quite an honor, but its even more so if you hold that title for not just four years, but eight years. Mathias did the latter, becoming the first athlete to win the decathlon in two Olympics (1948 and 1952). Only Great Britains Daley Thompson has matched that feat, but 2012 champ Adam?Eaton of the U.S. is a good bet to make it a trio in Rio. If he does, this list may need to change.4. Wilma RudolphRudolph is the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Games. Rudolph was, and remains, an inspiration. Born prematurely, she was the 20th of 22 children in her family. She had double pneumonia, scarlet fever, whooping cough and measles as a child. She also had polio, which forced her to wear a brace on her left leg from ages 6 to 9. Rudolph overcame all that to race in the 1956 Olympics at age 16, where she won a bronze. At Rome in 1960, she won gold in the 100 and 200 meters as well as the 4x100 relay, running the anchor leg. When Rudolph died in 1994, Ollan Cassell, then the executive director of USA Track & Field, said, Shes a legend in track and field, like Jesse Owens. After Jesse died, she became the icon, a symbol of what the Olympics mean to this country and this sport. Speaking of Owens ...3. Jesse OwensWith Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany spouting white supremacy and hatred, Owens threw their racism back in their face at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He won the 100 meters. He won the 200. He won the long jump. And he also ran the opening leg of the 4x100 for his fourth gold medal. Owens was so amazing that even the German crowd cheered him (though not Hitler). Unfortunately, there still was enough racial prejudice in the United States at the time that when Owens returned to America and was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York, he had to take a freight elevator to a reception for him at the Waldorf-Astoria. He also was reduced to running against horses to earn money. Even so, he remains an icon of sport. He was the inspiration for the 2016 movie Race, and the street outside the Olympic Stadium in Berlin is named for him.2. Michael PhelpsHe has been so great for so long -- Rio is his fifth Olympics -- he is essentially the Dream Team of swimming. No Olympian has ever won as many gold medals in a single Olympics as Phelps did when he took home eight in 2008 (after winning six in 2004). No Olympian has ever won nearly as many combined medals as Phelps (28 overall, including 23 gold). For that matter, hes won more gold medals than at least 110 countries! And whos to say that he wont come back and win even more at Tokyo in 2020? I honestly dont think this is going to be his last Olympics, fellow U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte said. Im saying hes going to come back again.1. Carl LewisThe International Olympic Committee named him the athlete of the 20th century, and Sports Illustrated named him the Olympian of the century. For good reason. At the 1984 Olympics, Lewis duplicated Owens feat of winning four gold medals (100, 200, long jump and 4x100). Lewis won the long jump in four consecutive Olympics, something no one else has done. He won nine gold medals, and 10 medals overall. So how does he end up ahead of Phelps with 16 fewer medals and 13 fewer golds? Well, he competes in a sport where you cant win that many medals, because track doesnt have additional events where you run backward or with your arms maneuvering in bizarre ways. You just run and jump as fast and far as you can. And thats what King Carl did. ' ' '