Decades later, Earnhardt Auto Centers still provides “No Bull”

Written by

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Earnhardt Auto Centers and Founder Tex Earnhardt have a long history in the Valley and in the Southwest. Founder Tex Earnhardt grew up on a ranch in Texas before moving to Chandler with his family in 1951 at age 20. That year, Tex and his father Hal Earnhardt Sr., opened a gas station and sold Ford vehicles.
Their early car dealership grew one vehicle at a time — they needed to sell one car before they could afford to purchase the next car for sale. As Earnhardt Ford grew, Tex developed a relationship with Lee Iacocca, who invited Tex to become a Chrysler franchise owner. In the early 1980s, Tex opened a Chrysler dealership at Baseline and Rural roads in Tempe.
Earnhardt Auto Centers continued to expand and open more dealerships, and they gained recognition around Arizona. Tex became widely known as the straight-shooting cowboy car dealer who offered no-nonsense deals. His iconic commercials ran for decades on TV, in local publications and on Valley billboards. These commercials featured Tex riding a steer and saying his signature tagline, “That ain’t no bull.” This was ultimate truth in advertising because in the commercials, Tex rode a steer.
Tex told stories of filming those commercials in an article from the East Valley Tribune. According to this account, the “No Bull” tagline originated from a joke. Tex was out on a ranch with his cowboy friends when one of them asked Tex when he was going to stop fooling around, and stop riding that bull. Tex responded, “that ain’t no bull” because he had just “removed its things not 30 minutes ago.” Everyone laughed, and the saying stuck. In the 1960s, crews filmed live footage of Tex on a steer right inside the Channel 5 studios in downtown Phoenix.
As Earnhardt Auto Centers kept growing and opened more dealerships, the “No Bull” ads continued and updated. Over the years, Tex’s kids and grandkids joined him in the family business.

Today, Earnhardt Auto Centers has 21 locations representing 17 vehicle brands and is one of the top auto dealerships in the country. They expanded beyond the Valley, with locations in Prescott Valley and Las Vegas. When you’re ready for a “No Bull” car buying experience, check out any Earnhardt Auto Centers location in person or online. The Earnhardts treat their customers like family, and that ain’t no bull![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”27253″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” >

Carolyn Sostrom

Carolyn Sostrom is a long-time Arizona resident who loves desert sunsets, warm weather, Zumba, and the Western lifestyle. She attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale and then Arizona State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Similarly to the protagonist in *The Devil Wears Prada*, Carolyn moved to New York City right after college. She started working for the fashion magazine company Conde Nast but never transitioned to the dark side. After a few years, she left New York in the rearview mirror and returned to her home state, taking a reporter job at the *Apache Junction Independent*. With over 30 years of freelance writing experience, Carolyn especially enjoys writing about community events and profiling individuals who are making a difference in their communities. She had the pleasure of interviewing a variety of cowboy personalities for an article she wrote for the *Scottsdale Independent* about the history of DC Ranch and its roots as a working ranch. Now, her Western adventures with CLN have her diving into the rugged automotive scene, exploring the trucks and rigs cowboys rely on for work, home, and play, a niche where grit meets horsepower. She works at Raising Special Kids, a nonprofit resource center for families of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs. Carolyn also volunteers with the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix. Carolyn believes that everyone has a story, and she loves connecting with others to hear their stories. She’s dedicated to ethical journalism and accurate reporting, which shines through in her storytelling.