Dale Jr. unveils New Cars

From Fox Sports:

NASCAR's most popular driver will be in the No. 88 Chevrolet when he moves to Hendrick Motorsports next season, the team announced Wednesday. Earnhardt's car will be sponsored by Pepsi, with the company's Mountain Dew soft drink and Amp Energy drink featured on the car. The National Guard will also be involved in the sponsorship.
The new number and sponsor are another step in the rebranding of Earnhardt from party boy to serious corporate pitchman, one that now can be heavily marketed to the under-21 crowd.

"I never thought a car number would create this much excitement," said car owner Rick Hendrick, who has won five Nextel Cup titles. "Trying to do it and keep it quiet from the rest of the world until you have it all together, it was probably the toughest thing I've ever done in motorsports."

Earnhardt has driven the No. 8 Chevrolet for DEI since 2000 with Budweiser's sponsorship. He tried to take the No. 8 with him to Hendrick, but stepmother Teresa Earnhardt refused to give up her rights to it. Mark Martin and Aric Almirola will co-drive that car next year and it will be sponsored by the U.S. Army.

Budweiser will become the primary sponsor next season for the No. 9 Dodge driven by Kasey Kahne.

"It's important that we work hard and make a good statement as we close this out and start a new chapter next year," Earnhardt said. "The anticipation is at a boiling point. I'm ready to get over to Rick's and start racing."

The No. 88 was retired by Robert Yates Racing, which asked NASCAR to transfer the number to Hendrick for Earnhardt.

"Ralph Earnhardt drove the No. 88 Olds in 1957 and because of this number's history with the Earnhardt family, I felt car No. 88 should continue with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.," Robert Yates said in a statement. "Younger fans don't realize I built cars and raced against Ralph. I also had a very close relationship with Dale Earnhardt, Sr. I'm proud to transfer this number to Dale Jr."

The driver unveiled his line of candy bars, "Dale Jr.'s Big Mo'," at a candy expo in Chicago on Tuesday.

Earnhardt had already signed personal services contracts with Adidas and Sony. He became the fourth athlete to receive a clothing line from Adidas, joining soccer's David Beckham, football's Reggie Bush and basketball's Tracy McGrady.

The car sponsorship was announced in Dallas, where 1,500 Pepsi bottlers were holding their annual meeting. Earnhardt appeared before that group before publicly announcing the deal.

Good Bye Bud, Hello Sony

After this season Dale Jr. will no longer be a Bud man.

Heres the story:

OAKVILLE, Calif. (AP) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. has signed an endorsement deal with Sony Electronics, but he still isn't saying what role longtime sponsor Budweiser will have with him when he joins Hendrick Motorsports next season.

"I'm a big electronics fan. I'm a big computer guy. It's products I can dig," Earnhardt told reporters Thursday at a winery in the heart of California's Napa Valley. He will be competing on Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in nearby Sonoma.
His deal with Sony is a personal services contract that gives the company use of his name, likeness and voice for promotions. He also has a similar deal with Budweiser that will continue next year, regardless of what's on his car.

Budweiser has been Earnhardt's primary sponsor since 1999, and the beer manufacturer wants to continue its relationship with him at Hendrick. But car owner Rick Hendrick isn't actively pursuing new sponsors, and it's possible Bud could get shut out.

Earnhardt also said a possible endorsement deal with sporting goods manufacturer Adidas was "on the wish list."

Earnhardt's move to Hendrick is expected to clean up his sometimes scruffy image to match that of his teammates, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, although he appeared at Thursday's news conference in a scraggy beard, an untucked dress shirt and worn jeans — with Puma athletic shoes.

Junior to Announce Plans Wednesday

Earnhardt has scheduled an 11 a.m. ET news conference for Wednesday at his JR Motorsports headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., where he will announce which team he will drive for beginning in the 2008 season.

Well, that was quick. So says ESPN. My money is on RCR, who is conveniently out of the country in New Zealand at the moment.

Dale Jr. Leaving DEI

From FOX Sports:

Earnhardt, 32, announced on Thursday that he was leaving DEI, where he started his NASCAR career at 21 in the Busch Series, to become a free agent.
In December, Earnhardt said he hoped to have his contract completed by May. But as the months passed, Earnhardt added he was free to contact other owners on May 1. As that deadline expired, Earnhardt told FOXSports.com on Tuesday, "You'll all know soon what my plans are." Earnhardt and his stepmother Teresa addressed DEI this morning before the press conference at JR Motorsports.

Budweiser's contract with DEI expires at the same time as Earnhardt's does. Earnhardt was expected to speak with Anheuser Busch officials at 10:30 a.m. ET this morning.

Earnhardt has a press conference scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at JR Motorsports.

Now the question becomes just which owner can present the most attractive offer. For Earnhardt it's not just about the money, but where he can go to win championships.

There have been more than a few Earnhardt sightings with Hendrick Motorsports' principals over the last few months that have fueled rumors that Budweiser would return to NASCAR's top organization, possibly with the No. 3 in tow. But which car would he drive and which driver would be displaced? Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson obviously aren't going anywhere. Kyle Busch, 21, has exhibited a few prickly, uncomfortable moments but factoring in his level of talent along with his age the potential of growth on both accounts is more than promising. Casey Mears has had an unfortunate season so far but it's not like Rick Hendrick to cut the cord this quickly.

Certainly, Earnhardt's relationship with Richard Childress dates back the farthest, although his grandfather Robert Gee was one of Hendrick's first motorsports employees. But since Earnhardt Sr.'s death, Childress has been there for the entire family whether the children needed something or if Earnhardt matriarch Martha needed a flight to Daytona. There's a level of trust between the Earnhardts and Childress dating back almost 30 years. While Hendrick's roster is full, Childress is currently in expansion mode and is adding 90,000 square-feet to the existing building.

"He's a great race car driver," said Mike Dillon, vice president of competition for Richard Childress Racing. "I believe he can win races and championships and we could provide that for him here.

"His fan base and popularity will certainly make any deal attractive with Junior. He's a genuinely nice guy, that's the cool part of the deal. But you have to be concerned with the existing teams here and make sure they're comfortable any situation we would bring in. We'd love to have him but you would have to be prepared. We have championship caliber teams already and have to be careful not to upset the existing situation.

"Certainly, we would love to have him. I hope we're that lucky. I wish we're in the running but if you listen to the rumor mill, I don't see that happening."

A third scenario has Earnhardt becoming a satellite organization with Hendrick Motorsports. Engines and engineering support would come directly from HMS.

Michael Waltrip Falls Asleep at the Wheel aka Drunk Driving

Here's the story from Fox Sports,

So this is what I have gathered so far:

1. He was out at 2 o clock in the morning

2. "Waltrip lost control of his SUV while driving around a curve and overcorrected." (Doesn't this guy get paid millions to be a professional driver?)

3. He leaves the scene at 2 in the morning and walks the rest of the way home. He doesn't call anyone to pick him up, a tow truck, cops, nothing.

4. No one can find him till the next day. (after hes slept it off)

5. His excuse is horrible, "For 25 years I have had a great driving record. I consider myself to be a courteous and safe driver on public roads. I never expected to fall a sleep behind the wheel of a car." (We are supposed to believe this from a guy who just caught cheating.)

I guess he could have just "fallen asleep"......aka passed out.

Doesn't it sound a little fishy?

Go, Mark, go!

Mark Martin is leading the Nextel Cup Standings. Didn't anyone tell this guy that when you leave Rousch Racing you're not supposed to lead anything? Granted the season is only two races old, but Martin and Ginn Racing have showed us two things: first, the two are a match made in heaven. Martin has always been known as a "crew-chief-in-a-car". He knows how subtle adjustments affect a car's handling through a variety of conditions and this vast knowledge is permeating through the entire Ginn team. Even Joe Nemechek is in the top 5. Second, with two top 5's on two vastly different tracks, Martin is in position to post some very nice finishes on the restricter plate and tri-oval tracks that make up almost two thirds of all the NASCAR races.

And Mark is only running a partial schedule??? Seriously, if only for the fans, you should reconsider. You're still fast dude. Ride that Army car and let's see how far you can take it THIS season. The rookie can wait.

Four crew chiefs tossed from Daytona 500

Wow, that's bringing the wood. No one deals with cheating quite like NASCAR. Additionaly Kahne and Kenseth were docked 50 championship points, each. That's the equivalent of 5 wins per team. Given how close the competition was last year for spots int the Chase, I'll make the following prediction:

These two guys won't make it in. Period.

CHEATERS!! Kahne, Kenseth caught with "unapproved alterations"

In a sign that yet another season of the NASCAR Sprint/Nextel season is almost upon us, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Michael Waltrip were all bitten by the inspection bug before the Daytona 500 even got underway. Kahne and Kenseth for flagged for unapproved alterations that enhanced the aerodynamics of their respective cars. In Waltrip's case, homeboy had his entire car confiscated following the discovery of a mysterious lubricant on the insided of his Toyota's intake manifold. The discovery has so baffled NASCAR inspectors that they shipped the intake manifold back to North Carolina for a more thorough inspection by NASCAR's R&D team. Michael might be seriously screwed; currently NASCAR does not even know if Waltrip will be allowed to race the 500 at all. Well, you know what they say:

"If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'!"

Driving Mrs Earnhardt: Dale Jr. Soap Opera

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fighting for majority ownership of the racing company DEI with his evil stepmother. Teresa Earnhardt is currently thought of around the racing community as a dead beat owner; not showing up for events etc; and has publicly questioned Jr.'s commitment to the team.

The twist in the story will come when Dale Jr.'s contract with DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc) comes to completion at the end of the season. Jr. told reporters at Daytona Media Day,

It has nothing to do with money and nothing else really... . My father has been gone for five, six years now. I want majority ownership. That's basically it.

Jr. is on record stating that if he does not receive 51% of the company, he will jump ship and join with Richard Childress Racing team, who is dad won 6 out of 7 titles with. Jr. has also said if he joins with Childress he will drive the black number 3 car his father drove.

Do you think we will see a driver going against his own company, in the car of the man that started it? Wouldn't it be funny if Jr. was in his dads car and someone was in his racing against him. Who knows.