dale earnhardt jr

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (born October 10, 1974), is a professional American race car driver. He is the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. He is also the grandson of Ralph Earnhardt and nephew of Morgan Shepherd. During his career, Earnhardt, Jr. has competed successfully in a number of racing classes and events, is a two-time Busch Series champion (one of 6 people to win back-to-back championships), and was the winner of the 2004 Daytona 500. As of 2000, his primary role is driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS/Impala SS in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup. Earnhardt, Jr. is also the owner of JR Motorsports, and former co-owner (with stepmother Teresa Earnhardt) of Chance 2 Motorsports.

Early career
Earnhardt, Jr. was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina to Brenda Lorraine Gee and Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. His maternal grandfather, Robert Gee, was a NASCAR car builder.[1] He began his Racing career at the late age of 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. His first race car was a 1979 Monte Carlo that he co-owned with older half-brother Kerry. Within two seasons, the young Earnhardt, Jr. had honed his driving abilities to the point of joining the Late Model Stock Car division. There, he developed an in-depth knowledge of chassis setup and car preparation, while racing against Kerry and Dale's sister Kelley Earnhardt-Elledge. Junior ran 9 Busch Series races between 1996 and 1997 for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ed Whitaker, respectively. Earnhardt, Jr. won consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 and 1999 over Matt Kenseth.


[edit] 2000

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. racing the #8 at the Coca-Cola 600 in 2000.Earnhardt, Jr. competed for the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award in 2000. His primary competitor for the award was Matt Kenseth. Kenseth outran Junior in the season-opening Daytona 500. Earnhardt, Jr. scored wins at the Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. He also become the first rookie to win the All-Star exhibition race. Kenseth ultimately scored a 42-point victory in the rookie race.

Dale Jr. did have a part in recreating one Winston Cup milestone in 2000 when he competed with his father and half-brother Kerry in the Pepsi 400. That occasion was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat.

Dale Jr. also wrote a non-fiction book based on his rookie season titled "DRIVER #8".


Dale Jr. during a race.
[edit] 2001
In 2001 Earnhardt, Jr. came into the season hoping to avoid a sophomore slump, but the year proved to be one of the most tumultuous and memorable seasons the young driver would experience.

The major event of the season occurred in the final corner of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. As Earnhardt, Jr. finished second, to his teammate Michael Waltrip, his father had crashed in turn four, due to contact with Sterling Marlin, who was in fourth spot at the time. Dale Earnhardt Sr. did not survive the wreck. He was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. that Sunday. Junior raced at Rockingham the following weekend, but finished in 43rd-place after a wreck that looked fairly similar to his father's wreck just one week earlier. Earnhardt, Jr. rebounded and scored victories at Dover and Talladega, as well as an emotional win in the return to Daytona, finishing eighth in points for the year.

The Talladega victory earned Junior a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. This season of emotion produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles.


[edit] 2002-2003
In 2002, Junior had a roller-coaster season. He struggled after enduring a concussion at Fontana in April ― an injury he did not admit to until mid-September. In the three races following Fontana, Earnhardt, Jr. finished no better than 30th. Still, Junior rallied to score two more wins at Talladega, a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11th-place finish in the standings.

2003 saw Earnhardt, Jr. become a true title contender. He scored a record-breaking 4th consecutive win at Talladega, but people were beginning to say that Earnhardt, Jr. could only win on the restrictor plate tracks, as his last win on a non-plate track had come at Dover in 2001. He put that talk to rest as he scored a victory at Phoenix in October, recording a career best 3rd place effort in the standings. He would also take home the NMPA Most Popular Driver award for the first time in his career.


[edit] 2004-2006

Jr. in the pits at the spring 2006 Bristol race.In 2004, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the Daytona 500, six years to the day after his father won his only title in the "Great American Race." On July 18, during on off-weekend from NASCAR, Dale Jr. crashed a Corvette C5-R during a practice for the American Le Mans Series 2004 Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway. The car slid off course after getting spun out by Mike Rockenfeller in the # 23 Alex job car and hit a concrete barrier during warm-up the day of the race, rupturing a fuel line and causing the car to burst into flames with Earnhardt, Jr. still inside. He suffered second and third degree burns on his neck, chin, and legs partially due to not wearing a protective balaclava with his helmet. The burns prevented him from finishing two races where he was replaced by Martin Truex Jr. and his DEI teammate John Andretti in the middle of the races. In the fall, Junior became the first driver to sweep a weekend at Bristol by winning both the Busch race and Cup race in the same weekend.

He was able to qualify for the NASCAR ten-race playoff, and had his fifth NEXTEL Cup win of the season (a career high) at Talladega. However, he was penalized 25 points for use of an obscenity during the television broadcast, in violation of a NASCAR rule prohibiting participants from using obscene language. That incident, combined with two consecutive DNF's in the playoffs, eventually dropped him out of the running, and he finished fifth in the 2004 NEXTEL Cup chase despite a career-high 6 wins at Daytona, Atlanta, Richmond, Bristol, Talladega and Phoenix. He also picked up his 2nd consecutive Most Popular Driver Award.

At the close of the 2004 season it was revealed that Tony Eury, Sr. would be promoted to the team manager position for the DEI corporation, while Tony Eury, Jr. became the crew chief for the DEI #15 driven by Michael Waltrip for the 2005 season. Peter Rondeau, a Chance 2 employee who also helped Earnhardt, Jr. win the Busch Series race at Bristol in August, became the crew chief for Earnhardt, Jr. in 2005. Rondeau served as Earnhardt's crew chief until the Coca Cola 600 weekend when he was replaced with DEI chief engineer Steve Hmiel, who helped Jr. score his lone win of 2005 at Chicagoland in July. Earnhardt, Jr. was eliminated from any possible competition for the NEXTEL Cup championship after suffering an engine failure at the California Speedway. Earnhardt, Jr. was reunited with cousin Tony Eury, Jr. after the fall Richmond weekend, and results improved immediately. For the 3rd straight year, Earnhardt, Jr. took home the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award.


Dale Earnhardt, Jr. merchandise hauler.Meanwhile, Earnhardt's proficiency as a car owner continued. His race team outside of DEI, JR Motorsports, in 2005 fielded a car in the USAR Hooters ProCup Series, winning once and qualifying for the Four Champions playoff. Mark McFarland moved to the Busch Series in 2006, driving the #88 JR Motorsports US Navy Chevrolet, with Richard Childress Racing providing assistance; however, he was fired before the fall Michigan race, the Carfax 250. He was replaced by Robby Gordon and Martin Truex, Jr. for the rest of the year. Long-time short track racer Shane Huffman drove Earnhardt's USAR Hooters ProCup car in 2006.

In 2006, during the spring weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Junior and other DEI drivers drove with special black paint schemes on their cars, intended to be reminiscent of his late father's famous #3 paint scheme. On Father's Day 2006, Dale Jr. drove a vintage Budweiser car at Michigan International Speedway to honor both his grandfather (Ralph Earnhardt) and father, who at one point in both their careers used the number 8 car. After rain caused the race to be ended early, Dale Jr. finished 3rd with Kasey Kahne winning the race. After 17 races in the 2006 season, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sat 3rd in the championship standings with one win, coming at Richmond in May 2006.

During the race at New Hampshire, Junior experienced the second engine failure of his 2006 season, ultimately leading to a 43rd place finish. Following New Hampshire was the race at Pocono, where Junior was running in the middle of the pack when he crashed in turn 2. These two events catapulted him to 11th in the points standing, out of the Chase for the Cup. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Junior and his crew made a critical decision to stay out on the final pit stop to get a much needed top-ten finish to move him up to tenth in the points.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made the 2006 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup after finishing 17th in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 9, 2006. His points position going into the Chase was 6th. Earnhardt, Jr. finished the season 5th in the point standings, 147 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.


[edit] 2007

Earnhardt, Jr. turning into the garage at Texas in 2007Earnhardt, Jr. began the 2007 NEXTEL Cup season by finishing 32nd at the Daytona 500. His first top ten came at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Food City 500 when he finished 7th. His first Top 5 came at Martinsville Speedway in the Goody's Cool Orange 500. He led 136 laps and finished 5th. Jr. collected his third top 10 of the season and his 8th at Talladega Superspeedway with his 7th place performance in the 2007 Aaron's 499. On May 14th Earnhardt, Jr. was docked 100 driver championship points, car owner Teresa Earnhardt was docked 100 owner points, and his crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000 and suspended for 6 races due to the use of illegal mounting brackets used to attach the wing to his car.

On May 27, 2007, Dale Jr. rode a camouflage #8 car in the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day to raise money for the families of military troops. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Ward Burton, Denny Hamlin, Casey Mears, Shane Huffman and Jon Wood also changed their paint schemes for the occasion. [2] Earnhardt, Jr. finished eight, after leading with seven laps to go, but Casey Mears finished with the win. [3]

On August 5, 2007, Dale Jr. earned his first pole position in a race since 2002 at Pocono Raceway. Although Kurt Busch won the race, Earnhardt had a dramatic comeback to finish second after spinning out and experiencing shock troubles. Earnhardt led for eight laps before Busch took over.[4] On August 12 at Watkins Glen International, Dale Jr. was making the push into the Top 12 of the Nextel Cup standings from his #13 position. After being at the #2 position during the race, Jr. had engine problems on lap 64 and had to end his race day. After the Glen, Junior tried furiously to reach the 12th spot in standings. However, a resurgence by Kurt Busch and a blown engine during the final race at Richmond ended his Chase hopes.


[edit] 2007 DEI Departure
Wikinews has related news:
Earnhardt signs with HendrickAfter much speculation, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced on May 10, 2007, that he will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his father, to drive for another team in 2008. Earnhardt expressed that his decision was based entirely on his desires to achieve his career goal of a NEXTEL Cup Championship, and his apparent belief that he would not be able to attain that objective while driving for DEI. He said that unless he could gain majority ownership, and therefore control, of DEI, that he was not confident in the organization's ability to field the elite level equipment that would yield the elusive title.[5]

On June 13, 2007 he announced at a press conference that he had signed a five-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports, replacing Kyle Busch.

On July 13 it was announced that his long-time primary sponsor Budweiser will not be with Dale Jr. when he makes the move to Hendrick in 2008. Other contractual agreements in place at HMS are said to have prevented a relationship with Bud.[6] On July 30, 2007, sources told ESPN that the National Guard and Mountain Dew are looking for a split sponsorship with Earnhardt.[7] New reports as of September 3, have sources saying that Mountain Dew and AMP Energy, both products owned by PepsiCo., will split the sponsorship on the car in 2008. No word on a car number as of yet.

On August 15 it was announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not be taking his familiar No. 8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports next season. His late grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, used that number and Earnhardt picked it when he entered the Cup Series in 1999. Earnhardt's father also used No. 8 early in his career. Earnhardt blamed his step-mother for not allowing the No. 8 to move with him to Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt Jr. said negotiations broke down when Teresa Earnhardt asked for part of the licensing revenue, along with wanting the number back after he retired. "Just ridiculous kind of requests," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We just wanted the number, but I was willing to give the number back when I was done driving. I wouldn't have any use for it personally."[8]

Hendrick officials didn't reveal what number Earnhardt will use when he starts his five-year deal with the team in 2008,[9] though he has stated previously that he would like to use #81.[10] Earnhardt Jr. will move to current #25 car, although it is unlikely to be his number, with Tony Eury Jr. coming to Hendrick to remain as his crew chief.[11]

It was reported on September 15, 2007 that Earnhardt will drive the #88 car for the 2008 season. Also, that a press conference on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 is when they will announce the car number of 88 and his sponsor for the 2008 season.[12]


[edit] In popular culture

A Dale Jr. autograph on a Friday ticket for the 2000 Penzoil 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.Dale Jr. currently hosts Back In The Day a show that takes a step back in time to races in the 60's and 70's and trivia and information; it debuted February 9th 2006 on SPEED Channel.
Hosts a show on XM Satellite Radio's XM Sports Nation called Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s Unrestricted.
Appeared in the "Show Me What You Got" video with Jay-Z racing Danica Patrick in a Pagani Zonda S along with Jay in a Ferrari F430 Spider.
Appeared in Matthew Good Band's video for Anti-Pop, as he was and still is good friends with band frontman, Matthew Good.
He was also in Sheryl Crow's "Steve McQueen" music video.
Made an appearance in country music's Trace Adkins Video "Rough and Ready".
Appeared in Three Doors Down's music video "The Road I'm On" along with Tony Stewart.
He appeared in the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. He walked up in a crowd and asked Ricky Bobby for his autograph, but told him "don't tell any of the other drivers."
His voice is featured in the video game Scarface: The World is Yours.
Dale Jr. has a voice in Disney/Pixars' movie Cars and also a #8 car with the DEI logo on the hood.
Earnhardt, Jr. has also appeared in advertisements for Budweiser, KFC, NAPA, Domino's Pizza, Gillette, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Drakkar Noir Cologne, Wrangler Jeans, Chevrolet, Polaris Industries ATVs, and Tylenol Rapid Release Gels.
Appeared in an episode of the tv show Yes, Dear.
Featured as a celebrity photographer in the Playboy Cyber Club. As his modeling subjects he chose the Dahm triplets, Jaclyn, Erica, and Nicole, playmates of the month for December 1998. The main prop in the photoshoot was Dale's rare custom Corvette GTR.
Earnhardt Jr. was on the cover of the EA Sports title NASCAR Thunder 2003 and in NFL Street 2, a player can be created in his likeness.
Starred in the band O.A.R.'s video for their song "Right on Time".
Appeared in Nickelback's music video "Rockstar" along with many other celebrities.
Appeared in commercials for Cheverolet with hip-hop artist T.I..
Owns social networking site Infield Parking.
A song was written about Dale Jr. as a tribute by the artist known as Treasure Mammal.

[edit] References
DALLAS -- It's just a number. It's just a paint scheme. Or two.



But it is Dale Earnhardt Jr., so it's really not just anything. When NASCAR's most popular driver made it official with his new sponsors and new logo and new number at the Dallas Convention Center, the Chase, however briefly, took a backseat to Junior Nation.



When Earnhardt Jr. said he will be driving the 88, there was a noticeable increase in camera clicks. Somehow Junior just saying he was switching to the new number was a thing that had to be preserved on film.

And how many people in any sport change numbers and say that they hope it "brings some closure" to their fans?



Kobe Bryant and Roger Clemens can change numbers and it's news for about a day.

Teresa Earnhardt declines to sell the lease on the rights to the No. 8 to Hendrick Motorsports so her stepson can continue to drive it, and she becomes the most heinous owner in any sport.

Now Junior, winless in his last 53 Cup starts, has a fresh start with history on his side.

Dale Jarrett won a championship driving the 88. Darrell Waltrip won championships with Mountain Dew as his sponsor. Many others have had success with the number, as 65 Cup wins attest.



"Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Dale Jarrett -- it has a history of great drivers," Earnhardt Jr. said of the 88. "Numbers have personalities. Numbers do talk. Numbers can reach out and grab you. Some of the others we were looking at didn't do that."



He gave credit to his sister, Kelly Earnhardt Elledge, for brokering the deal that brought the number from Robert Yates Racing to Hendrick.



"She earned her paycheck that day," he said.



Next question: When does Dale Jr. earn his?

He called himself the best driver in NASCAR at Wednesday's press conference. Team owner Rick Hendrick said Earnhardt isn't coming over to learn anything from champions Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, that he already is a tremendous driver.

That was true in 2004 when he won six races, finished fifth in the Chase and was poised to be NASCAR's next great driver.




Dale Earnhardt Jr.">

There's no number of wins I want to reach. It's just that when you retire you want people to say you were great. Until I drive [Hendrick] cars and go testing, I won't really understand how it's going to be to work for him.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.



It hasn't happened.

He has won twice in 99 races, which means he has won one more race than Juan Pablo Montoya over three years despite a two-year head start.

Dale Jr. will be in the best equipment money can buy. He will share notes with the two drivers tied for the Chase lead who own five titles between them.

In other words: No excuses.

And Junior isn't interested in making any.

"There's no number of wins I want to reach," he said Wednesday. "It's just that when you retire you want people to say you were great. Until I drive [Hendrick] cars and go testing, I won't really understand how it's going to be to work for him.

"Seeing these cars here today, it's a chance to just start to see how great this is going to be. I want to finish this year strong and our team wants to make a statement. But I can't wait until 2008 to show these people how dedicated a race driver I am and how much I want to prove myself."

What he has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt is he can move products off the shelves faster than any of his fellow drivers. That will be even easier for him now having removed the restrictions that come with being sponsored by a beer manufacturer.

The winning part should eventually come, too.
CHICAGO On the eve of a Dallas press conference where Dale Earnhardt Jr. will disclose his chief sponsor and the number of the new car he will drive, Nascar's most popular driver joined confectioner R.M. Palmer to launch the Big Mo candy bar.

Palmer, the fifth-largest chocolate manufacturer in the U.S. best known for its chocolate Easter bunnies, spent the better part of a year landing Earnhardt and developing a signature line of candy bars featuring flavors that the driver tested and picked himself―creamy caramel and peanut butter.




The product hits stores in January in a wrapper featuring Earnhardt. Radio spots and appearances on the Nascar circuit will support, but the lion's share of Big Mo's outreach will be the "Big Mo'ment" instant-win sweepstakes. The winner gets lunch with Dale, a tour of the JR Motorsports race team shops and a VIP suite for a race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Consumers enter the drawing by submitting a code inside the wrapper to BigMo-ment.com.

The bar is named after Earnhardt's hometown of Mooresville, N.C., which he and his childhood buddies referred to as the Dirty Mo and themselves as the Dirty Mo posse. The dusty town has since grown and developed thanks partly to the auto racing economy.

"The town is as genuine as this brand is," Earnhardt said Tuesday at the All Candy Expo in Chicago

He added during the Q&A that he never dreamed of having his own candy bar, and that his father would have been impressed. Hershey's Foods, coincidently, is rolling out commemorative Hershey Chocolate bars in three wrappers featuring Dale Earnhardt Sr.

"He'd be pretty proud," Dale Jr. said of his dad. "Remember he was a good businessman, so he'd be proud. But when things like this happen, you knew he was going to be more competitive with the next race."
Watch out for Martin Truex Jr.

Long viewed as the "other Junior" at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Truex is stepping out of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s shadow and showing patience that can help him through any rough spots in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Often an afterthought when championship contenders are named, Truex seems happy to exist on the outer fringes of the spotlight.
Meanwhile, he's gearing back into the top form he showed earlier this summer and opening the Chase with a pair of his best tracks. The Mayetta, N.J., native won at Dover International Speedway, site of this weekend's race, earlier this season, sparking a stretch that included top-three finishes in three of the next four races. He's also been strong at New Hampshire, where he earned a fifth-place finish Sunday.

Now, with the full support of his team and his teammate's belief that he can win it all, Truex prepares to navigate the treacherous waters of the final nine races of the season.

As he prepares to chase the title, Truex finds himself experiencing a sense of disbelief. After all, it wasn't that long ago that he was dreaming of some day driving in NASCAR's elite ranks.


Rea White

In 2002, Truex finished 11th in the Busch Series North standings. Two years later, he was driving for Earnhardt Jr.'s Chance 2 Motorsports Busch Series team and winning the first of two consecutive series titles.

Then, in 2006, he moved into the Nextel Cup ranks with DEI. Truex finished 19th in the standings, certainly far from a dismal rookie year but one that left him outside of the hype entering this season.

Then, a few races into the year, things started to turn for the driver. Bad luck ceased to find him on the track and Truex found himself turning in increasingly strong performances.



For more news from the track and the shop, check out our NASCAR Scene headlines page.

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Then he made the Chase. Now he's chasing the title.

This is his time to shine. Already settling in as the future leader of DEI, already showing the ability to turn in consistent top finishes week to week, Truex seems a little stunned by the somewhat sudden turn of events.

"It's pretty unbelievable, really," he said. "It's kind of crazy. Every time something like this happens, like when we won the championships in the Busch Series, I just think back to the days when I was building cars and going to races for fun on weekends and just dreaming and praying that someday I'd get a chance to do something like this and never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get a chance and be able to be this successful."


The Chase Is On




Photos:


Sylvania 300

Top 12 reasons I love racing

Meet the Chasers

Video:


Sylvania 300

News:


Owens: Can win silence Bowyer's critics?

White: Truex stepping up

DW: Boy-you're good

Spencer: Bowyer's Breakthrough

DW: Give us more

Drivers bond during New York blitz

Spencer: The Hendrick juggernaut

Hammond: JGR focused on '07

DW: Doubling down with Carl
Martin Truex Jr. Diary:


Okay with fifth place
Jimmie Johnson Diary:


Birthday bash
Starting from pole position


Earnhardt Jr., once a mentor to the 27-year-old, says that he knew Truex was talented from the moment they connected. He understands what Truex went through, the hours he put into racing and learning and studying and trying to improve, to get here. He says when one looks at the photos of Truex racing as he grew up, it's clear that he's always been what he is now ― a man serious about his racing, one who is quiet and happy to labor in the shadows as long as the results follow.

He laughs when he says that he wouldn't have been as patient as Truex has been when it comes to laboring in the shadow of someone else.

"He's raced underneath me for a couple of years now, he answers all the questions about Dale Jr. and he does it with patience," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I would have had a hard time putting up with it all the time."

Now, the tables are turned. This weekend, it was Earnhardt Jr. being grilled about his teammate. Truex was the driver in the spotlight, the DEI representative in the championship run, the driver being feted in New York and then one of those stepping up his performance in the opening Chase race.

No longer can Truex shy away from that spotlight. Earlier this year, after he won at Dover and moved into Chase contention, Truex laughed about having media surround he and his team for a change. He didn't get too caught up in the moment, instead maintaining his focus on the goal at hand.

That type of attitude could help him in the Chase. Truex seems to have mastered the ability to remain low-key, even when the events surrounding him may not be.

With nine intense races remaining before the title is awarded, that demeanor could serve Truex well.

It certainly shows why he isn't concerned about transitioning into the leadership role at DEI next season.

To those around him, becoming a leader is both a product of his improved performance and something that will help that momentum continue.



NASCAR on SPEED schedule

"He'll do well with that," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I think that's really, in a sense, what he's been waiting for and what he needs to continue to grow as a driver and get more confidence and become a championship contender. He needs to be the leader of a race team because he's that talented behind the wheel."

To Truex, taking on more responsibility isn't a distraction to his championship effort, or vice versa. For him, the two are complementary. And that could help him over the course of the next nine races.

"I think running well accomplishes a lot of things," he said. "Obviously we make a lot of the calls, decisions in the race car. I think people build confidence in your decisions through the race cars, then it just escalates as you move along.

"So I've tried to be a small part of anything that goes on, whatever anybody ever needed help with I offered my opinion and I don't see things like that changing all that much. Maybe they'll take more of my opinion into account."


Despite prying questions about the coming Dallas announcement, Earnhardt fended off the inquiries and would only say that unlike the Budweiser No. 8 car he had been driving, he's not staying with the color red.
And that's the kind of closure that Earnhardt's fans are really seeking.


Tim Cowlishaw is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News and a contributor to ESPN's NASCAR coverage.