Dale Earnhardt Jr
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Looks were deceiving for Earnhardt Jr.'s results On paper, things didn't look all that great for Dale Earnhardt Jr. this year. Only one victory. Only two top-fives in the 10-race playoff. No poles, but forget the Ryan Newmans -- he had only one top-five start. No plate wins. Back-to-back last-place finishes in July. Only 444 laps led. Tony Stewart won as many races in the last 10 weeks than Earnhardt has won in 100. And yet, pound-for-pound, it was probably his second-best season, not far removed from his epochal six-win campaign of 2004. For all of Earnhardt's appearances in rap videos, commercials, etc., his on-track performances seem to rank somewhere near the bottom when it comes to attention, which is exactly what he was stressing when speaking in New York three weeks ago. His one win in 2006 stands out like 10 sore thumbs, but Earnhardt pointed out that it could have easily been four times that number. "There was a lot of great drives that we had that we won't ever get the recognition besides from us," Earnhardt said. Earnhardt nearly ran down Kasey Kahne at Atlanta despite running 32nd with just 100 laps to go. An early wreck at Martinsville left his car looking like a Southern Modified. Another rally -- fourth place. A last-lap crash at Talladega that inspired countless jokes and one memorable YouTube video, where a New England-based Baby Boomer cried, "Jimma Johnsun jus' crah-ashed him," took Junior from leading the race to a 23rd-place finish. "There were some times in certain races where you got to see what our guts looked like," Earnhardt said. "That was really good, because we could get hacked so much for having that question mark over our heads of, 'Well, they just race and just take what they can get.'" If that perception was true, then Earnhardt never would have done what he did on Oct. 22, when he spun while trying to pass Kahne for fourth place at Martinsville. It was a boneheaded move, sure -- certainly one of the dumbest of the year. But it showed that he cared deeply about trying to win. There have been several instances where Earnhardt tended to be overly critical of his team. The most notable occurred at The Brickyard, when he famously (and correctly) said, "We can't make the Chase with 30th-place racecars." Earnhardt said that his negative comments are not meant to really accomplish anything. They are merely something he uses to leave frustration behind. "We have got to really prove to everybody that our melancholy attitude is just a facade, a self-defense mechanism to keep us from going crazy over a bad run," Earnhardt said. "You have got to leave that stuff at the racetrack. If you take it home it can ruin just about everything that you touch. It has all been self defense to keep myself from going crazy. "We want it bad and we want to win bad. We want to be successful." The scene at The Brickyard only served to amplify the fact that Earnhardt and DEI have lagged behind other teams, particularly Richard Childress Racing, on the flat tracks. Which leads us to ... Junior: DEI must run well at all types of tracks It took Earnhardt until mid-season in 2006 to finally make progress on the high-banked, downforce-critical speedways, which make up a majority of the schedule. His only win of 2006 came in the spring at Richmond, but he didn't replicate that success at the short track in the fall. "We need to become more of a total package. We are never the total package," Earnhardt said. "We got better on the mile-and-a-halfs, and we got worse on the short tracks. We need to do everything good and we seem to improve in little areas and then drop the ball in another one where we were great." DEI gave Earnhardt invincible cars on the eight restrictor-plate tracks in 2002 and 2003 -- he won four times -- but that edge has dropped off in recent years. Hendrick Motorsports won three of the four plate races in 2006, but Earnhardt led late at Talladega in the fall, and he said that regaining Daytona-Talladega superiority is a priority. Coincidence or not, DEI performed better on the plate tracks when it was a three-car team. The addition of Paul Menard in 2007 will only help the organization catch Hendrick's plate program. "We have been getting better, you know," Earnhardt said. "We were leading the race at Talladega and we had pretty good cars at the 400 [at Daytona]. "We have been getting better, we are improving the motors, we have some people coming in to work on us for the motors that have really helped out a lot. That is the biggest deal." Best Nextel Cup regular without a title? With Mark Martin's workload morphing into a partial schedule, Earnhardt's name has already been thrown as heir to the "best driver without a championship" moniker. One would think that the title is almost an insult. Earnhardt laughed when he was asked what he thought of it. "That is quite a compliment," Earnhardt said. "I ain't never been called the best driver at anything. I feel like personally, myself, I am the best driver out there. "That is a great compliment and it takes the sting, I guess, off not having won that championship yet." Calling Earnhardt the best driver without a Nextel Cup title is a bit premature. It is not an important title, but my vote goes to Kevin Harvick, who showed no weaknesses in 2006. Alabama site picked for $600 million Earnhardt project A $600 million Dale Earnhardt race track and entertainment complex will be built on 2,500 acres just north of Mobile, the track's investors announced Friday. It could take about two years to build the four-track motorsports park off Alabama 158, near Interstate 65, with a full season of activity expected in 2010, track spokesman Bill Futterer said. The site faces the University of Mobile campus. A 5,000-space RV park, a theme park and a 7,000-seat arena also are planned, along with hotels, retail, restaurants and music theaters. The site would benefit from its proximity to the east-west Interstate 10 on Mobile's southern edge. Investors in the track include NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.; his brother, Kerry Earnhardt, a driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; and sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge. DEI tabs Sony/BMG exec president of global ops Teresa Earnhardt, CEO of Dale Earnhardt Inc., announced Thursday the appointment of Max Siegel as President of Global Operations. In what will be an unprecedented move for the motorsports industry, the Zomba Label Group/SonyBMG executive will oversee marketing, promotion, sales, sponsorship and distribution for all Dale Earnhardt Inc. properties including the company's top-rated motorsports teams, airlines, licensing and auto dealership, as well as the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. Siegel brings more than 15 years of deal brokering and project management experience to the company established by Dale and Teresa Earnhardt in 1980. "Max Siegel has the intuitive sense of what works and is innovative in an ever-changing business and social climate," Ms. Earnhardt said. "We are excited about him joining our team and what his leadership means for the future of Dale Earnhardt Inc." "I am honored by this opportunity, and though I have enjoyed great success in the music business, I am thrilled to join this dynamic organization," Siegel said. "Dale Earnhardt Inc. is a company with strong core values and a legacy of excellence in sports and in business, and I look forward to winning more championships with them and working to further cement Dale Earnhardt Inc. as the leader in the motorsports and entertainment industry." With an extraordinary track record as an accomplished sports and entertainment attorney, entertainment executive, author and television and film producer, Siegel is one of the most influential executives in the entertainment industry. He most recently held dual positions as Senior Vice President of Sony/BMG's Zomba Label Group and President of Zomba Gospel, the largest Gospel music company in the world. As part of Sony/BMG's President's Council that oversees the company's global management strategies, Siegel also was on the executive team that produced pop stars like Britney Spears, Usher, Justin Timberlake, and R. Kelly. An Indianapolis native and cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, Siegel has presided over the legal affairs of several Fortune 500 corporations, as well as professional sports, entertainment individuals and organizations. Siegel's legal expertise and business acumen has afforded him the reputation as a "win-win attorney" among his peers, and he played a major role in the shaping of such sports figures as Tony Gwynn and Reggie White. His legal knowledge has earned him the opportunity to serve in various leadership positions within high-profile professional organizations such as The American Bar Association, The New York and Indiana State Bar Association, Gospel Heritage Foundation and The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Earnhardt Jr. like being best at something Congratulations, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Now that Jimmie Johnson has won a championship and Mark Martin is no longer planning to run a full NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule, Earnhardt has the dubious distinction of being perhaps the best driver without a championship. Earnhardt, the son of a seven-time champion, arrived in Cup full-time in 2000 with two Busch Series titles and sky-high expectations. So far, his best season finish has been third -- in 2003 -- and, although he remained in the points battle to the final race this season, Junior wound up fifth. In New York on Thursday, along with Johnson and the rest of the top 11 drivers, Earnhardt raised his eyebrows and smiled at the thought of being considered the top guy not to have won the biggest trophy in the sport. ``It's quite a compliment,'' Earnhardt said. ``I ain't never been called the best driver in anything. ``I feel like, personally, I'm the best driver out there. I don't know, at the end my career, whether I'll get the true credit for how talented I am and how talented my team is. Being called the best of something takes the sting off of not having won that championship, yet.'' Earnhardt collected his fourth consecutive Chex Most Popular Driver Award on Thursday. Looking ahead to 2007, Earnhardt said he and his No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc., Chevrolet team know what they need to do to seriously challenge for a title. ``We need to become more the total package,'' Earnhardt said. ``We improved on the mile and a halfs and we got worse on the short tracks. We need to do everything good.'' BIG BUCKS: Who says you have to be a big winner to get the big money in NASCAR? Tony Stewart, who failed to make it into the Chase for the championship and wound up 11th in the points, collected a pile of checks Thursday during an awards luncheon, part of NASCAR's Champions Week in New York. Stewart collected checks totaling $135,000 from Bank of America for its Mid-Race Leader Award, got $100,000 from Checkers/Rally's for its USG Improving the Finish Award and added $75,000 from Wix Filters for its Lap Leader Award. ``When you don't make the Chase, you have to find other ways to supplement your income,'' Stewart joked. SURPRISE, SUPRISE: Everyone knew heading into this week that new Cup champ Jimmie Johnson was going to reap the biggest windfall in checks and trophies. But his wife, Chandra, got a real shock Thursday when she got in on the action. Johnson has been a Chevrolet driver since he first began racing and GM's Chevy division surprised Chandra on Thursday with the keys to a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. ``I've never had a sports car,'' Chandra said. ``This is amazing and really exciting.'' A Chevrolet spokesman said Mrs. Johnson can choose the color she wants ``and everything she wants on the car.'' After the presentation, Johnson said, ``I just want to know if she'll let me borrow the car.'' Mrs. Johnson replied: ``Definitely. He'll be my chauffeur.'' AWARDS AND MORE AWARDS: Other awards and honors handed out Thursday included: -- Myers Brothers Award for contributions to the sport to former Cup champion and current TV color man Benny Parsons. Parsons was unable to be on hand to accept the award because of the aftereffects of fighting off lung cancer. -- Buddy Shuman Award to NASCAR vice president of communications Jim Hunter for helping build the stock car sport. -- Rookie of the Year trophy and $50,000 to Denny Hamlin. -- Manufacturers Championship Award to Chevrolet, which won a record 23 of 36 races in 2006. -- Marketing Achievement Award to Allstate Insurance. -- Budweiser Pole Award and $100,000 to Kasey Kahne, who led the Cup series with six poles. -- Commit Lozenges Commit to Win Award and $75,000 to Kasey Kahne, who won for the second straight year. -- DirectTV Crew Chief of the Year Award and $100,000 to Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. -- Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap Award and $75,000 to Matt Kenseth. -- Mechanix Wear Pit Crew of the Year Award and $75,000 to the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton. -- Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Year Award and $100,000 to Kevin Harvick. -- Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award and $77,000 to Hendrick Motorsports' Shane Parsnow, who builds engines for Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet. -- Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Pit Championship Award, commemorative rings and $105,000 to the crew of the No. 48 Chevy. -- Sunoco Diamond Performance Champion's Award and $75,000 to Johnson. -- Championship Sponsor Award to Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, Johnson's sponsor. -- Championship Crew Chief Award to Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief. Myers Brothers honors contingency winners On the eve of the Nextel Cup Series Awards Ceremony, more than $1 million in special awards were presented Thursday at the NASCAR/National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Myers Brothers luncheon. Headlining the list of award winners was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the Chex Cereals Most Popular Driver Award for the fourth consecutive year, and 2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Denny Hamlin, who finished third in the Chase and received $50,000 as the series' top rookie racer. Chevrolet received the Nextel Cup Series Manufacturers' Championship for the 30th time. Chevrolet teams won 23 races in 2006, while seven of the 10 Chase drivers drove Chevys. During the presentation, Chevrolet made a surprise presentation of its own -- giving a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette convertible to series champion Jimmie Johnson's wife, Chani. Other special award winners included: • NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter, who was honored with the Buddy Shuman Award, in recognition of his longtime role and impact in the NASCAR community. • Benny Parsons, the 1973 Cup Series champion and NBC/TNT television commentator, who was honored with the Myers Brothers Award, for his contributions to the growth of Cup racing. • Tony Stewart received three different awards for his on-track performance -- the $135,000 Bank of America Card Services Mid-Race Leader Award; the $100,000 USG Improving the Finish Award and the $75,000 Wix Lap Leader Award. • Kasey Kahne received $100,000 for winning the Budweiser Pole Award and $101,000 for winning the Commit Lozenges Commit to Win Award. Kahne won six pole positions in 2006. • Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin, won the $102,400 DirecTV Crew Chief of the Year Award. • Matt Kenseth won the $75,000 Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap Award. • The No. 31 Chevrolet team of Jeff Burton received the $75,000 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award. • Kevin Harvick received the $100,000 Mobil 1 Command Performance Award. • Allstate, the Official Insurance Partner of NASCAR, was presented with the Marketing Achievement Award. The No. 48 Chevrolet team takes top honors on Friday evening, but also received several awards on Thursday: • Jimmie Johnson won the $105,000 Checker's/Rally's Double-Drive Thru Pit Award, the Goodyear Award -- including a scale replica of his No. 48 Chevrolet made from gold -- and the $75,000 Sunoco Diamond Performance Award. • The Hendrick Motorsports engine department won the $107,000 Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award. • Crew chief Chad Knaus was recognized with the Nextel Cup Series Championship Crew Chief Award. An annual Champions Week tradition is the gathering of champions from all of NASCAR's national, regional and local racing series, for a commemorative photo opportunity. It is the only time during the year that all of NASCAR's champions from 12 different racing series are together in one location. Since 2002, this exclusive gathering has been held in New York as part of Champions Week. On Thursday, the group -- including Johnson, Busch Series champion Kevin Harvick and Craftsman Truck Series champion Todd Bodine, assembled at Rockefeller Plaza, near the city's famous Christmas Tree, for their photo. One day and counting Champions Week concludes Friday with a final day of activities for Jimmie Johnson, the rest of the Nextel Cup Top 10 drivers and 11th-place driver Tony Stewart. Johnson and his team will pose for photos along Park Avenue in Manhattan, before attending several pre-Awards Ceremony receptions. The Awards Ceremony begins at 7 p.m. ET in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel's Grand Ballroom. At 6 p.m. ET, SPEED will air a special one hour pre-show: NASCAR Takes Manhattan. TNT will televise the Awards Ceremony beginning at 9 p.m. ET, featuring musical entertainment by singer/songwriter Jewel and comedy performances by Jay Mohr. Hamlin, Junior go down battling at Homestead Before Sunday's Ford 400, the finale of the Nextel Cup Series season, both Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had said winning the championship was an afterthought. But Sunday evening, as the climax to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway unfolded, they both showed plenty of emotion on a night when their fortunes throughout the race ultimately flip-flopped. Hamlin started 33rd and twice had to battle to the front of the field before he finished third. Earnhardt started 14th and charged into the top 10 within a matter of laps, but the handling on his car was never perfect and he ultimately ended up 19th after smacking the wall. Hamlin, who came into the race fourth in the standings as the first rookie to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup, showed exactly how much spirit and commitment it takes to excel at NASCAR's premier level when he exploded over the radio at his team after a pit stop miscue just past halfway in the race. "Fine -- I was fine," Hamlin said, belying the tone and content of his message to his crew when told he had to return to the pits. "I had a lot of emotions going on because we had just preached a nice, easy, smooth stop -- nothing fast -- and we missed some lugs [because] we dropped the jack before the lug nuts were ready. "I was very frustrated because I had spent 170 laps trying to get to the front from starting 33rd and finally got in the top seven or eight and that happened." Just how much the championship standings meant to Hamlin, who had said coming in his team in effect was just happy to be here, was obvious. "I figured we just fell back to fifth or sixth in points and who knows where we were going to end up," Hamlin said. "I was angry at the time, but I settled myself back down." And he showed just how deeply he was able to focus in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet as he pushed the issue with some lug nuts on his right rear tire aside, and dug his way back to score his second consecutive top-three and his fifth consecutive top-five to close the season. That moved him into third in the championship -- the best Modern Era performance by a rookie; which eclipsed the fourth place by his Gibbs Racing teammate and two-time series champion Tony Stewart in 1999. Rookie of the year James Hylton finished second to champion David Pearson in 1966, which is the all-time record. "It's been a great year for us," Hamlin said. "I'm ecstatic the way we ran. This is the way I wanted to end the year is with a top-five finish [because] these guys deserve it." Hamlin said the achievement meant a lot to him in a season when Stewart could not even get into position to defend his 2005 Nextel Cup championship when he failed to make the Chase -- but he had a long way to go to approach his teammate's record. "It's just fun to be competitive with Tony in that kind of way," said Hamlin, who added that his 'bet' with teammate was simply a handshake deal. "We were able to finish higher in the points than he did in his rookie year [but] I would trade it for just his stats alone when I'm done with my career." While Hamlin was a scant two positions on the track away from passing championship runner-up Matt Kenseth and moving into second at the end of the race Earnhardt, who came into the finale 115 points behind eventual champion Jimmie Johnson, actually lost 32 points to the champ by the time he finished 19th with a battle-scarred No. 8 Chevy. The difference was, Earnhardt and his crew battled and massaged and cajoled his ride throughout the race until they managed to lead 47 laps in two different segments near the midpoint. Earnhardt actually closed to within 50 points of Johnson one-third of the way into the race, when he took the lead at Lap 118 while Johnson was running 16th. After that 45-lap stint in the lead ended at Lap 162, the running commentary on Junior's in-car radio was classic. Five laps after the race restarted on Lap 165, Earnhardt was literally screaming into his radio that he was loose. That exchange came to a head when the sixth of 11 cautions flew at Lap 175. "We ain't doing nothing to the tires," Earnhardt's crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., said over the radio, before taking a paternal tone. "If it gets loose, I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do about it and you'll have to deal with it. "I'm trying to do all I can to win this [expletive] race." "Man, you need a break," Earnhardt shot back as he circled the track behind the pace car. "Then you can go hunting and do all the [expletive] you want to do." The bond between Earnhardt and Eury Jr., his cousin, as well as their crew was instantly apparent a few seconds later. "I didn't want you to think I was giving up and just riding around," Earnhardt explained his complaints. "You guys are so good, we were just leading this race and we can get back up there and do it again." After a race-long battle, the team never solved Earnhardt's fluctuating handling issues until he was finally forced to apologize to his crew after he side-slapped the wall through Turns 1 and 2 with about 42 laps remaining and running in the top 10. "Sorry, I pushed up and hit the wall, there," Earnhardt sheepishly told his crew a few laps later. "That [Jeff Burton] was pushing me pretty hard." Afterward, while Junior remained apologetic about the incident, he had nothing but fire in his heart for "his boys." "I got to tell you, man, my team -- I am real proud of them," Earnhardt said. "They have got a lot to be proud of over what they have been able to accomplish this year [and] the kind of cars they have been able to build. "They are kind of down on themselves about tonight. But they have a lot to be proud of; they realize that. I am excited about 2007. "My guys are kind of bummed out tonight [because] we had a great car tonight and they are really bummed out about how we finished -- but we have had a great team all year long and we have so much to look forward to. "We just have to maintain a great positive attitude going in through this offseason; just get some work done, get some good cars built and put it to them next year." Earnhardt acknowledged the magnitude of what his crew had accomplished after not making the Chase in 2005 and basically having to almost start from scratch before this season. He began the year sixth in the standings and only fell out of the top 10 twice, each for only one week and only into 11th. "I can't express how proud I am of this team -- I just have a tremendous team behind me," Earnhardt said. "They just never gave up all year. We battled back when we are down race after race -- we battled back today. "We made the Chase and we fought hard and we are going to try and do that next year [because] we have a great team -- just a really, really great team." Homestead Notes Although he led twice for 47 laps, the combination of his handling going away after sunset and slapping the wall dropped Junior to 19th place in the race. But he held onto fifth in the Chase, 147 back, and professed great optimism for next season. “I am excited about 2007,” Earnhardt said. “My guys are kind of bummed out tonight, we had a great car tonight and they are really bummed out about how we finished, but we have had a great team all year long and we have so much to look forward. We just have to maintain a great positive attitude going in through this off-season. Just get some work done, get some good cars built and put it to them next year. DEI interested in buying Yates' No. 88 for space Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s interest in purchasing the No. 88 team of Robert Yates Racing is about real estate, not owner points. Technical director Steve Hmiel on Sunday denied reports that DEI was interested in purchasing the No. 88 team so their new third Nextel Cup team with Paul Menard would be guaranteed a spot in the first five races next season based on owner points. He said the motivation is to purchase the building currently housing RYR's No. 88 and No. 38 Cup teams and some adjacent land with plans to eventually expand to four Cup teams and move the entire DEI organization there. He said the owner points would be a bonus. "We don't care anything about the number,'' Hmiel said before Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway. "We won't buy the 88. We are interested in buying a piece of property to expand our facility. "If the 88 comes along with that, that's OK. Now [Toyota's Team] Red Bull, they're offering a ton of money just for the number. We never even considered buying just the number. The focus is on the facility.'' Hmiel added that it's unlikely a deal will be reached unless Yates, who fields Fords, would move completely out of the building. Yates, who lost Elliott Sadler to Evernham Motorsports earlier this season and will lose Dale Jarrett to Michael Waltrip Racing after the season, is committed to running the No. 38 next year with rookie David Gilliland. "We could probably do that,'' Hmiel said of simply purchasing the No. 88. "But how can you have a Chevrolet team in one side and a Ford team in the other? It's a nice piece of property and we'd like to do that, but when you really get into the gist of it, it's kind of seemingly impossible. "Either Robert will have to move away and run the 38 team as he's committed to doing, or we wouldn't buy it. That's the deal-breaker in the whole thing.'' Hmiel said DEI has outgrown the 108,000 square-foot facility called the "Garage Mahal'' that sits adjacent to the Mooresville, N.C., home of owner Teresa Earnhardt. He said discussions are centered on moving to a new location that could field four Cup teams and one or two Busch Series teams. He said only the engine shop would remain at the current location. A source close to DEI said the current facility would be turned into a museum. "We're not very comfortable about building anymore buildings in Teresa's front yard,'' Hmiel said. Yates reportedly would like to make a decision on the No. 88 before next weekend's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hmiel doesn't see how that's possible from DEI's standpoint. "Robert told his guys it was a done deal,'' Hmiel said. "He told them that Wednesday. We just started talking. We are not even close.'' Junior: Season, races could stand to be shorter All we heard when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon didn't make the Chase for the Nextel Cup last season was how television ratings would suffer. Take NASCAR's most popular driver and a four-time champion out of the mix and you're looking at a disaster. Didn't happen. Ratings stayed the same for the most part and went up in some cases. So with Earnhardt and Gordon back in the Chase this year it seemed natural to assume the ratings would increase. Didn't happen. They have gone down in six of the eight events heading into Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway and gotten a small bump in two. "I don't know [why],'' Earnhardt Jr. says as he leans against the back of his No. 8 hauler between Saturday practices. "I've told everybody I know to tune in. I'm only one guy.'' Actually, Earnhardt has a theory on why the ratings are down. It has nothing to do with the popularity of certain drivers and everything to do with the length of the races and the season. Earnhardt believes the new fan NASCAR has attracted to move to No. 2 behind the NFL in terms of sport popularity would prefer 300-mile races instead of 400- and 500-milers. He wouldn't mind seeing some of them shortened himself. "There is that point in the middle of the race where it's sort of pointless,'' Earnhardt says. "We're just cutting laps is basically all we're doing to get to the end.'' The same goes for the length of the season. While Earnhardt isn't as against the 36-race schedule as he was a few years ago, he wouldn't mind seeing it shorter. He'd even be willing to give up some of the money he surely would lose. "Sure. Yes. Absolutely,'' he says. "That wouldn't be a problem at all. ... Like the NFL, you've got 16 games. Every game is really, really crucial, so it really makes an impact on every game. You tune in like hell to see what happens. "With baseball and this sport you can kind of watch for a couple of weeks, not watch for a couple of weeks, read the paper and see what's going on and you're fine. It's always there. It doesn't really hold and keep your interest.'' A shorter season also might help the divorce rate of crew members, which has rank up there with that of sportswriters who follow the sport. "I've seen more people in the sport getting divorced than I've seen people out of the sport getting married,'' Earnhardt says. "And it has a lot to do with the season being so long. We're gone so much.'' Two years ago, the grind was so hard on Earnhardt and his crew that they couldn't wait for the season to be over even though they had an outside shot at the title. Now Earnhardt can't wait to get to the track, feeling the 78-point deficit he has to Jimmie Johnson with two races remaining can be overcome. "The Chase made it way more exciting than the other system,'' he says. Yes, Earnhardt likes the playoff format that NASCAR chairman Brian France introduced in 2004. The system doesn't make him feel the immediate pressure to win the title that his dad by the same name won seven times before dying on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. "I'll have more opportunities with this system than with the old system,'' he says. "With the old system you had the guy that got out front and got away. "I can't imagine how many championships dad would have won with this system.'' Good point. Earnhardt's dad was at least 134 points out of first place going into the final 10 races during his final six seasons. In five of those years, he was between 205 and 788 points behind the leader. Under the Chase format he would have qualified every year and been no more than 35 points -- he was eighth with 10 to go in 1998 -- out of the lead after the reshuffle. Throw in his intimidation factor and his strength at many of the Chase tracks and two or three titles isn't beyond imagination. "He might have been a 10-time champion,'' Earnhardt says. Earnhardt would tweak the format only slightly, giving five more points for a victory and a small reward for winning the pole, the former a strong possibility. Maybe that would tighten the battle, which already is pretty tight with Matt Kenseth only 17 behind Johnson. Maybe that would help television ratings. "Maybe it's not quite as exciting and dramatic as we believe it to be,'' Earnhardt says with a laugh. "When you sit down and watch on your couch throughout the span of the season, maybe it's not that exciting, it's not that big of a deal.'' Or maybe it's just too long. "Normally, when you give too little you leave people wanting more,'' Earnhardt says. "When you give too much they get satisfied and tend to lose interest.'' Earnhardt on edge before big race Dale Earnhardt Jr. was certain a suspension part on his Chevrolet needed to be changed. His crew chief disagreed. Earnhardt wanted to trust his team and Tony Eury Jr., but couldn't quite shake the urge to swap those suspect spindles. Back and forth he went in his mind. On the eve of his biggest race this season, the decision was one that could make or break his championship hopes. Earnhardt enters Sunday's race at Phoenix International Speedway third in the standings, 78 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. This race will determine if Earnhardt heads to next week's season finale with any chance of winning his first Nextel Cup title. ``I don't really have a lot to stay. My mind's really working on the car right now,'' he said Saturday. ``It just is what it is and we're here to try to do the best we can. Our car is a top-10 car right now, but it's not good enough to satisfy me. I can probably go over there and get the spindles changed if I really, really wanted to. ``But I believe -- I feel more strongly about what's in Tony Jr.'s heart about the setup then my own opinion. As long as we're changing things to get better. I don't like sitting there and settling for what we've had.'' Only 105 points separate Johnson from fifth-place driver Kevin Harvick with two races to go. So every part is being triple-checked, every decision second-guessed. The smallest thing Sunday could turn this title hunt into a one-man race, and Earnhardt wants to make sure he's in it. So he watched the leaderboard all day Saturday, noting that Harvick led the first practice and Johnson was fastest in the second session. Then he worried about his own team and how he would stack up against the competition. ``We're (78) points out and we've got a shot, but I'm hoping to find a little more magic there,'' he said. ``The No. 29 (Harvick) is really fast and he might be the car to beat. As much as we'll like to look at Jimmie and them guys and try to catch them, there are still some guys who are really close behind us that still have a shot, too.'' The tension wasn't limited to Earnhardt's garage stall. Two trucks over, Johnson was stone-faced as he grabbed a bottle of water before heading inside for a team meeting. Like Earnhardt, he's seeking his first Cup title. But unlike Earnhardt, he's been close before and went into the finale the past two years with the championship in sight. He wants to hoist that trophy next week and knows Phoenix is the last big hurdle. Johnson said he's up for the challenge. ``I really think the experience of the Chase has made me a stronger driver and a more mature driver to deal with the pressure and stress,'' Johnson said. ``The team has been in this position as well, and they know what that's like ... the butterflies when the car comes down pit road. I think we're stronger. ``I'm not saying we won't make mistakes, but I think we're a stronger team. I have a lot of confidence in that.'' The beauty of the Chase system, as Johnson knows firsthand, is that every season brings another opportunity to win the title. All a driver has to do is make the 10-race title hunt. Once in, the Nextel Cup is there for the taking. It's what keeps Earnhardt sane these days, that knowledge that should he fail this season, there's always next year. ``With this system we have now I'll have a lot of opportunities to win championships,'' he said. ``With the old system, you had the guy who got out in front and got away and it was hard to catch at the end. The system offers opportunity to win more. That kind of relaxes me a little bit by not getting it this year.'' But relax, Earnhardt fans. That doesn't mean he's conceded. ``Absolutely not,'' he said. ``We're obviously doing everything we can.'' Charity Auction to Ride with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Exceeds Expectations Ending a five-day eBay charity auction hosted by the Wrangler® brand last week, a generous thrill-seeker bid $25,100 for the chance to ride with NASCAR-driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Joining in the philanthropic spirit, Wrangler and JR Motorsports partnered to match the winning bid, bringing the total donation to $50,200. Benefiting the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a racing-themed camp for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses, the combined contribution is enough for 25 children to attend a full week at no cost to their families. The Wrangler-hosted auction, which was on eBay's "Most Watched List" for three days, began late the night of Friday, Oct. 27 and bidding jumped to $15,000 by Saturday afternoon. When the bidding war ended Wednesday, Nov. 1 (with 128,000 hits), Mark Shipman of Cleburne, Texas, had won the ride of a lifetime - three adrenaline-infused laps sitting shotgun beside NASCAR's most popular driver. Shelling out the equivalent of more than $8,300 per lap, Shipman was especially pleased when he discovered his $25,100 bid would benefit the VJG Camp. "My wife and I have long admired the Victory Junction Gang Camp and all they do for children and their families," said Shipman. "It's important for us to donate to children's charities and, as longtime Dale Jr. fans, we knew the Wrangler auction was the perfect opportunity to do so. We're honored to see our donation and the generosity of Wrangler and JR Motorsports help bring happiness to such great kids." Grateful for the unexpected contributions, Kyle Petty, co-founder of Victory Junction said, "We were thrilled when Wrangler told us they wanted to use their partnership with Dale Jr. to find a way to help the camp. We hoped the auction would yield big results, like Mr. Shipman's generous bid, but the heartfelt match by Wrangler and JR Motorsports is icing on the cake." Since 2005, the Wrangler brand has helped raise more than $100,000 for charity by working in cooperation with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and partner organizations. Last year, Wrangler and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation auctioned a similar experience for more than $42,000 to benefit the American Red Cross and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief efforts. And earlier this year, Wrangler donated a ride with Dale Jr. to the Cancer Challenge, a non-profit organization that raises funds for health organizations in northwest Arkansas, and helped raise $9,000 to support programs and services designed around the early detection, prevention, diagnosis, research and treatment of cancer. "Wrangler is proud to partner with Mr. Shipman and JR Motorsports to make such a generous donation to this amazing camp," said Craig Errington, marketing director, Wrangler. "For a family oriented, all-American brand like Wrangler, it's great to be able to support an organization that does so much for kids and their families from all over the country." The Wrangler brand has a long-standing relationship with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and the Earnhardt family, dating back to the 1980's when Dale Earnhardt drove the legendary blue and yellow Wrangler car. Since 2004 Wrangler Jeans Co.TM has reigned as the official jeans of Dale Jr. and the #8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. racing team. JR Motorsports, owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is a professional race team located in Mooresville, N.C. The organization operates multiple race teams and competes within the NASCAR Busch Series, the USAR Hooters Series and late model stock cars. www.jrmotorsport.com. About Victory Junction Gang Camp The mission of the Victory Junction Gang Camp is to enrich the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a safe and medically sound environment. Founded by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie in honor of their late son Adam, the Victory Junction Gang Camp is a year-round facility serving children, age 7 to 15. Each summer, an average of 1,500 children suffering from similar medical conditions including heart, lung and kidney disease, spina bifida, HIV, cancer, burn survivors, neurological disorders, and a host of others, gather to kick back, relax and have some fun. The camp offers traditional activities, including horseback riding, boating and fishing, arts and crafts and others, as well as NASCAR related program areas. The Victory Junction Gang Camp is a member of the Association of Hole in the Wall Gang Camps and is free to children and their families. The camp operates solely on the generous donations of individuals, corporations and foundations. For more information, visit www.victoryjunction.org. About VF Corporation VF Corporation is a leader in branded lifestyle apparel including jeanswear, outdoor products, intimate apparel, image apparel and sportswear. Its principal brands include Wrangler®, Lee®, Riders®, Rustler®, The North Face®, Vans®, Reef®, Napapijri®, Kipling®, Nautica®, John Varvatos®, JanSport®, Eastpak®, Vanity Fair®, Vassarette®, Bestform®, Lily of France®, Lee Sport® and Red Kap®. Time running short for Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has worked his way up to third in the Chase for the championship standings -- no easy feat considering the issues he had from flag to flag at Texas Motor Speedway. First, he battled strep throat and sore joints, both of which required him to increase his intake of fluids. But all that extra drinking gave him a severe case of heartburn, and he felt so lousy he said it was hard to focus on finishing the race. "The first part of the race, I was a mess -- it was gruelling for me," Earnhardt said. "I could concentrate for about three laps and then I'd have two laps to where I just couldn't get nothing done and I was just all over the place feeling sick." When he finally found the will to continue, Earnhardt ran his No. 8 Chevrolet smack into the wall, causing considerable damage that dropped him back to 34th in the field. But his Dale Earnhardt Inc. crew made significant repairs to his car and Junior salvaged the day with a sixth-place finish. It made Earnhardt believe his team finally has emerged as a championship contender. "We've been called a lot of things, and it would be great to be called resilient," Earnhardt said. "This team is very strong and very dedicated. They carry me whenever I need it and vice versa, and it helps to have that. It really, really does." Now he's got two weeks to see just how far this team really can go. He heads into Phoenix International Raceway just 78 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, with Matt Kenseth sandwiched between the two. If he's going to make up any ground, he knows it will have to come Sunday at Phoenix, where he went to Victory Lane in both 2003 and 2004 -- making him one of just three drivers with multiple wins on the 1-mile track. The others are Jeff Burton and Davey Allison. But Earnhardt's success at Phoenix -- he's got four top-five finishes in the past six races there -- doesn't come naturally. It took him time to figure out how to race in the desert. "When I first started running there, I didn't get around the place very good," he said. "It was just a real hot, slick race track for me. I don't know what happened, but we showed up one week and this thing was just really, really fast and we've been fast ever since." He'll need that speed Sunday if he's going to have any shot at the title. Johnson is on another one of his mind-boggling rolls, finishing second or better the past four weeks. And Kevin Harvick, who currently sits fifth in the standings, swept the Busch and Cup events there in April and will look to do the same this weekend. So there's little room for error, and Earnhardt has an idea where he needs to be heading into next week's season finale to have any chance at all. "We need to be in reasonable striking distance going into Homestead," he said. "I'm really glad we're close. That's what you shoot for. We've got some hard, tough teams to beat, but I think we're putting up a great fight." Still, everyone across the board acknowledges it will be difficult to beat Johnson, who had dropped to ninth after the Chase opener and has mounted another one of his furious comebacks to position himself as the driver to beat. He's the guy they are all chasing into Phoenix, and even Kenseth, who sits 17 points out of the lead, knows catching Johnson will be difficult. "I'm not being a pessimist, but I'm being a realist -- can we beat Jimmie Johnson on performance? Heck no," Kenseth said. "The guy has been first or second for the past four weeks ... looking at that, you just don't feel too confident." Sickness, wall can't keep Junior out of Chase hunt Dale Earnhardt Jr., exhausted after battling the flu and the wall during Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, pulled crew chief Tony Eury Jr. to the side in the darkness outside of his hauler. "Think we can get this car ready for Homestead?" he asked. Eury was way ahead of his driver, having just gotten off the phone with the foreman of the body shop at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in North Carolina to give him a heads-up on the damages. "It's ready," Eury said emphatically. Now Earnhardt hopes he needs it. After battling to a sixth-place finish following a Lap 166 brush with the wall that dropped him to 34th, Earnhardt is 78 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson with two races remaining at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami Speedway. This one was especially satisfying with all the adversity he's dealt with on and off the track since Friday. Earnhardt came to the 1.5-mile facility with a bug that kept him in the infield care center taking fluids seemingly as much as he was behind the wheel. He was running second behind winner Tony Stewart when rookie Clint Bowyer took the air off the rear of his car in Turn 4 and sent it smashing into the wall. Seven pit stops for repairs later, he was at the end of the lead lap and seemingly out of the championship picture. "I figured we'd be riding around 25th," Eury said. "Honestly, when a car hits the wall that hard, very rarely are you able to bring it back and finish in the top 10." They did because the team kept making adjustments and Earnhardt, who was so sick early in the race that he wanted to throw up, kept fighting. Afterwards, as Earnhardt sat in his car window so tired he barely could hold his head up, almost every member of the team offered a handshake or high five. "You earned that one, man," Eury said when he finally caught up to his driver, by then sitting on the back of his hauler. Earnhardt has been critical of his team often this season, but he had nothing but praise after what he considered one of their more resilient efforts. "We've been called a lot of things," he said. "It would be great to be called resilient. This team is really strong, very dedicated. They have carried me whenever I needed it. "We're putting up a great fight. I don't think anybody anticipated this team running this strong every week. I'm proud of my team." As with several in the Chase, Earnhardt could have been leading with a break here and there. He finished 22nd at Martinsville three weeks ago after a late spin that cost him a potential top-10 finish. He was leading on the final lap at Talladega when Brian Vickers crashed him and Jimmie Johnson to leave him 23rd. But Earnhardt isn't complaining or making excuses. "I'm really glad that we're close," he said. "We have an opportunity. That's what you shoot for. We've got some hard and tough teams to beat, but we're putting up a great fight." Earnhardt's fight early wasn't with the car but his stomach after taking fluids five times intravenously over the past two days and drinking enough sport drinks before the race to float a battleship. "When I got in that car, the first couple of corners it was all coming up," he said. "The first part of the race was grueling to me. I couldn't concentrate. I had two laps where I couldn't do nothing about it and was all over the place. "I got it out of my system somehow or the other. Hitting the fence sort of woke us all up a little bit." Earnhardt didn't blame Bowyer, reminding he did the same thing to Greg Biffle last season in almost the same place. That didn't stop Bowyer from stopping by the No. 8 hauler to apologize to Eury. "No problem, I promise you, man," Eury said. Eury and Earnhardt spent the entire race dealing with problems, down to the final caution with two laps remaining when Earnhardt damaged the frame rail when he hit the go-kart track trying to avoid a crash involving Scott Riggs. "It was just vibrating and shaking those last couple of laps," Earnhardt said. But it wasn't shaking so much that Earnhardt couldn't hold together the car that has finished outside the top five only three times in 14 races, one of those a seventh at Charlotte. "It's a bad little car," Eury said. That's why Earnhardt wants it for Homestead, where he hopes he is close enough to win the championship that his famous father won seven times. "It's a shame what I had to put that car through." Earnhardt said. "Hopefully, Tony and those guys can fix it." Texas race a big one for Earnhardt If Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to make a serious run at this year's NASCAR Nextel Cup championship, the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday would be the perfect time to make a move. Earnhardt goes into the race tied for fourth in the Chase for the championship with Jeff Burton, both of them 84 points behind leader Matt Kenseth and also trailing Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. For Earnhardt, who missed the Chase last year after finishing fifth in 2004 in the inaugural stock car playoffs, just being part of the season-ending battle is a big deal. ``It's exciting,'' Earnhardt said. ``It's fun to be battling for the championship with (nine) guys and just feels more prestigious to me, as far as the way it all rolls out throughout the season and how we crown a champion in this system.'' But Earnhardt, whose late father won seven NASCAR championships, is a realist, too. He has won two Busch Series titles and watched enough Cup championships to know that it would take a miracle for him to come out on top of the standings after the season-finale Nov. 19 at Homestead unless he makes up some serious ground at Texas and Phoenix the next two Sundays. ``I figure we've got to be within maybe 20 points (going into Homestead) to have a real chance,'' Earnhardt said Friday before the start of practice on the 1.5-mile Texas oval. That's why the Texas race could not have come at a better moment for the 32-year-old Earnhardt. It's the track where he won his first Busch race and where he also took the first of his 16 Cup victories. ``It's very special,'' Earnhardt said of TMS. ``I always love running here. ``Texas was the place where I realized I could make a career out of racing. Before our Busch Series win here in '98, I wasn't sure I was going to make it as a race car driver. I was living in a doublewide (trailer) and trying to get my career going. I hadn't had much success in racing up to that point, but we won that race at Texas, and it set the foundation for our championship that year.'' Consistent Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, on a roll with a win and two runner-up finishes in his last three starts, are the championship favorites going into the weekend. But Earnhardt, the fan favorite whose only victory this season came at Richmond in the 10th race of the year, could easily become part of that equation with a win on Sunday. He hurt his title chances two weeks ago at Martinsville, spinning out late in the race after contact with fellow Chase contender Kasey Kahne. That relegated Earnhardt to a 22nd-place finish. ``I guess I need to get somebody on (the radio) to preach to me to have more patience because I definitely can't take control of myself,'' he said after that race. But a third-place finish last week at Atlanta put Earnhardt in a better mood, particularly after he held off Kenseth by inches at the finish. ``That race to the finish with Matt didn't look very patient, because we were hanging on for dear life to third place,'' he said. ``We can talk big picture racing all day long but, at the end of the race, I want every position I can get and Matt wants every position he can get. ``I know we lost a lot of points at Martinsville because I was trying to get after it and ended up spinning out. But I'm not going to pull over and let people take the position either. We're still racing hard and trying to win this championship. We're up to fourth in the standings. Another good run this weekend can put us up to third or even second with two races to go.'' That just might be enough to boost Earnhardt to a championship. Dodge, Chevy to introduce new cars in 2007 Dodge and Chevrolet are reportedly set to introduce new models in next year's Nextel Cup competition. According to the Charlotte Observer, NASCAR has given General Motors the go ahead to phase out the successful Monte Carlo SS with the new Impala SS. An official announcement is expected this Friday in Atlanta when Hendrick Motorsports unveils the new NASCAR Impala. The Monte Carlo, which captured pole position in its very first NASCAR race in 1971, is the most successful model to have ever competed in the series, chalking up more than 400 wins. However, it won't disappear completely in 2007. The Impala is expected to used in 16 races next year as part of Chevrolet's version of the "car of tomorrow". Dodge, meanwhile, plans to run its stock car version of the Avenger. NASCAR officials and manufacturers are working on changing over the Busch Series lineup by 2010 with cars such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger and Toyota Solara. Junior admits need for patience in points race Dale Earnhardt Jr. was cruising toward a top-10 finish midway through Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Martinsville Speedway when crew chief Tony Eury Jr. radioed that points leader Jeff Burton had engine problems. "He's in the garage, so we can really have a big points day," Eury told his driver. "Think big picture here." Earnhardt laughed and jokingly replied, "Damn, Tony Jr. That's not like you to have your head so into the game. Keep telling me about the points all day. "You need to be vocal. Keep my head in it. I wanna race, you know, so you gotta keep me focused on the big picture." He did -- for another 200 laps. Then on Lap 476 of the 500-lap race, trying to pass Kasey Kahne for seventh place with second place in the point standings staring him in the face, Earnhardt lost focus. "I'm better than the 9 [Kahne]," Earnhardt radioed to spotter Steve Hmiel. "Tell him to get aggressive! Get on it! Get around that 24 [Jeff Gordon]! If he doesn't, I'll move him outta the way and then he can follow me through." Instead, Earnhardt got into the side of Kahne and spun himself out in Turn 3. He fell to 25th on the restart and finished 22nd to leave him sixth in points, 94 behind new leader Matt Kenseth. It may have been the move that cost him the championship with four races remaining. "I just got to driving over my head," Earnhardt said. "I guess I need to get somebody on [the radio] to preach to me to have more patience. I can't handle it. I can't control myself. "I was just trying to finish in the top five instead of just driving a little smarter. I'd been riding all day long and taking care of stuff. I just wasn't smart. There's no excuse." The incident reminded Earnhardt of a move he made two years ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where NASCAR's premier series goes next week. With a chance to take the points lead with 15 laps to go, Earnhardt aggressively tried to squeeze in front of Carl Edwards and wound up getting knocked into the inside wall. The move dropped him to fifth in the standings, all but ending his shot at the 2004 title with three races remaining. "I've got to learn how to have a little more patience," Earnhardt said. Despite the mistake, Earnhardt made up 10 points on the leader. He's not out of the championship hunt. Nobody in the top 10 is. Kenseth went from 45 points behind Burton to 36 ahead of Kevin Harvick with his 11th-place finish. Harvick made up 53 points and moved from third to second in the standings with his ninth-place finish. Race winner Jimmie Johnson, who came in 175 points out of the lead in seventh, moved to third only 41 out. Denny Hamlin picked up two spots to fourth with his second-place finish and moved up 90 points to 47 behind Kenseth. Burton, despite finishing next-to-last, is only fifth and 48 points off the lead. Mark Martin slipped three spots to seventh but made up six points to move within 96 of first. Kahne, who has gained 174 points in the last three races, picked up 60 points to move within 99. Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch, who are ninth and 10th in points, even made up ground to give themselves a chance. Gordon is 141 back and Busch 171. "A lot of guys are back in it now," Kahne said. "It's going to be pretty exciting to the end." Johnson agreed. "I look forward to these last races," he said. "A lot can happen. Any team is still capable of winning this championship. I don't think anybody is going to sleep well for these next four races." Earnhardt certainly won't sleep well knowing what he let slip away. "I'm just disappointed because we had an opportunity [Sunday]," he said. "With only four races [left], I don't know, anything's possible. I could just be in so much a better situation right now." Earnhardt: 2004 Atlanta still hurts The circuit hits Atlanta Motor Speedway next week, site of a late-race slipup by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2004. Earnhardt was third in points and running in the top five late in the race, but he was racing rookie Carl Edwards hard on the backstretch when the two made contact, sending Earnhardt into the inside wall. He finished 33rd. What made the mistake even more painful was the fact that Earnhardt won the next week at Phoenix, but by that time, it was too late. Too many points had been lost. "I was focusing more on the win there when I should have been focusing more on the points situation," Earnhardt said. "I had a great opportunity to gain on Kurt [Busch] there in that race, I will never forget that." Jay-Z Rides With Dale Earnhardt Jr. Now that Jay-Z's new single "Show Me What You Got" has leaked to radio, he's wasting no time pushing forward with the accompanying visuals. The video for "Show Me What You Got," shot by veteran director F. Gary Gray (Ice Cube, Outkast) not Hype Williams, as reported earlier — is set to premiere on Monday (see "Start The 'Show': Jay-Z's Trumpet-Filled Comeback Single Leaks Online"). The song marks Jay-Z's first offering from Kingdom Come, his long-rumored comeback album slated to hit shelves November 23 via Roc-A-Fella/ Def Jam Records (see "Jay-Z's 'Retirement' Is Finally Over: New Album Due In November"). (Click here for photos of Jay-Z and his racing friends from the 007-style "Show Me What You Got" video.) Shot on location overseas in Monaco, the video finds Jay-Z in espionage mode, sporting a James Bond attitude in car and boat chase scenes. "It just felt fun," the rapper told MTV News of the Just Blaze-helmed track. "I didn't want to put too much on it. I didn't want to go super heavy [or] complex with the lyrics. It's almost like this male/female banter. Show me what you got, purdy lady. That was needed. It's basically a fun record." Pro race car drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick make cameos in the clip. The four-minute video opens with Jay-Z riding shotgun with Earnhardt as he and Patrick dash through the famously treacherous roads above Monaco, racing each other in pricey European sports cars. Next, Jay is out on the water traveling in a speedboat with no entourage in tow. The Def Jam president and another boat, full of ladies, pace back and forth taking turns trying to one-up each other with tricks. When Jay-Z docks his boat, he lands on an exclusive resort for the club scene and a high-stakes game of poker. And as the card bout gets tense, Jay-Z casually dismisses a waiter attempting to deliver him a bottle of Cristal, which the rapper called for a boycott of recently due to disparaging remarks made toward black people by the champagne maker's managing director. His new drink of choice? That'd be Veuve Clicquot. Kingdom Come is expected to feature contributions from Just Blaze, Kanye West and possibly acts from his Def Jam roster, including Young Jeezy. Fans love Junior; Gordon doesn't Dale Earnhardt Jr. can do no wrong at Talladega - at least as far as the fans are concerned. It seems most of the 150,000 or so NASCAR aficionados who show up twice a year for Nextel Cup races at the big Alabama track are rabid Junior fans. Each time their hero's red-clad No. 8 Chevrolet whizzes by, thousands rise to their feet like a mini-wave, throw their hands in the air, pump their fists and exult. When Little E takes the lead, the roar rivals the sound of a 747 flying close overhead. The sound that emanated from the vast grandstands late Sunday afternoon when a mistake by Brian Vickers took out both Jimmie Johnson and race leader Earnhardt half a lap from the finish of the UAW-Ford 500 was different. It was a collective gasp, a murmur and then a cascade of boos. Instead of Earnhardt getting his sixth Talladega victory, Vickers was declared the winner, getting his first career win. Earnhardt and Johnson were relegated to 23rd and 24th, respectively. After taking the checkered flag, Vickers drove back to the tri-oval grass, in front of the main grandstand, and began doing victory doughnuts. The crowd screamed its disapproval, many throwing beer cans and other trash toward the celebrating winner. Shades of the spring race in 2004 when Jeff Gordon was declared the winner after NASCAR ruled he was just ahead of Earnhardt when a late caution flag ended the race. Gordon's car was pelted with garbage and he was booed lustily in Victory Lane, much as Vickers was on Sunday. That 2004 finish led NASCAR to introduce its overtime rule, allowing for a two-lap shootout if a caution flag waves in the last few laps of regulation. This time, the accident happened on the 188th and last lap, so, under NASCAR's rules, there was no overtime - just a lot of unhappy Earnhardt fans. Neither Gordon nor NASCAR were too happy with Earnhardt before the crash, either. Gordon, who finished 36th after getting caught up in an 11-car crash in Lap 138 that had nothing to do with Earnhardt, still spent some of the time while his crew repaired his battered Chevy complaining about Little E's bump-drafting. That's the "art" of ramming into the rear bumper of the car ahead of you to gain momentum for a pass, particularly at Talladega and Daytona, the only tracks where NASCAR requires restrictor plates to slow down the cars. The plates also make it hard for anyone to break out of the pack or make a pass on their own. In Daytona last February, bump-drafting got so out of hand in the preliminary events that reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart warned someone could be killed if NASCAR didn't reign it in. The sanctioning body heeded Stewart's warning, saying it would start policing bump-drafting, particularly in the turns. Gordon said the bump-drafting was again out of control on Sunday, particularly by Earnhardt. "The thing I don't understand is that NASCAR has been talking about bump-drafting for I don't know how many times we've come here and to Daytona," the four-time Cup champion said, "and they said it in the driver's meeting (Sunday) and they weren't doing a thing about it out there." Asked about Earnhardt, in particular, Gordon said, "That guy seems to be able to run into the back of people harder than anybody else. He's a great drafter. I love racing with him but, man, does he run into the back of people." NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said, "We didn't see any excessive bump-drafting on the racetrack today. I know Jeff had some comments, but we didn't see anything we had to react to." But Earnhardt's crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., said his driver was warned about the bump-drafting several times during the race and, at one point, Little E asked him to get a clarification from NASCAR what was considered bump-drafting and what was considered pushing. When told about that, Gordon said, "Well, whoever is making that call from NASCAR, I will put a passenger seat in my car and they can ride with me and tell me what they think the next time." Earnhardt shrugged off the criticism. "There is so much grip here, my mom could drive these cars. So there wasn't no way I was going to spin anybody out. But I guess it makes Jeff Gordon a little nervous," Junior said. "I pushed (him) into the lead five times and every time I do that he complains that I'm bump-drafting him in the corners and blah, blah, blah. So I'm just not going to push him any more." Earnhardt acknowledged, though, he did change his ways after the final warning from NASCAR. "Yeah, I just stopped," he said. "I knew at the end of the race they would be really watching close." It would have been ironic if a bump-draft had taken Earnhardt out, but it was simply a mistake, with Vickers sending Johnson into the No. 8 as he tried to help push his teammate past Earnhardt for the win. But, thanks to the problems experienced by Gordon and others in the 10-man Chase for the championship, Earnhardt remained sixth in the standings and gained 17 points on leader Jeff Burton. He trails by 106 points heading to Martinsville next week. "I think we can still race hard and see if we can't close the gap a little bit," Earnhardt said. "Something like this can happen to the next guy just as easy as myself. But I've got some people I'm pulling for if I don't win." It's doubtful Jeff Gordon is one of them. A Dissenting Opinion While Jeff Gordon was furious with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for bump drafting him, Earnhardt was equally furious with Gordon for what he perceived to be whining about it. “I pushed Jeff Gordon into the lead five times and every time I do that, he complains that I'm bump-drafting him in the corners and blah, blah, blah,” said Earnhardt. “So I'm just not going to push him anymore. Besides, every time I help him out, he never gives it back in return. That's why he don't have too many friends out there. I was trying to be his only friend, besides his teammates, who are kind of paid to draft with him." Junior Uncertain Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the second-most successful driver in Talladega Superspeedway history, said the combination of new asphalt and smaller restrictor plates have him undecided about what to expect in Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500. “I am very at odds as to what my opinion is about what is going to happen in the race,” said Earnhardt, who trails only his late father in victories here. “What line is going to work, what passing is going to be like, what the draft is going to be like, whether it is going to be two-wide often, single-file often, or three-wide most often. It depends on a lot of different scenarios and I don’t have any answers for myself or anybody else right now.” Earnhardt hopes to jump-start Chase If Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to make a run at his first Nextel Cup title, he'll have to jump-start his campaign this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway -- the wild-card race in the Chase for the championship. Mark Martin is resigned to wrecking, and Jeff Burton knows his long string of avoiding disaster at Talladega is bound to end some time. Just about every driver in the 10-man Chase field will be on pins and needles Sunday, knowing that their title hopes can take a serious hit on the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Everyone except Junior, that is. Although he's currently seventh in the standings, 123 points behind leader Burton, the five-time Talladega winner isn't waving the white flag just yet -- and a win at Talladega would put him up front with the leaders. "Jeff Burton's no super hero, he's not invincible," Earnhardt said. "He can have bad luck just like anybody else. Within one race, six or seven of us can be right back in it. I still feel like we got an awesome chance." Although Earnhardt once owned Talladega -- winning four straight from 2001 to 2003 -- his dominance has faded. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have caught up to Earnhardt and his restrictor-plate program and the win is no longer automatic. Earnhardt sort of likes it that way. "Going into Talladega, it's important that we run good because it's in the Chase, it's a part of the championship, but it doesn't really matter that it's a restrictor-plate track to me," he said. "I don't really care to be the most dominant restrictor-plate team out there. I want to run good everywhere. "When we were dominant there, we got crap for not being good anywhere else. So I'd give it up to be running good at all these two-mile tracks like we have this year." Indeed, it's not the plate races that have Earnhardt back into the Chase after a one-year hiatus. Instead, it's that the entire No. 8 team finally has put the complete package together and learned how to compete at every circuit on the schedule. Take last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, where Earnhardt eked out a 10th-place finish. Disappointed at first with the finish, he took a few days to think about it and realized just what a good job it was. "Years ago when I was a rookie, a win would be the high point," he said. "But now that I'm a little bit older, I see a little bit more, understand the sport a little bit more. I think that this weekend was as big, was as good of a job as that win in Richmond (in May) as far as my team and myself as a whole. We did as good of a job." The key now is not squandering this opportunity. Although Earnhardt has yet to experience winning a title, he knows all too well how to lose one. His win at Talladega in 2004 pushed him into the Chase points lead, briefly. He dropped a four-letter curse word on live TV during his Victory Lane interview and NASCAR docked him 25 points as punishment. The penalty knocked him off the top of the leaderboard and his championship hopes evaporated three weeks later when a rear-end gear broke in his Chevrolet and he finished 33rd. He never recovered and wound up sixth in the standings, despite winning six races that year. "I did feel like '04 was a good little chance we let kind of get away from us," he said. "You know, I didn't think I'd ever win six races in a season. You dream about doing that kind of stuff." His team collapsed in 2005, he missed the Chase and Earnhardt now appreciates even being eligible for the title. "How many opportunities do you have? How many chances do you have? How many Chases are you going to be in?" he wondered. "You just have to go at it like it's your last chance." But if it doesn't happen this year, or any other year, the son of the seven-time champion is positive he'll be fine. "I'd trade winning the championship for winning 10 races in a year if that makes any sense," he said. "I don't think (winning a championship) will be a burden. I got a lot to be proud of. I've had a hell of a life up to this point so far." Questions persist about new Talladega surface Dale Earnhardt Jr. hopes to get around the newly paved Talladega Superspeedway in his Nextel Cup car better than he did in the street version. He brushed the wall so hard with his Chevrolet Monte Carlos SS last week that he knocked off the side-view mirror. "I was driving the car around the high groove and all of a sudden the wall jumped out and slapped the side of the car,'' Earnhardt said as he looked ahead to Sunday's race. "The [SAFER barrier] was real uneven. It wasn't aligned with the track all the way around, so it kind of jumped out and grabbed me. "It was pretty funny. I was dragging the mirror all the way around just to let them know how close we were.'' It won't be funny if Earnhardt or any of the 10 drivers competing for the championship hit the wall this weekend in what is deemed the biggest "wild card'' of the Chase. It's even more of a wild card with the new surface, a project that began after Jimmie Johnson won the May race and was completed on Sept. 19. Initial response from the six teams that tested on the 2.66-mile surface was positive. All agreed the baby smooth blacktop is easier to get around than the worn bumpy surface that was tough on tires. "I drove around with my right arm and never touched the steering wheel with my left arm, so it is definitely easy to drive,'' said Ryan Newman, who tested for Penske Racing South. "But it is going to get a lot more difficult when other cars are out there.'' Newman said it's also going to be interesting to see how the track reacts in different weather. "If it gets hot, it can get greasy and slick,'' he said. But the biggest concern is how the cars respond in large packs of traffic that are common at the restrictor-plate track. Johnson, eighth in points, said drivers may not get a true indication until Sunday. "You might get 15 to 18 cars in a draft [during practice], but you never get the whole group together to see what's going on,'' he said. "That's the toughest thing.'' Jeff Gordon, who has won four times at Talladega and 10 on superspeedways, doesn't think racing will change at all. "It will still be wild,'' said Gordon, who fell four spots to sixth in points after a faulty fuel pump left him 39th last week at Kansas. "In the past, we've been able to run from the white line to the wall. I think you're going to continue to see that. "If guys are being more aggressive trying to get up front, and I think it's getting too crazy, I may try to get out of that situation and just bide my time. We need to be there at the end of the race to have a chance to win.'' Mark Martin isn't optimistic that the new surface will change his fortunes on a track where he's finished 33rd or worse in the last three races. "I'm gonna wreck anyway,'' he said with a laugh. Martin, who is third in points, also doesn't believe the surface will cut down on the number of overall wrecks. "It should make more wrecks, I would think,'' he said. "We'll run into each other more ... cut each other off. You can't see five-wide. A guy three-wide can mess up a guy fifth-wide and not even know it. It is what it is. It's Talladega.'' Dale Jarrett, who won this event a year ago, doesn't paint such a bleak picture. "You don't have all those patches that we've been fighting for years and all of the dips and things in the track that made it difficult at times and helped create some of the accidents that we would have because that would get us into each other,'' he said. "It has the prospects of being maybe the closest finish we've ever seen there, and we've had some pretty close ones." Because the tire Goodyear tested was so durable, as it was on the new surface at Charlotte earlier this year, Martin Truex Jr. said teams may take more chances on two- and no-tire stops. Otherwise, he doesn't expect racing to be different. "We still have to fill a 13-gallon [fuel] cell up, and the racing should be as good as it has ever been, if not better,'' said Truex, who tested for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Earnhardt, who won four in a row and five of seven at Talladega from 2001-2004, said progressive banking in the tri-oval that wasn't there before the repaving could present problems. "That might be a little tricky as we go through there side by side, moving around, pulling the air off each other's cars and stuff,'' said Earnhardt, who is seventh in points. "Hopefully, nobody has any issues and gets loose there.'' But Earnhardt's biggest issue remains the soft walls. "It isn't perfectly symmetrical in the corner,'' he said. "It sort of waves and changes lanes on you, if you will. I drove that SS Monte Carlo around there, held it in a perfectly straight line around the corner. I think the right rear quarter panel hit the wall two or three times.'' Earnhardt down but not downhearted after Dover After two performances that he classified, by association, as mediocre, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still optimistic about his chances for his first Nextel Cup championship. After carping about his 13th-place New Hampshire kickoff in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, and reportedly saying that a bad day at Dover would still result in a top-15 finish, Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet struggled all day with ill-handling that induced horrendous tire wear -- and a 21st-place finish. "It's another frustrating day, but what can you do?" Earnhardt said. "The car was good early on in the high line. I could really get a run on a lot of guys running up top, but we were never worth a damn in the low groove. "The nose would push, push, push all day and it got worse and worse as the race went on. We struggled a little bit [so] we're lucky we finished 21st." Earnhardt now sits in the same seventh position he came into Dover -- though he fell a further 22 points behind new leader and race winner Jeff Burton. He's no less optimistic about his title chances, but he also said Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne were still contenders, when those two men both said their championship hopes were "done" after they hit trouble for their second consecutive Chase outings. "I think Kasey and Kyle Busch still got a shot," Earnhardt said. "I don't know. It's going to be hard but you're never out of it -- [my] hopes are great. "We're a hundred points out with eight races [to go] -- that's plenty [of time]. We just gotta do great [and] win some races." Heading to Race 3 of the Chase, Earnhardt is 102 points behind Burton and feeling sporty. "Hopefully, we'll do better in the next several weeks," Earnhardt said. "We've been lucky to be only 100-some [points] behind. That's pretty fortunate right now." Sunday, Earnhardt started 13th for the second consecutive week and raced up to second by lap 100 of 400. He was far from happy with his car's performance, but was a gaming 13th halfway through the race and was still in the top 10 with 240 laps down. A Goodyear tire representative said the company's engineers were closely monitoring the No. 8 car after it experienced heavy tire wear and that Earnhardt's flat right-front tire, which caused a green-flag pit stop at Lap 282 that cost him two laps to the leader, was caused when the tire simply "wore out" after 76 laps on the car. "We took two tires to try and get some track position," Earnhardt said. "We were hanging on to the top 10, but then the [right-front] tire started going down and we dropped back." A caution at Lap 298 locked him into being two laps down, and he lost a third lap before the race ended. "After that [caution] it was a case of trying to pick off whatever cars were on our lap," Earnhardt said. "It's not a good day, but it could certainly have been a lot worse if we would have crashed when the tire went down." Earnhardt's spirits are even more bolstered by the fact that he's won 10 races at the eight remaining venues in the Chase -- though five of the victories are at Talladega. He also said he personally would try a different tack in preparing his team for the upcoming Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway -- leaving out the post-event "pep talk" he gave them after New Hampshire. "We had pretty much the same performance this week so I'm not going to talk to them [at] all this week," Earnhardt said. "We'll see if that works." Junior happy to be in Chase Dale Earnhardt Jr. would rather face the burden of digging out of his seventh place spot in the Nextel Cup points standings then not being in the Chase at all. One year after failing to qualify for NASCAR's Chase, Earnhardt used 12 top-10 finishes to surge into contention for the first time in two years. But he faded late in New Hampshire and finished a disappointing 13th in the opening race of the Chase, placing him 81 points behind series leader Kevin Harvick. It's still early. The Dover 400 this weekend kicks off the final nine races in the Chase, but another double-digit finish would have Earnhardt scrambling to make up ground. He's been unpredictable at the Monster Mile, winning the September race five years ago, but with three finishes in the 30s on this track since that victory. He finished 10th here in June and starts 13th on Sunday. "I've had some good times here, some good runs here, some great cars here, but it's sort of hit and miss," Earnhardt said. "I think we've hit on it this weekend." Earnhardt saw noticeable progress once he was reunited with his crew chief and cousin, Tony Eury Jr., late last season. That chemistry (albeit combustible at times) carried into this year, sparing one of NASCAR's most popular drivers the embarrassment of missing the Chase two straight seasons. "I've done a better job this year than I have in the past of making sure he understands what a big deal he is to me and how much he means to me," Earnhardt said. "Not only just to my success as a race car driver, but to me personally. It would be real, real hard to not work together ever again." Earnhardt knows he needs to get going at Dover to be a legitimate factor in the 10-man, 10-race Chase. His father was a seven-time champion, so missing out last season only fueled the criticism toward Junior. He ran in the top five at New Hampshire before falling off, something Earnhardt can't afford to do again. Junior Unhappy JUNIOR UNHAPPY Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never been one to mince words, and he left little doubt about his state of mind after a disappointing 13th-place finish in the Sylvania 300. “I am a good driver and when I get decent equipment and we can work on it and do it right, we will go to the front,” Earnhardt said. “We just didn’t do it right today. We were tight in the middle all weekend. We just never figured it out all weekend. We didn’t figure it out in the race. We made a lot of changes and just hurt it.” Motorsports and entertainment park planned in Alabama by Earnhardts Plans for a motorsports and entertainment park on the Alabama coast were announced Tuesday by an investor group led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and brother Kerry Earnhardt in their first professional collaboration. "Our family business is racing and it's been our business for three generations," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Kelley, Kerry and I want to continue the family business with hopes that the next generation of Earnhardts will want to be involved in the sport." The project, which will be located either in the area of the University of Mobile in Mobile County or one of two sites in neighbouring Baldwin County, will cover about 930 hectares. It will include a 75,000-seat oval speedway, a road course, a drag strip and a dirt track, as well as entertainment venues. Kerry Earnhardt is also providing input on a freshwater lake for possible national fishing events at the site, which is to be named "Alabama Motorsports Park: A Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speedway." The project is to be completed in the fall of 2009. "Growing up, the race track was our playground on the weekends," said Earnhardt Jr., "so all of us look forward to being involved on the ground level of this project and being a part of the design team." Ready To Battle Dale Earnhardt Jr. has exhibited a tremendous amount of growth in 2006, and it paid off Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway when he qualified for his second Chase for the Nextel Cup. On a night when his Chase hopes could have wilted worse than lettuce left overnight on a counter, Earnhardt, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and their No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Chevrolet crew buckled down and did what they had to do to regain the playoffs. "It feels good," Earnhardt said as he relaxed with a cold Bud amid the post-Chevy Rock & Roll 400 hubbub. "My guys gave me such an effort. I wanted to make the Chase because they deserved it. "We race hard every year, but we have had a lot of misfortunes in the past. This year, we have had a great season and a great effort [and] I'm just really happy for my guys right now because they deserve to have a championship to run for, these [last] 10 races." And no one can mistake that the team is ready. Eury Jr. oversaw loading the tram's transporter and it was after midnight before he got to head towards pit road. "I'm pretty excited to get going in it," Eury Jr. said. "All these tracks I think we're pretty good at. We've been points racing for 26 races -- now it's time to see how many races we can win -- so we ain't gonna hold nothing back in these last 10. "It's like we told [Earnhardt Jr.], earlier -- we've got 10 racecars and 10 races so we're going to let it all hang out and whatever happens, happens. We're really having a good time, so I'm going to go hang out with my boy and drink some beer." The celebration was deeply deserved. Earnhardt's sixth-place finish in the 26-race run-up to the Chase for the Nextel Cup was marked primarily by his team's comeback from back-to-back last place finishes at New Hampshire and Pocono in midsummer that sent them reeling from a competitive third in the standings to a tail-spun 11th. Four top-six finishes in the next five races got Earnhardt and company back into sixth in the standings, but it was a tenuous position, at best. They came into Richmond only 47 points away from falling out of the top 10 -- and when a brake problem reared up midway through the race, they were on the verge of seeing stars. "We had a brake problem there at the rear of the car," Earnhardt Jr. said through a weary grin. "We lost all of the rear brakes, then the front brakes with about 50 laps to go." Early in the race, Earnhardt raced into the top five just after Lap 300 of 400 and seemed to have a chance to score his fourth Richmond victory -- making a season sweep -- when his Monte Carlo developed a brake fluid leak on the right rear of the car with approximately 85 laps remaining. Earnhardt made three pit stops during the yellow-flag period beginning on Lap 321, but the team was unable to fix the problem entirely. With top lap leader Kyle Busch and race winner Kevin Harvick running so strong, Earnhardt eventually lost a lap and ultimately finished 17th. In the process, Earnhardt proved to be nothing if he's not inventive. Among other tricks, he adjusted his onboard brake bias all the way to the front. "We just lifted at the flag stand trying to stay out there and finish the best we could trying to make it in the Chase," Earnhardt said. "It was a long night. We blew a seal or something on the brakes. I was just watching that flagstand and hoping the laps would go by fast. I was really grateful for the car I had tonight. "We were in the top-five and we were looking good before that happened. The guys did a real good job of keeping me informed that we were OK in the big [points] picture -- but it was damn frustrating in the car. At the same time, Earnhardt said he was greatful for his team. "I really appreciated that because the guys helped me through it. They have all the points and stats there in the pits but it's tough on me behind the wheel. "Once I got into the car tonight, I got worried about the points and felt nervous that something was gonna break on my car. But, we hung in there and this is what our team is all about." Along with nine other competitors, he enjoyed the aftermath, and of course, his sponsor Budweiser's best bolstered him and his crew. "I am just having a beer here with my boys [because] they had a lot of hustle this year," Earnhardt said. "I am real proud of their effort. Tonight is a credit to all these guys' efforts. I just drive the car and they gave me great cars all season. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys. Tony Jr. has done a great job all year of keeping me calm in the car [and] that makes his job a whole lot easier. He is doing a great job leading this team. "No matter what happens, we are going for it. But I am really appreciative of what they have done for me this year." How pumped is Earnhardt? It was hard to get him off the track of pumping up his team. "We should have won it in 2004, but we gave it away. I made some mistakes and they made some mistakes and we let it slip away. But, we're much better than we were then." They proved that since the end of July. "We can come back from mistakes much better than we did then," Earnhardt said, punctuated by a sixth at Indy and a second at California -- neither his best track. "Every person on this team is a critical part and we couldn't have made the Chase without all of them." Earnhardt heads into the opening of the Chase, at New Hampshire International Speedway, 25 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. He has the worst average finishing position, over 18th, of the 10 Chase drivers, but after his experience in the last seven weeks, he's definitely undaunted. "We have some really good tracks in the Chase," said Earnhardt, who has Cup victories at six of the 10 remaining tracks. "I don't see any reason we can't go out and win this thing. "Homestead will be tough as the last race [because] we've struggled there for a few years, but we'll be good in the Chase." Quotable "There was probably zero discussion because of the track position. We weren't in great track position at that time. We had a good car and [crew chief] Tony [Eury] Jr. sort of knew there was a 90 percent chance you'd run out of gas."-- Dale Earnhardt Jr., when asked whether his team considered trying to make it all the way on fuel Junior clears another hurdle en route to Chase If and when Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes the Chase for the Nextel Cup, he can point to his performances at Fontana and Michigan as major reasons why. NASCAR holds four races a year at the high-speed, low-banked 2-mile tracks, and those particular ovals have historically been a struggle for Earnhardt. In 2005, when Earnhardt famously failed to qualify for the Chase, he didn't finish better than 17th in any of the four races at Fontana and Michigan. But Dale Earnhardt Inc. made vast improvements to its superspeedway bodies in the offseason, and Earnhardt didn't finish worse than 11th in the four races on 2-mile tracks in 2006. "This is my best finish here," said Earnhardt, who moved from ninth to sixth in the points. "We are happy to get a second anywhere, but especially here at California. These kind of racetracks -- we have really turned these around." Earnhardt spent 201 of the 250 laps in the top 10, but he struggled mightily on short runs. Fortunately for him, the race was stopped only seven times, and four of those cautions were for debris. The race was caution-free for the final 54 laps, and Earnhardt picked off 13 cars during that run. Despite the runner-up finish, Earnhardt felt the engine in his Chevrolet wasn't optimal, and he maintained his momentum by running the high line for most of the night. "I think we're down on power to some of the other teams, so running that top line really keeps the momentum up and makes it really launch off the corners," Earnhardt said. Earnhardt is only 47 points ahead of 10th-place Jeff Burton with one race to go until the Chase begins, but the series hits Richmond next week. Earnhardt won at Richmond in the spring for his only victory of the season. His season nearly unraveled in July, when he suffered back-to-back last-place finishes to fall to 11th in the standings. Much of his resurgence can be traced to Indianapolis, where he struggled badly but salvaged a sixth-place finish with pit strategy. Since then, he has notched three top-10s in four races. "We're peaking at just the right time, and we want to keep that momentum going where we can put ourselves in position to win the Chase," Earnhardt said. "We've got all of the tangibles to win -- the team, the cars, the driver and the pit crew -- so we'll see if we can keep it going." Sunoco Pit Move: Bristol Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried to use the same strategy that got him to Victory Lane in 2004 again on Saturday night at Bristol. And it almost worked. Starting 40th after nightmare practice and qualifying sessions, Earnhardt was locked behind Bristol's congestion and worked his way up to 35th by Lap 26. By Lap 100, he had squeezed his way to as high as 18th. When the caution flag flew on Lap 115 for David Gilliland slapping the wall, everyone appeared headed to pit road for the second round of stops. Everyone except Earnhardt. Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. recalled their strategy from the '04 fall race at Bristol, when the No. 8 team started 28th, pulled a similar strategy in staying out to gain track position and went on to win the race. So the team did the same thing this time. "It was just a track position deal and that is what we did when we won here," Earnhardt said. "It was a quick and easy way to get toward the front." Earnhardt inherited the lead when everyone else stopped. He held it until Lap 138 when the grip started giving on his tires and he was passed by Carl Edwards. What Earnhardt never lost for the rest of the night, thanks to the move, was crucial track position. "If your car is good enough, you can maintain on those guys with new tires, and we tried our best," Earnhardt said. "We weren't quite as good as we needed to be." But his pit crew was. When Earnhardt finally brought his Chevy down pit road to make his stop with everyone else on Lap 205, he had fallen just out of the top 10. The crew gained him four positions. On the next stop, the crew got him out with the lead again on Lap 384. "We beat people off pit road all night long," Earnhardt said. "Our pit crew has been tweaked a little bit all year long. [Saturday night] it really worked to perfection, and I was really excited about that." Earnhardt was eventually passed by Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch to finish third. His third top-10 in four races bumped him up a spot in the standings to ninth. He is just five points behind eighth-place Tony Stewart and 13 points behind seventh-place Jeff Burton. But he said his pit crew was what gave him the chance at his third-place finish Saturday night at Bristol. "Our pit stops tonight were the best they'd ever been," Earnhardt said. "That's obvious. I gained spots every stop. Those boys came to Bristol and they worked really hard and turned a pile of crap into a pretty decent racecar." Junior to put lessons to test after qualifying 40th After a slippery qualifying run, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has some work to do at Bristol this weekend leading up to Saturday's Sharpie 500, but he and his No. 8 team appear well-equipped to handle it. "I was all over the place," said Junior, who'll start 40th. "That car just had no grip. We'll be all right. We'll figure it out. We can still get a good car for the race [Saturday] night. "With the lucky dog deal, you really don't have to run that hard to stay on the lead lap." Earnhardt's recent history at Bristol Motor Speedway suggests they will "be all right." In fact, he's run all but two of the laps competed here since Aug. 2001. Junior said Friday that lessons from his late father have served him well, particularly at the Tennessee bullring. "My Daddy taught me a lot of things about how to get around here," Earnhardt said. "I get asked the question about 150,000 times, 'What did my Daddy teach me?' He told me a few things about getting in the corner." That's not to say Junior paid attention to his dad's lessons right from the start. "When I first started coming here I was running hard and really deep and running the tires and the car all to pieces," he said. "Now I'm just kind of relaxed and I know what the car's capable of and I just try to let that happen and don't really push the issue." Especially in the corners. "I try to be careful, I guess more so running down in the corners beside people," he said. "I'm a lot more careful than a lot of people about that." And that carelessness is one of the reasons that Earnhardt Jr.'s personality changes just a little bit when he reaches Thunder Valley twice each year. "This whole week, I'm just about as moody as I get," Earnhardt said. "If there's a time when I'm tough to be around, this is probably it. I just don't like the odds, you know what I mean. "This is more difficult than a road course to me," Earnhardt said. "It's really tough. The air doesn't move around and the carbon monoxide and the heat just sits right around the track so you can't get a lot of cool air." If Junior is to get his second Bristol victory, there's one guy he says he's going to have to get the better of -- pole-sitter Kurt Busch. "He's damn sure going to be dominant because of the history of that [No. 2 car] and him," Earnhardt said. "That combination has got to be lethal here, so I look for him to be one of the guys to beat." Heading into Saturday's race, Earnhardt Jr. sits in the all-important 10th spot in the Nextel Cup Series standings, 49 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne for the final spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. With three races to go until the Chase field is set, Earnhardt said he's not feeling the pressure, but at the same time he knows what his job is. "I just really don't get worked up over stuff," he said. "It just gets under your skin. You can't go home, relax and enjoy yourself. It'll always be on your mind if you let it. I just focus on racing when I'm at the track, I'm focused on my car and what it takes to get around the corner faster. "Those things right there should take care of everything else." Quotable "Well, we don't want to make too much of an adjustment because then we'll be pushing. Then you'll have a [ticked]-off driver." -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. to his team after being back in traffic and unsuccessfully passing anyone. Junior misses weekend sweep but leaves happy Dale Earnhardt Jr. began Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway with a lecture from NASCAR for wrecking Carl Edwards to win Saturday's Busch Series race and a chorus of boos from the crowd. He ended it with a handshake and thanks from Mark Martin for not wrecking him on the last lap while the two raced for fifth. But most important to Earnhardt was keeping pace with Kasey Kahne, the only driver with a realistic chance to knock him out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup that will be set after the next three races. The sixth-place finish left Earnhardt 49 points ahead of Kahne, who finished fourth but made up only five points. Had it not been for a lugnut problem during a Lap 132 pitstop -- Earnhardt dropped from second to 19th after leading 40 laps to that point -- he might have swept the weekend. "We had a great car and it was real fast through three-quarters of the race ... I thought the best car," Earnhardt said. "It's [still] a decent points day for us. "We knew Kasey was the guy right behind us in points, and he won here earlier this year, so we knew this was a place where he was going to be really good. He was, but we hung close and managed to maintain our margin. That's a positive." Earnhardt made up about nine spots over the final 20 laps, never losing sight of Kahne. It ended an eventful weekend in which NASCAR's most popular driver was booed while celebrating Saturday's Busch win and again during Sunday's pre-race introductions. In between, he met with NASCAR president Mike Helton and Edwards to make sure there were no repercussions from Saturday. Earnhardt spun Edwards out in the Busch race to take the lead on a green-white-checkered restart, and Edwards retaliated by running into Earnhardt on the ensuing caution lap. Edwards, who is expected to receive a hefty fine from NASCAR, then went to Victory Lane and engaged in a profanity-laced exchange with Earnhardt. Earnhardt in turn was booed while hoisting the trophy. "Carl Edwards ain't the first person I've had run-ins with," Earnhardt said. "We've had some other situations where I didn't represent my sponsor and myself very well, and the fans let me know it." Jack Roush, who owns Edwards' No. 99 Ford, was surprised by the fan reaction. "I thought the support and adulation for Junior was above all," he said. "That may not be the case." Earnhardt and Edwards appeared friendly as they left the drivers' meeting to further discuss their differences. Earnhardt said the talk with NASCAR definitely had an impact on the way the two battled for the lead early on Sunday. "I'm sure it helped," Earnhardt said. "Those guys have a great vantage point and a lot of wisdom. It's good to listen to those guys. Carl is a good guy, a good driver. We all lose our temper. I've done some stupid stuff. I learned a lesson [Saturday]. We all did.'' Ironically, the new front-tire changer from Earnhardt's team was just released from Edwards' team last week. "They were kind of mad at him because he wouldn't give his hard card back [Sunday]," crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said with a laugh. "They were like, 'Get out of the truck. You can't be here with the Budweiser stuff on.'" But it wasn't the front-tire changer that cost Earnhardt a possible win. It was the rear changer that had problems with a lugnut. He eventually removed it with his hand, but the delay cost Earnhardt 17 positions. "Usually you don't do that with experience, but in the heat of the moment sometimes that happens," Eury Jr. said. "These guys haven't been in a pressure situation a lot, but I think they'll be great." Earnhardt sounded angry at the time yelling, "We're in big trouble now," over his car radio. Eury Jr. did his best to calm his driver. "You've got the best car here," he told Earnhardt. "You just worry about going forward and we'll worry about the rest of it." Earnhardt steadily made his way through the field, particularly over the final laps when he made up three key spots. Were Martin, fourth in points, not fighting for his points survival he may have made up another one. "I don't like running high, but I knew if I was going to stay in front of him I had to make him pass at the bottom," Martin said. As the two walked away, Martin thanked Earnhardt again for racing him clean to end a memorable weekend for the son of the seven-time Cup champion. "Whoever gets in [the Chase] gets in," said Earnhardt, who four races ago was out of the top 10 after consecutive last-place finishes. "Life goes on. But we're trying about as hard as we can try." Junior bumps Edwards for Busch Series victory Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped Carl Edwards out of the way on a restart in overtime and grabbed a contentious victory Saturday in the Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second of four Busch races this season. Edwards made a timely three-wide pass on Lap 116, taking the lead from Robby Gordon by a nose moments before a spin by Kurt Busch brought out a caution flag. The race, scheduled to go 125 laps on the 2-mile oval, restarted on Lap 121 with Gordon -- driving a Chevrolet for Earnhardt's Busch team -- and Earnhardt single-file behind the leader. They stayed that way, and Edwards easily held off the challengers until another yellow flag came out when Todd Kluever stopped on Lap 123. NASCAR cleared the track and set up a two-lap, green-white-checkered flag shootout that began on Lap 127. Gordon immediately drove to the inside of Edwards, and Earnhardt moved in behind the leader. As the trio drove into the second turn, Edwards appeared to break loose and start to slide up toward the wall. Earnhardt slammed into the rear end of Edwards' No. 60 Ford, sending him spinning down the track and nearly taking Gordon with him. That brought out the ninth and final caution of the day, freezing the field and giving two-time Busch champion Earnhardt his second Busch win in four starts this season and the 22nd of his career. It was the 23rd win by a Nextel Cup regular in 25 Busch races this season. Casey Mears managed to just get past Gordon, making his first start for Earnhardt's team, for second place. The furious Edwards finished 23rd. Edwards first drove onto pit road and momentarily parked in Earnhardt's pit. Then he drove back onto the track as the field drove slowly by behind the pace car, banging hard into the side of Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet. "I didn't mean to spin him out. I don't go around wrecking people," Earnhardt said. "I wouldn't have waited two years to get back at him for wrecking me in Atlanta in 2004 pretty much the same way. "We got a run off that corner, and Carl just got sideways and he wasn't in the gas. I guess he was pretty mad at me, but there wasn't much I could do." Earnhardt, the most popular driver in NASCAR, was loudly booed by the crowd when replays showed on the big screens as he got to Victory Lane. Asked if he saw Edwards coming off pit road, Earnhardt shook his head and said, "I had my hand out the window. He could have taken my hand off. But he didn't. Pretty stupid. That was just rude." Edwards, who was called to the NASCAR hauler after the race, appeared to have cooled down considerably after getting out of his car. "He just wrecked me off [Turn] 2," Edwards said. "I just wanted to make sure he knew I was mad that he wrecked me. It's racing." Matt Kenseth finished fourth, followed by Mark Martin, who set a Busch record with his 29th career pole earlier Saturday. Denny Hamlin was sixth, with Reed Sorenson seventh and series leader Kevin Harvick eighth. Harvick leads runner-up Hamlin in the standings by a monstrous 484 points. Earnhardt trying to keep Kahne off top-10 bumper Elliott Sadler makes his Evernham Motorsports racing debut this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, but the GFS Marketplace 400 holds greater significance for his new teammate, Kasey Kahne. True, Sadler will be trying to get the No. 19 Dodge back in the top 35 in owner points when the cars line up to take the green flag on Sunday (2 p.m. ET,TNT), but Kahne will be trying to get the No. 9 back in the top 10 in driver points. Kahne has only one top-10 finish -- eighth at New Hampshire, since he won the rain-shortened race at Michigan in June. He was third in points then. Kahne's best finish since was last week's 22nd at Watkins Glen, which kept him in 11th place in the standings. Since the first June race he has finished 31st or worse three times, including 36th at Indy that dropped him out of the top 10 in points since the first week of the season. "The results the past three weeks don't reflect the potential of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge team," Kahne said. "We certainly had a car capable of top-10 finishes in each. That's important. We just have to execute and do what we're capable of doing." Troubles on the final laps at both Indy and Watkins Glen ruined otherwise good runs and put Kahne in a chase mode to make the Chase. "With four races left to decide the Chase field, we have time to get back in the top 10," said Kahne, who trails 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 54 points. "The first chance comes this weekend at Michigan. We must take advantage of the opportunity." Michigan is the third track this year in which Kahne won a race from the pole. He has four victories in all, tying him with points leader Jimmie Johnson for the series high. In five career starts at MIS, Kahne has three top-fives. "Michigan has been a good track for the No. 9 team," Kahne said "I like the track because you can move around searching for a faster line. Cars will be running two- and three-wide." Conversely, Earnhardt hasn't had much success at Michigan -- his average finish in 14 starts in 19.3 -- but a third-place run there at June has him looking forward to the return engagement and a battle with Kahne. "He is awesome at some of these tracks coming up," Earnhardt said of Kahne. "It's going to be one of the toughest on-track challenges we've had since being in the Cup Series. But this is also what makes it fun. "This is why the fans watch our sport on Sundays and talk about it the rest of the week. I'm grateful to be a part of it." Junior plans on driving the same car at Michigan this time that he did the first time, although in between he got banged up a bit at Pocono. "Tony [Eury] Jr. tore the body off it, rebuilt it, and hopefully it'll be just as fast -- or faster -- than what we had in June," Earnhardt said. "Michigan is a big, wide track where there's not a lot of transition into the corner going into the banking. Sooner or later we're gonna get a win there. "We have high hopes. We really hit on something in that last Michigan race. I'm also running in the Busch race this weekend for DEI, which will be fun. It never hurts to have additional track time. Hopefully we can put together two strong runs this weekend." Further back but still clinging to hope are Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle. Bad luck at Watkins Glen hurt both drivers' chances to pull off a Matt Kenseth 2005-like comeback. Busch is 172 points out of 10th place; Biffle 180. "We obviously need flawless runs in the next four races to even consider making the Chase but the fortunate thing is that we know we can run well at all four tracks," said Doug Richert, crew chief for Greg Biffle. "We'll just have to be at the top of our game." As for Sadler, he moves from the No. 38 of Robert Yates to the No. 19, which is 36th in owner points. He has until the rest of the season to get the car into the top 35 guaranteed owner points. In a twist of irony, Sadler replaces Jeremy Mayfield, the defending winner of this race. Taking over the No. 38 will be Busch Series sensation David Gilliland, who shocked NASCAR earlier this year with his victory at Kentucky Speedway. Junior can be a tough boss, too Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in a dogfight to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. He's also a car owner, and he can be a tough boss when he has to. In his first season owning a Busch Series team, Earnhardt fired his first driver this week. Mark McFarland is out with 12 races still left this season. "Mark's got a lot of talent as a driver," Earnhardt said Friday before qualifying at Watkins Glen. "It's a case of where his personality and his mentality didn't match well with what we were looking for. "I talked to him several times about how he could be more emotional, project his personality better to the media. Those things you don't learn overnight, but I tried my best to prolong that decision. We probably pushed it back four or five times to give Mark time." Earnhardt said he still saw a bright future for the laid-back McFarland, who had only one top-10 in 21 races and was mired in 22nd place in the points standings. The car is sponsored by Navy. "Mark's got what it takes," Earnhardt said. "He's got a lot of drive and determination, but you've got to show that emotion so we can see it and believe it. I believe it, but not everybody else is that close to him. So, do they believe it, do they see it? No. "So, everybody's got this big question mark about Mark. He's got to really sit down and ask himself what he's got to do to prove how driven he is." Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. took over the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend at Watkins Glen, but it's unclear who will finish the season. Staying out puts Junior back in Chase contention After the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, no one disputed the fact that crew chief Tony Eury Jr. used brilliant pit strategy to steal a top-10 for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The problem is that Earnhardt knows he won't make the Chase for the Nextel Cup by relying on track position every week. "I'd like to have a better car [so] we don't have to make those kinds of calls," said Earnhardt, who finished sixth after spending just 18 laps in the top 10. "We need to do better and get better cars. We took a risk in the end and it paid off. We were really lucky." Eury kept his driver on the track when the caution flew on Lap 141, and Earnhardt, who was running 28th before the yellow, restarted in second position. Earnhardt's Chevrolet drove significantly better in the clean air, and he lost just four spots over the final 14-lap run despite being on old tires. "I was glad that the car was somewhat drivable for him there on the last deal," Eury said. "... I never would have dreamed that we would have run as bad as we did [Sunday]." The top-10 snaps a two-race slump for Earnhardt, who staggered into Indianapolis after scoring back-to-back last-place finishes at Loudon and Pocono. The consecutive 43rd-place finishes dropped him from third to 11th in the points, but his sixth at the Brickyard moved him back into the top 10, 34 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne. "When we say our prayers [Sunday night], we will thank the Lord for this one because we really got lucky," Earnhardt said. "We can't make the Chase with 30th-place racecars." Earnhardt benefited from the problems experienced by Kahne and Jeff Gordon, who are both fighting for a playoff spot. Kahne, a heavy favorite to win the Brickyard, crashed late and wound up 36th. He dropped four spots to 11th in points. Gordon had track bar problems early and never made it back to the top 10. Greg Biffle, another bubble driver, crashed on the final lap and finished 33rd. He remained 12th in the standings. "As far as points, Junior really lucked out there big time at the end with the strategy there at the end," Gordon said. "It really paid off for him. He was horrible all day." Earnhardt now heads to Watkins Glen, where he has excelled. So his playoff hopes are pinned on the crucial 2-mile races at Michigan and Fontana later this summer. Earnhardt has traditionally struggled on 2-mile tracks, but he raced to a third-place finish at Michigan in August. That takes a lot of pressure off Eury. "I got that [Michigan struggles] pretty much turned around," Eury said. "The biggest thing is Watkins Glen, make sure you don't wheel hop in the corner. I think all the rest of them, we really [do not have] any worries." Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to Star in Payback NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr., will surprise sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge with a new custom Chevrolet Tahoe SS in the SPEED reality series, Payback on Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. ET. Kelley, who handles much of Earnhardt, Jr.'s personal business dealings, is the often overlooked hero behind the driver's successful marketing, licensing and promotional machine. Bud Brutsman, producer of Payback, talked about this episode: "As a NASCAR fan, it was great to see Junior outside his element. I think he had a lot of fun putting this together with us. You can tell how much Kelley means to him and it's really cool to see a brother and sister that close together." Earnhardt, Jr. drives the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and is firmly planted in the middle of this year's Chase for the Nextel Cup. Despite his busy schedule, the opportunity to give back to his sister was something he truly wanted to do. "Payback is a way to give back to someone who cuts you a break," said Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. SPEED, celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2006, is the nation's first and foremost cable network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 71 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stars in Upcoming Episode of SPEED Reality Series Payback NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr., will surprise sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge with a new custom Chevrolet Tahoe SS in the SPEED reality series, “Payback” on Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. ET. Kelley, who handles much of Earnhardt Jr.’s personal business dealings, is the often overlooked hero behind the driver’s successful marketing, licensing and promotional machine. Bud Brutsman, producer of Payback, talked about this episode: “As a NASCAR fan, it was great to see Junior outside his element. I think he had a lot of fun putting this together with us. You can tell how much Kelley means to him and it’s really cool to see a brother and sister that close together.” Earnhardt Jr. drives the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and is firmly planted in the middle of this year’s Chase for the Nextel Cup. Despite his busy schedule, the opportunity to give back to his sister was something he truly wanted to do. “‘Payback’ is a way to give back to someone who cuts you a break,” said Earnhardt Jr. JUNIOR READY Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has a lot of pressure on him this weekend, having finished 43rd in consecutive races and fallen from third to 11th in points during that same period. Worse yet, perhaps, his best finish in six races at Indy is 10th. Still, Earnhardt insisted he isn’t concerned heading into Sunday’s race at the Brickyard. “We’ve had two terrible results, but you can’t dwell on it,” Earnhardt said. “What can you do? You have to put it behind you and look forward. We can’t afford any more mistakes or finishes like that, but I have a team that’s capable of coming back. We had the quickest car on our test day at Indy, so we feel pretty confident we’re going in there with a set-up that can run up front. In or out, Junior knows team has worked hard Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a simple message for anyone that's written off the chances of his No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet team to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Earnhardt claims this is not the team that failed miserably in its attempt to make NASCAR's 2005 version of the playoffs, and thus his two-race slide -- in which consecutive 43rd-place finishes dropped him from third in the standings all the way to 11th -- isn't the end of their hopes. "I just don't think about it," Earnhardt said. "There are a lot worse things you could be going through than trying to make the Chase for a championship. "Just imagine somebody dealing with something worse than you are and to be thankful for the opportunity to even have the chance to race for the Chase. It's an honor to be part of this sport and part of this series." No one should think Earnhardt's given up, rather, he knows what his cousin, crew chief Tony Eury Jr., has already achieved this season and what he has to look forward to in the next six races that will determine the field for the Chase. This is only the second week in 20 races this season that Earnhardt's been out of the top 10 in the standings. "We've had two terrible results, but you can't dwell on it -- what can you do?" Earnhardt said. "You have to put it behind you and look forward. We can't afford any more mistakes or finishes like that, but I have a team that's capable of coming back." Earnhardt's lucky that his comeback, at this stage, only involves being 15 points outside the top 10 after consecutive last place finishes at New Hampshire (engine failure) and Pocono, where he was wrecked by Dave Blaney. The difference in the Earnhardt of 2006 and the Earnhardt of prior days should be obvious this week when the Nextel Cup Series returns to Indianapolis for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard -- a race where Earnhardt's best previous finish in six Brickyard starts is 10th, in 2001. "We had the quickest car on our test day at Indy, so we feel pretty confident we're going in there with a setup that can run up front," Earnhardt said. "We've been pretty strong at some tracks this year where we haven't shown much in the past. "I have a feeling we're going to do the same at Indy." Earnhardt says the race for the Chase in 2006 has his spirits up, and that he's up to the task of getting as fiery as it takes. "The series has gotten more exciting and competitive," he said. "I'm more aggressive and up on the tach more, not giving as much room and not as kind as maybe I would be the first 10 races of the season. "It gets very aggressive out there. We don't have any cushion in the points. We have to go out and fight for every tenth of a second, fight for every spot each lap." Earnhardt finally said no matter what happens, he's comfortable knowing he and his team have done their best. "I'm grateful to have the chance, so I don't feel a lot of pressure," Earnhardt said. "I know my fans and a lot of people want to see me succeed and we try really hard, but I see people who really make themselves miserable and it's a shame." Earnhardt Jr., team not stressed over standings Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third in points and seemingly a lock for the Chase to the Nextel Cup after finishing fifth at Chicagoland two weeks ago. Now he's 11th after consecutive last-place finishes. Is he panicking? Hardly. "I'm going to enjoy my week [off] at the beach,'' crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said after Sunday's race at Pocono Raceway "He's going to enjoy his week in Las Vegas. You've got to take it and go on. "The people that sleep on it are the ones that are going to be in trouble.'' Earnhardt and Eury Jr. got an early start to their vacations thanks to a Lap-88 incident in which Dave Blaney sent him crashing into the wall. Earnhardt returned 46 laps later, but quit with 47 laps remaining when it was evident he would finish 43rd again. "I got just punted from behind,'' said Earnhardt, who'd never had consecutive last place finishes in his Cup career. "Straight up punted. I'd be nervous to do that do somebody else. It either took a lot of b---s or a lot of ignorance. I'll say probably the latter.'' Earnhardt was trying to make the best of a bad-handling car when Blaney hit him on the front straightaway. "I didn't do nothing to him on racetrack,'' Earnhardt said. "I don't think he meant to wreck me. I don't know why he would do that. He's a pretty good guy. "But it's a pretty weird deal. I just got run over on the straightaway and tried to save it, but just got too far behind the wheel there.'' Earnhardt seemed as excited about getting back on the track a half-hour later as a trip to the dentist. "Who wants to drive that?'' he said. "Sitting out there riding around in trashed cars is no fun. If they want to make changes to the points system next year they should start from 25th on back giving everybody the same points. "That way we wouldn't have to get these wrecked things back out there.'' That way, Earnhardt wouldn't be 15 points out of the top 10 guaranteed a spot in the Chase and with no room for error in the six races before the field is set. "You're telling me,'' Earnhardt said. "But what am I supposed to do? My motor blows up [at New Hampshire] and now I got wrecked. I don't know what else to do. "We didn't bring a good race car to the track, not a good product. I am disappointed in my team on how the car drove, but we will just have to keep trying.'' Earnhardt was 14th in points a year ago after finishing 32nd at Pocono. But Eury Jr. said this is an entirely different situation. "Not downing that team or nothing, but I've got a really strong team.'' he said. "We've been in this situation and won [Busch] championships together. This team can handle it. "Last year, that team was pretty down on itself halfway through the year, just the fans, the media and everybody slashing them. We've got something to prove, and I think we showed it all year.'' Eury actually is looking forward to the challenge. "We've got lots of tracks coming up that's going to be good for us,'' he said. "I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal. I've outrun these guys all year, so I don't see why we can't do it these last six.'' Earnhardt seemed equally at ease. "I'm still right in the hunt,'' he said. "You've got to put forth your best effort until you're out. If you're out of it, you're out of it. Just take [the final] 10 races off, have a good offseason and try again. "Ain't no pressure on me, ever. I do this cause it's fun. I don't have to do it. I go out there and have fun. If you don't have a good race, you don't have a good race.'' Stewart, Junior, Gordon all in tight points battle Rookie Denny Hamlin returns to the site of his first Cup points victory, but more of the focus at Pocono will be on his teammate. Tony Stewart goes into Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 (1:30 p.m. ET, TNT) out of the top 10 in points for the first time since the fourth week of the season. Stewart, whose sizzling summer a year ago culminated in his second Cup championship, is 11th in the standings after his 37-place finish last week. Stewart has had finishes of 25th or worse in six of the past eight races. Despite the funk, Stewart isn't overly concerned. "Let's not overreact, because we're not," said Stewart, who is just 11 points out of 10th place. "It's not like we're not running well, because we are. We've just had some circumstances that haven't gone our way. You'll have that. "We were fifth in points seven races ago, so who's to say we won't be fifth in points or better seven races from now? Pocono is a good starting point for Stewart. He finished third there in June and has one victory, four top-fives and 10 top-10s in 15 career starts. "We plan on doing the same thing we do every week," Stewart said. "Even with the situation of where we're at in the points, we're not changing our approach. Every week our goal is to win the race, and that's not going to change. That's how we've won two championships. "We'll try to go out and win the race each weekend, and at the end of the day we'll look at the point standings and see where we're at." Stewart fell four spots in points after last week, as did Dale Earnhardt Jr. A failed engine resulted in a last-place finish last week, dropping Earnhardt to seventh in the standings. "We seem to be able to bounce back strong," Earnhardt said. "What happened at New Hampshire, man, it's life. Fact is you don't get in this business without having mechanical stuff happen every now and again. "I've got a good team -- a really, really good team. Even on our bad days we feel like we can finish 10th. We'll keep our heads up and get the points back that we lost this past weekend." Earnhardt finished 14th at Pocono in June, nearly three spots better than his 16.9 average finish there. "I feel like I've got something to prove at Pocono, because I've not felt comfortable there in several years, if ever. Not sure why," Earnhardt said. "Our last race there a month ago was probably the best I've felt there in a while, but it still wasn't great. We ran in the top-five, had some issues at the end and finished 14th. "I think this weekend is probably going to be our best shot at getting that track figured out for the first time. Junior will take the same car he had top-five runs with at Michigan and Chicagoland. "Tony [Eury] Jr. has taken it back to the shop, cut it up a little bit and made it better," Earnhardt said. "And we're probably bringing the most confidence we've had there in a long time." Jeff Gordon also is battling to remain in the top 10. Gordon officially moved up one spot to ninth, but has the same point total as 10th-place Greg Biffle. "It's definitely tight for those final spots into the Chase," Gordon said. "I think Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are the only two who are comfortable right now. "There are about 12 guys fighting for the last eight spots, and that's too many to worry about. And we never want to focus on what they're doing or where they're running during a race." Gordon also wants to focus on finishing at Pocono. In June, a brake rotor failure with less than 10 laps to go resulted in Gordon slamming hard into the wall. "I don't want to take another hit like that, and I definitely don't want to take another hit in the point standings," said Gordon, who has yo-yo'd recently back and forth in the top 10. Gordon has won two of the five races between Poconos, but sandwiched a 40th-place finish inside the two victories. "We must focus on things we can control, and that's getting the best finish possible for us," Gordon said. Only 154 points separate third-place Jeff Burton from 12th-place Hamlin -- who was masterful at Pocono in June -- with seven pressure-packed races to go before the Chase. "I'd feel pressure if I was on a mediocre team, but I'm not," Earnhardt said. "I feel like we've got one of the best teams in the garage, and we're still in a good position to finish in the top 10, and we also happen to be running well. "If we weren't a top-10, top-15 team every week, then I'd be worried. Then I'd feel the pressure." Junior drops in points after just second DNF Dale Earnhardt Jr. worked his way to third in the Nextel Cup points standings by avoiding trouble. He couldn't avoid what happened on Lap 135 of Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Raceway. His engine blew. "It's a shame" Earnhardt said. "We haven't had any engine failures for a long time. That's only the second or third motor I've ever blown with DEI. It was some kind of freak deal, man." Earnhardt, who had engine problems at Talladega earlier in the year, entered the day trailing only Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth in points. His season-worst last-place finish dropped him four spots to seventh in the standings with seven races left before the Chase to the Nextel Cup is set. "Hopefully, we will keep at it, man," said Earnhardt, who failed to make NASCAR's playoff a year ago. "We have got a Chase to make, so everybody will just stay focused and we will get right through this and go on." Veteran NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon nearing major accomplishment One more win and Jeff Gordon will reach a milestone that even he finds amazing. Gordon's next victory will match the 76 career victories by the late Dale Earnhardt, who some consider the greatest driver in NASCAR history. "To me ... Dale is the best I've ever raced against. To match up to something that he's done and just to be one away from it is an honour," Gordon said. "The thing that I admired so much about him is the fact that he won over so many years (with the) cars changing, the sport changing, different drivers coming in and out of the sport and yet he always continued to find a way to get to Victory Lane and battle for championships. I think, when you look at the span of time that he was able to do that, that's very impressive." Earnhardt, sixth on NASCAR's all-time victory list, died in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500. Like Earnhardt, Gordon is a driver who is either loved or hated by the fans. Those who love the four-time series champion can't wait for him to get that next win. The haters would prefer he never get it. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is OK with the situation. "It's a very good accomplishment for anybody," Junior said. "I'd have to shake Jeff's hand because anytime you tie my daddy in anything, it's something to be proud of." The elder Earnhardt, a seven-time series champion, was known as a very aggressive driver, earning the nickname "The Intimidator." Gordon has had a softer reputation, although his latest victory came with a controversial late-race bump that sent Matt Kenseth spinning out of his way. "Well dad was really aggressive and Jeff wasn't very aggressive," Earnhardt Jr. said when asked to compare their driving styles. "It seems like (Gordon) is getting more aggressive as he gets older. But Jeff is really, really smooth, where dad was very sort of barbaric with the race car. They are very different in their driving styles." Gordon said he doesn't want to talk too much about matching Earnhardt's victory total. "I want to get to 76 before I talk about it," he said. "Even if I don't get another one, I'm still overwhelmed and will be very satisfied." Junior: NASCAR must fix 'suffering' Busch Series Dale Earnhardt Jr. says NASCAR needs to address the increasingly large number of Nextel Cup drivers in the Busch Series soon. "The series is suffering,'' he said. Earnhardt has experienced the Busch Series as a driver and an owner. He won two championships [1998, '99] as a driver before moving fulltime into Cup and won two more the past two seasons as an owner for Martin Truex Jr. He still drives a limited Busch schedule, winning last week's race at Daytona and running in Saturday's race at Chicagoland. But Earnhardt doesn't think Cup drivers, who won 16 of the first 18 Busch Series races before Chicagoland, should be a regular in NASCAR's secondary series. "It's a challenge running in the Busch Series,'' Earnhardt said when asked if current situation hurts the development of young drivers. "It's fun to have days like we did last weekend where we won the race and I was able to enjoy racing in the same car that I own and have so much pride in. "[But] I would like to see some limitations on Cup drivers as far as their ability to compete. For the sake of the series and longevity of the series, what's happening right now is slightly detrimental to that.'' Earnhardt said his Busch team is fortunate because it has a relationship with Richard Childress Racing's engine program. He can't imagine how teams without resources from Cup teams survive. While NASCAR would like to use the Busch Series to develop young drivers, officials also attribute the rise in attendance and television ratings to the influx of Cup drivers. Busch Series director Joe Balash said there's no easy way to rectify the situation. "As far as the competitiveness, we've taken a look at it from a number of different perspectives,'' he said. "There's not one easy answer to say is there a limitation? Can you keep people from competing? We want to have a series where it's open for everyone to compete.'' Dale Earnhardt Jr. in solid shape to make Chase for the championship Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't come close to challenging Tony Stewart for this past weekend's win in Daytona. In years past, that failure would have put Junior and his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team in a panic. But those days of fretting over restrictor-plate wins and losses are long gone now. Junior now is focused on a much bigger picture: Winning his first Nextel Cup title. "We're ready to run for a title," he said. "We're a hell of a team compared to last year, maybe better than '04." Die-hard Earnhardt fans know that 2004 was the last time Junior was a legitimate championship contender. He won six races that season, briefly led the points midway through the Chase for the championship and finished fifth in the final standings. He then fell to the back of the Nextel Cup standings last year in a season-long struggle that saw him win only one race, fail to make the Chase and finish an embarrassing 19th in the points. Now he heads into this weekend's race at Chicagoland Speedway - site of that lone win last season - on a turnaround. In the past three races, Junior has climbed from sixth to a season-high third in the standings and is a solid bet to make the Chase. "I feel good about where we're at," he said. "We still need to get better. We obviously couldn't hang with Tony and the guys up front Saturday night at Daytona. But we got out of there with little harm done and even climbed a spot or two in the points." That mentality means the team no longer wastes time fretting over why it didn't run away with the win at Daytona. DEI spent four years dominating Daytona and Talladega - Earnhardt has seven of his 17 Cup victories on those two tracks - and when the results tapered off, everyone wanted to know why. With a change of focus came the ability to set aside Saturday night's 13th-place finish. Any disappointment from that is overshadowed by his third-place finish three weeks ago in Michigan, a place Earnhardt routinely has struggled. In finally putting together a strong run there, Earnhardt knew DEI was headed in the right direction. "It was a very, very great feeling to really see there were some things being done, because you sit there and wonder when we were going to start doing the things we needed to do. When we were going to take these complaints seriously?" he said. "We are now addressing these complaints from the drivers and the (DEI) teams and the crew chiefs, and we've made some gains. "We're just trying to get it right so we'll be good in the Chase. We'll deal with the plate stuff whenever we've got the rest of the ballgame intact." Earnhardt hasn't totally dismissed the plate races. In fact, he made his way to Daytona's Victory Lane for the first time in more than two years last Friday by winning the Busch Series race. It was a dominating victory, with Earnhardt leading 88 of 103 laps. It gave him his 21st Busch win, tying him with his late father and Harry Gant for seventh on the career list. "Well, that's awesome," Earnhardt said, pumping his fist in the air when told of the mark. "Cloudy skies are now sunny. Tying my dad in anything is pretty damn awesome for me." Earnhardt has a ways to go to catch his dad in other areas, particularly championships. The elder Earnhardt was a seven-time Cup champion and Junior is still trying to get his first. To date, his two Busch Series titles in 1998 and 1999 are his only NASCAR championships. But Earnhardt sees progress and a chance to get into the Chase and make a run at that coveted Cup title. His swagger clearly was back after his Busch Series victory, and his team was just a step or two behind him. "When it comes to the whole package, the team, the engine and the bodies and all that, we've got a little mojo to get back," he said. "But my mojo is intact. I think that the team knows what areas we need to work on to get to where we were when winning is what we did." Junior's domination returns at Daytona Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to Daytona's Victory Lane for the first time in more than two years, winning the Busch Series race Friday night. Earnhardt took the lead early and dominated the rest of the way, holding off Brian Vickers after a late restart in the Winn-Dixie 250. Vickers finished second, followed by series point leader Kevin Harvick, pole-sitter J.J. Yeley and Carl Edwards. It was Junior's first victory at Daytona since Feb. 16, 2004, when he won the rain-delayed Busch Series event a day after taking the checkered flag in the Daytona 500. "I don't know if I got my mojo back, but I feel like given the equipment necessary to make a performance like we made tonight, I'm as good as anybody when it comes to racing at Daytona or Talladega," he said. "Every driver in the field thinks they're the best one out there, and if you don't feel that way, maybe that's something you should try. "When I get in the car and go to plate races, I don't think there's a person out there that understands it like I understand it, knows what to do and when to do it or knows that split-second decision to make. I feel very confident that when it comes down to my mind versus their mind I've got it covered." It sure looked that way Friday. Earnhardt led by as much as 14 seconds in his No. 8 Chevrolet, but Vickers and a few others had one final shot to get by him after a restart with two laps to go. Earnhardt, though, easily pulled away -- much like he did most of the night. "That 8 car, he had a fifth gear," Vickers said. "On the restart, he did drop the hammer and go." Added Harvick: "We didn't have anything for the 8." Earnhardt led 88 of 103 laps and picked up his 21st Busch Series victory, tying his late father and Harry Gant for seventh on the career list. "The cloudy skies are now sunny," Junior said. "Tying my dad in anything is pretty damn awesome." It also was the 19th victory by a Nextel Cup regular in the last 21 Busch Series races. Nextel Cup drivers won the first 15 Busch events this year. David Gilliland ended the streak two weeks ago in Kentucky, and Paul Menard made it two in a row for non-Nextel Cup drivers last week in Wisconsin. But things returned to normal at Daytona -- for the series and maybe for Earnhardt, who has 10 victories at Daytona. Earnhardt moved in front of Denny Hamlin on lap 16 and opened up a huge lead before the first of several cautions, two of them caused by multicar crashes. Reed Sorenson and open-wheel driver Paul Tracy made contact with 45 laps to go, causing damage to three other cars. A few laps later, Edwards bumped Michael Waltrip's car four times before sending it spinning into the wall. Five others were caught in the melee that happened directly behind Earnhardt. Edwards was penalized a lap for aggressive driving, but rebounded to finish fifth. Clint Bowyer was sixth, giving Cup drivers the top six spots. Mike Wallace was next, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle and John Andretti. Harvick extended his points lead to 388 over Edwards despite starting at the rear of the field. His qualifying time was disqualified and his crew chief was thrown out of Daytona after his car failed inspection before the race. Shane Wilson was escorted out of the garage by Busch Series director Joe Balash after NASCAR found unapproved aerodynamic modifications on the No. 21 Chevrolet. Wilson will likely be penalized heavily because he was already on probation for failing inspection at the last restrictor-plate in Talladega. Harvick was docked 25 points and Wilson was put on probation through the end of the year following the Talladega infraction. "I really don't know the ins and outs of what happened, so I don't know what happened other than it was in the trunk area," Harvick said. "We just felt like if we finished in the top five, we would be able to overcome the circumstances." Technically, Infineon has been rough for Junior What is it like to be a driver with a beer sponsorship in the middle of a wine and cheese crowd? "I guess the fans just really like us coming into town," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said of the Sonoma crowd."If they built an oval track next door, we'd probably race there anyway. "We're just real popular for some reason. I guess it's real exciting to watch." And he likes it, too, even if it's not a venue at which he's been successful. In six previous Cup races at Sonoma, Junior's best finish is 11th (twice). Last year, he wound up 42nd -- and he'll start Sunday's Dodge/Save Mart 350 (3 p.m. ET, FOX) in the 13th row. In Saturday's first practice, the No. 8 Chevrolet was 18th. "It's frustrating," Earnhardt said. "I want to come out here and be the fastest and qualify first and win the race, you know what I mean?" A road course like Infineon Raceway requires patience and precision -- that's not Junior's style, and it's adding to his frustration. "There aren't a whole lot of places to pass," he said. "But there are a lot of places to run into people. You just have to try to make your positions on pit road and maybe some kind of crazy pit strategy. These races are so weird sometimes, you know?" Earnhardt admits that it's all he can do to keep his car pointed in the right direction on the twisting, 12-turn track. "I'm just running every lap as fast as I can possibly run it without crashing," he said. "That's about as technical as I get." Junior proved he can turn a fast lap at Infineon in Happy Hour, when he timed in third just behind Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. Junior knows he has the talent to run up front at Sonoma. Last year, he had a good car and bad luck. This time, it could be the equipment that holds him back. "I've just got to sort of relax and let it go," he said. "It's real frustrating. We didn't test this stuff and we didn't have a chance to test it. And I don't think it was a wise choice to bring it. And here we are. We dug ourselves a really deep hole." Showers gives Junior illusive top-five at MIS While other drivers may have been disappointed when the rains came Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, it was a Five O'Clock World for Dale Earnhardt Jr. "I'll take it," Junior said of his third-place finish, by far his best-ever run on the 2-mile oval. "It's five o'clock. I'm ready to go home. It's no fun waiting and wondering if you're going to get to start again or not. I'd rather they call it and be done with it or put some rain tires on." Up until Sunday, Earnhardt had never had a "moment in the sun" at Michigan. Despite winning two poles in 13 previous starts, he hadn't cracked the top 10 since finishing seventh in 2003. "I'm real happy," he said. "I've never really had a good car here, that good anyway, so I'm really excited about coming back here." On Sunday, Junior ran with the leaders from the beginning. Starting sixth, he quickly slid in behind Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne within the first 10 laps and held third until a series of cautions allowed some cars to get out of sequence on pit stops. Junior moved to the lead for the first time on Lap 60, passing Jeff Gordon immediately following a short caution for rain. Thanks to strong work on pit road, he would not fall out of the top five for the rest of the race. He led again on Lap 80, just as the yellow flag flew for debris, surrendering the lead to Brian Vickers as the leaders headed for the pits. The rain even turned a possible negative into a positive at the end of the day, when a chassis adjustment on Earnhardt's last pit stop caused the No. 8 Chevrolet to handle poorly. "Right there in that run, we weren't capable of winning," Earnhardt said. "I'd asked for them to tighten it up and we went too far, so it's kind of good we got the rain shower because we were going to start going backwards there. "The first couple of runs the car was really fast. We were real good in certain parts of the run, either the beginning or the end, and I was able to take the lead." Junior said as long as you get the finish you were expecting, having a race shortened by rain isn't such a bad thing. "If you run up front all day and you get rained out, you want to finish where you were running, or you want to get lucky," he said. "You don't want to be on the receiving end of running in the top 10 and finishing 25th, like Mark [Martin, who finished 27th]. Those are tough to take. "I guess if you're Carl Edwards [who finished second to winner Kasey Kahne], it's pretty unsatisfying because he's got a good car." Junior, DEI agree on name trademark rights Dale Earnhardt Jr. emerged from his father's shadow long ago, forged his own path personally and professionally. But the name was never his. It is now. Earnhardt told NASCAR.COM on Saturday that he and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. had agreed to terms Friday evening that awarded him sole ownership of the trademark rights to his lucrative name. Amazingly, it won't affect the earning potential of an asset estimated at some $5 million annually. Earnhardt said the current agreements between he and DEI won't change. But it's not about that, anyway. He makes plenty of money. It's really about one man's sense of maturity, growth and independence, the latest step in a life full of these types of developments. Before Dale Earnhardt died, Junior willingly let his father handle everything from trademarking his name to his preferred banking location. He didn't care. In less than five months' time his salary would surge from $250 a week to $1 million a year. And of course, Junior trusted the old man with anything and everything. He's said before that if his father were still alive, Big E would likely still own the trademark. And that would be just fine. Even after he passed, and Teresa Earnhardt assumed control of the entire Earnhardt estate -- including Junior's name -- he didn't consider it a big deal. He still lived across the street from DEI headquarters in a house DEI owned, and he was giddy at the money he was bringing home. He felt he was getting what he deserved as far as that goes. When he'd earned enough money to buy some property of his own, he began to realize the value of true independence. If he wanted to dig a hole, he dug a hole, didn't have to ask permission from a soul to do so. That's precisely how he views the trademark situation. He's fine with Teresa owning the trademark to his father's name, but he wanted something for himself, felt he was mature enough and educated enough to handle the responsibility. On Friday, she legally handed it over, no strings attached. And you can't blame Teresa Earnhardt, Junior said, for wanting to protect her late husband's name, its worth, its legacy. Essentially, it came down to trust. Once she trusted him enough to cherish what Dale Earnhardt means, she obliged the deal. Taking a chance let Eury Jr. realize full potential Tony Eury Jr. was in the sixth week of a freshman psychology class at DeVry University in Atlanta when the professor began explaining how people should pursue their dreams. So he left. And not just the class. Eury Jr. returned to his Mooresville, N.C., home and went to work with his father, Tony Eury Sr., at Dale Earnhardt Inc. He started at the bottom, sweeping floors, washing cars and hanging barbed wire, whatever it took to be around the business. He eventually teamed with his father to help Dale Earnhardt Jr. win consecutive Busch Series championships in 1998 and 1999. They moved to the Nextel Cup Series in 2000, Eury Sr. as the crew chief and Eury Jr. as the car chief. Life was grand. Until late in 2004. That's when Eury Jr. found himself struggling with the same thoughts he had at DeVry, wondering if this really was something he wanted to do. Having taken over the duties of the crew chief, he constantly was at odds with Earnhardt and questioned whether his first cousin would be better off with somebody else. So he left, this time going a few doors down to then-DEI driver Michael Waltrip. Unlike the psychology class, it wasn't a permanent move. Eury Jr. reunited with Earnhardt for the final 10 races of 2005 and the two have been together ever since. Fourteen races into this season Earnhardt is sixth in points with a victory at Richmond and an average finish of 12.2, eight spots higher than this time in 2005. Eury Jr. believes his psychology professor would be proud. "I knew what I wanted to do way back then and that guy kind of explained it to me," he said. "When I left that college I said this is what I'm going to do. I came back and did it. "If I was gone tomorrow I'd be really happy with the direction I've chosen." Tumultuous times Eury Jr. and Earnhardt recently sat on the pit wall at Dover International Speedway, laughing and joking 15 minutes before the green flag fell. It wasn't always like this. There have been times when Eury Jr. could have used a psychologist to help him deal with the "rock star" atmosphere that surrounds the son of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. He definitely could have used one to help him deal with tumultuous relationship they had in 2004 when Earnhardt finished fifth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Eury Jr. compares it to a marriage where the spouses need time apart to realize how much they mean to each other. "I wouldn't trade last year for the world," Eury Jr. said. "Just to get away from the rock star atmosphere and to chill out for both of us was pretty humbling. "It was just fun racing for me. I never drank no Pepto Bismol or nothing. I just enjoyed myself and had a good time." He also ended any doubt, from himself and those outside the organization, that he'd been holding back Earnhardt. "I had a couple of peers in here that said, 'All right Eury. It's about time you get off that [Earnhardt] gravy train,'" Eury Jr. said. "But when we run as good as we did with Michael it opened up a lot of eyes." The team was particularly strong this time a year ago, finishing fifth at Pocono and seventh the next week at Michigan to move to 14th in points. Earnhardt, meanwhile, was 17th after Michigan, already having replaced crew chief Pete Rondeau with Steve Hmiel. He was marred in a streak of five consecutive finishes outside the top 10 that a week later would reach six in a season where he would finish 19th. "I wanted to work with Tony Jr. again, but we were both just being hard headed about it," Earnhardt said. Eury Jr. wasn't even at the top of the list when Earnhardt first began considering crew chief options. "We talked to other crew chiefs about hiring other crew chiefs," Earnhardt said. "We talked to other guys. One of them is really successful right now. A lot of what-ifs." But there were no what-ifs about how much Eury Jr. needed the time away from Earnhardt. "It also showed that we did know what we were doing on our racecars," Eury Sr. said. "As soon as Michael knew he wasn't coming back, his mind wasn't with his game. That's why they went downhill at the end of the season. "Until that day we told Michael he wasn't racing there anymore, that was a good race team." Leaving DEI? Not far away from the familiar red Budweiser hauler was Dale Jarrett's No. 88 hauler of Robert Yates Racing. That was one of several organizations impressed enough with the way Eury Jr. turned Waltrip's team around to approach him about leaving DEI. "Yeah, I did entertain that," Eury Jr. said. "I talked to Teresa [Earnhardt] about it." But Eury Jr. stayed, in part because he wasn't convinced RYR was strong enough to compete for the championship and in part because he wanted another chance with Earnhardt. "When they offered me the deal with Dale Jr. I realized I needed to give it one more shot to see if we can get a title with this kid," he said. He returned with a newfound confidence. "Everybody recognized what the Eury family did in racing because of the Earnhardt name," Eury Sr. said. "They said you'll never be recognized for yourself because the Earnhardt name covers you up. He kind of proved them wrong." Eury Jr. feels a respect level in the garage now that he never experienced in 2004, when Earnhardt had a chance to win the title until the final race. "I kind of questioned myself a lot about my abilities before we had the year with Michael about how good of a crew chief I was," Eury Jr. said. "You start to say, 'OK, how good is Junior? If he was with a Chad Knaus, how many races would he win? Or a Greg Zipadelli?' "Last year was a big confidence builder in me and let me see I'm just as good as anybody in this garage." Common sense Eury Jr. never returned for the mechanical engineering degree he wanted when he enrolled at DeVry. At times it makes him feel inferior to a lot of the new-wave crew chiefs whose office walls are covered in diplomas. But Eury Jr. wouldn't trade the on-the-job training he got as a teenager working at Hendrick Motorsports beside his granddaddy, Robert Gee, and longtime crew chief Jake Elder. Or his experiences with the elder Earnhardt before his death in 2001. "I was probably the aggravator of all the guys that were working," Eury Jr. recalled. "But they all taught me something, how to weld or clean headers. I did whatever I could do to be around racecars." Earnhardt says Eury Jr. has something many crew chiefs that come into the sport out of college don't. "That's common sense," he said. "Sometimes all engineering really comes down to is having common sense, figuring something out. He does a great job with staying on top of what's happening in the garage and the latest technology." Common sense told Eury Jr. that he needed time away Earnhardt in 2005. Common sense told him things couldn't go back the way they were when he returned and that communication was key. "That's the one thing we talked about when we got back together," Eury Jr. said. "We used to not tell each other how we felt all the time. Like I wouldn't walk up and say, 'Junior, you did a great job.' "Or he wouldn't say, 'That was a great pit call.' We didn't tell each other that, and as a human being you like to hear that stuff to make sure you are doing a good job." Common sense also tells Eury Jr. what he has with Earnhardt now is working, just as it told him it was right to leave DeVry and pursue his dream. "The guy was talking about how you go through life, and if you really want to be something then you should go for it," Eury Jr. said. "Hell, when I left out of that class I knew what I wanted to do." NASCAR, CMT revving up Earnhardt documentary NASCAR Images and CMT Films are teaming up to produce "Dale," the first authorized documentary about the late racing icon Dale Earnhardt, to be released theatrically early next year. Narrated by Paul Newman, the film will enjoy a unique rollout, opening in select cities on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series circuit beginning in February, which coincides with the start of the 2007 Nextel Cup season. "Dale" will then air on cable channel Country Music Television in the third quarter of 2007 and will be released on DVD following the CMT premiere. The film will include archival race footage, rare outtakes, never-before-seen home videos and interviews with Earnhardt's friends, family, competitors and fans. "This film provides an incredible opportunity to reach the very audience that Dale's life and legacy mean so much to," said Jeff Yapp, executive vice president for program enterprises at CMT parent MTV Networks. "We'll create large event screenings in Nextel Cup Series markets preceding a race weekend, with the goal of creating an event atmosphere more like a live concert than a traditional movie screening." "Dale" marks the second film produced under the CMT Films banner. The first, Toby Keith's "Broken Bridges," will debut in theaters in the fall, with a fourth-quarter release on CMT and DVD. "When NASCAR Images set out to create the definitive film about Dale Earnhardt's life and racing history, we knew it was crucial to be the first to have the explicit approval of the Earnhardt family," NASCAR Images president and CEO Jay Abraham said. " 'Dale' will be the first film of its kind to tell the real story of Dale Earnhardt through his own words and images." Earnhardt won seven NASCAR championships and nearly every major NASCAR event. He died in a crash on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finding consistency he missed last season Dale Earnhardt Jr. is driving with a consistency he never found during a disappointing 2005 season during which he failed to qualify for the Chase for the championship. Now that he's found some stability, Earnhardt plans to challenge for the title. Earnhardt has a win and six top-10 finishes this season, good enough to put him a solid fourth in the points standings and put aside a miserable end to last year. He'll start 11th in Sunday's Pocono 500, the second straight week he'll start from that spot. Earnhardt moved up one spot and finished 10th at Dover. "We've wanted to have consistency our entire career," Earnhardt said. "I'm real glad about that. We've got a win. We've got a lot of 11ths and top-10 finishes. That's what I wanted, so I'm real happy. Things couldn't be better." Things couldn't have been worse last year when he was never really in contention for a Nextel Cup championship. He finished 33rd at the June Pocono race, the second time he finished in that spot in three races. Earnhardt had a whopping 13 races where he finished worse than 30th. He ended the year a career-worst 19th in the final standings. Earnhardt was 15th in the standings at this point last season. This season, he has only one finish in the 30s and hasn't been worse than 11th in any of the last four races. "This is probably the best group - as far as having an assembled group - this is the best I've had from top to bottom," Earnhardt said. "With the team being really strong and deep in talent, I think this is as good as I've ever had." Always one of the sport's most popular drivers, Earnhardt seems to have benefited from reuniting with his cousin and crew chief, Tony Eury Jr. They reunited with 10 races left last season, and were able to break a 27-race winless streak with a victory this year at Richmond International Raceway. "I'm very happy and very lucky and very fortunate that these guys can stand me enough to work on the car all year and be around me all year," Earnhardt said. "I'm real fortunate to have an opportunity to drive for them again." Sponsor's concerns limit Junior's non-Cup racing There's a reason Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't run more races outside the Nextel Cup Series. His primary sponsor won't let him. Discussing the injury risk when drivers take their Cup careers outside the series -- as reigning champion Tony Stewart did in the Busch Series last week at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- Earnhardt said Budweiser has the first say. "I got a deal where I can only run X amount [outside Cup] a month,'' Earnhardt said as he prepared for Sunday's Cup race at Dover International Speedway. "They want the consistency for the fans seeing me in a red car. "They really don't want to see me in a Taco Bell or KFC car. Bud would rather have me in a red Bud Car. That's why I don't really get the opportunity to run more than I want.'' Earnhardt said the clause was in his contract before he suffered severe burns in 2004 while driving a Corvette in a road race at Sonoma, Calif. "That's the Bud side of it, which is understandable,'' said Earnhardt, whose performance suffered for several races while the burns healed. "I'd like to drive my own Busch cars, but I don't know if that's possible through your commitments to DEI. You get yourself in a couple of spider webs and it's hard to get out of 'em.'' Earnhardt doesn't like the limitations. He doesn't think any driver, including Stewart, should be told what to do with free time. "We do have a responsibility to show up and drive Cup cars every week,'' he said. "As a businessman, you've got a responsibility to show up and make sure you're on time for your job. "At the same time, who is anybody to tell Tony Stewart what to do with his time? If he wants to race, he should race. If he wants to fly a kite, he can fly a kite. I mean, whatever he wants to do, he ought to be able to make that choice himself.'' Points leader Jimmie Johnson agreed. At the same time, Johnson needs written permission from Hendrick Motorsports and Lowe's before driving outside of Cup. "The thing that makes us drivers who we are and perfect our skills is the fact that we're in cars,'' Johnson said. "Then on top of that, in different cars. Everything that I've done in race cars has taught me a lot. "It's that whole balance of what the car owner and sponsor are willing to risk, if they're willing to allow you to go out and risk injury, if they're willing to let you be yourself and do your thing. Drivers, we just want to drive anything that has wheels on it.'' But injuries such as the one that will force Stewart to turn his car over to relief driver Ricky Rudd early in Sunday's race makes some think twice about racing outside of Cup. "You just have to think about it,'' Kasey Kahne said. "You don't want to put yourself in a bad position. Obviously, as a driver you're always trying to win, so sometimes it's hard not to put yourself in a bad position.'' Kahne said he plans to race Sprint cars later this season and reminded he raced at the Chili Bowl earlier this year when Stewart suffered a rib injury after flipping his midget car. "Things happen,'' Kahne said. "You hate it happens, but things do happen. Hopefully, Tony is done getting hurt." Dale Jr. to race vintage scheme on Father's Day Leave it to Dale Earnhardt to have such a lasting legacy -- not so much behind the wheel (although his talents there transcend the sport), but rather on the cars' paint schemes. The Intimidator paid tribute to R.J. Reynolds' 25th anniversary with a special silver paint scheme at The Winston in 1995. Since then, one-off paint schemes have become the norm; rare is the race when there isn't a tribute to something. On Father's Day at Michigan, the latest in DEI's line of tribute paint schemes will take to the track when Dale Earnhardt Jr. races a "throwback" No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in a nod to grandfather Ralph and father Dale. The predominantly cream-colored car will feature vintage Budweiser bow-tie logos which were introduced in 1956 -- the same year Ralph Earnhardt won the NASCAR National Sportsman title, a series that eventually became the modern-day Busch Series. Dale Earnhardt also raced a similar paint scheme when he began his NASCAR career in 1974 -- the same year Dale Jr. was born. "I love that era, and I like the look of the car," Earnhardt Jr. said of the vintage Bud machine. "If I can't go back in time and race in the 1950s, at least I can drive a car that looks like it's from the '50s. I've always liked bold, simple paint schemes, and it'll be cool to drive a car that looks so similar to what my dad and grandpa drove." This special "throwback" paint schemes follows the likes of Harry Gant's final race in 1994, Darrell Waltrip celebrating his 25th season in 1997, and both Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin with their "Last Call" and "Salute to You" farewell tours in 2005. DEI also rolled out Intimidator-themed schemes for all of its cars at Talladega in May. Dale Jr. raced a black and silver No. 8 Budweiser car at Talladega on April 30 to celebrate his father's induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. "From the early days of our sponsorship of Dale, to our current involvement with NASCAR and Dale Jr., Budweiser has always been proud to be associated with the Earnhardts and their great racing tradition," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing, Anheuser-Busch Inc. "We think the fans will really appreciate this vintage car honoring two of racings all-time greats, Ralph and Dale, on Father's Day." While Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR champion, is most famous for driving the black No. 3 car with Richard Childress Racing, he raced much of his early career with the No. 8 on his cars, the number also used by his father Ralph. Ralph Earnhardt was selected as one of NASCAR's top 50 drivers in 1999. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has driven the predominantly red No. 8 Budweiser car to 17 victories since joining the Cup Series in 1999. He became the first third-generation NASCAR champion when he won the first of two consecutive Busch Series titles in 1998. Junior also is the host and executive producer of Back in the Day on SPEED, a show that celebrates the vintage era of NASCAR racing in the 1970s. It was Big E who ran point on getting merchandising under his control. Earnhardt was a pioneer in the memorabilia market, the first driver to take control of any souvenir or retail item bearing his name or likeness. "What Dale did was to protect the quality and image [of the product]," said Joe Mattes, who served as president of Sports Image, a licensed memorabilia company Dale and Teresa Earnhardt owned from 1995 until Earnhardt sold it to Action Performance in December '97. "He was the first to do it in his style. He was ahead of his time." Quotable "Between our qualifying effort [34th] and then the penalty we got for pitting outside the box [during the ninth caution on Lap 163], I bet we passed more cars than anybody out there."- Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 11th You did mean an eight with a one in front of it, right? What did the smaller fuel cell mean to the teams? Here is a breakdown of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s night: -18 stops total -Four four-tire stops -Nine two-tire stops -Five gas-only stops Disney revs up for animated movie Cars premiere The checkered flag met the red carpet. The roar of car engines moved from the black asphalt to the silver screen. And Lowe's Motor Speedway was the unlikely host Friday for the world premiere of "Cars," whose producers hope the animated movie will become a summer blockbuster. In a fuel-injected match made in hype heaven, the public relations magic of Disney met the marketing muscle of NASCAR to create a Hollywood premiere like no other. "Well, Disney knows how to do it, and this is a fitting way to open a movie like this," said Bob Iger, president and CEO of the Walt Disney Co. "We're at a speedway, first of all, and it's just grand form. Grand form." The Turn 2 grandstands at Lowe's were turned into an open-air theatre with seating for 30,000. The seats faced four custom-built outdoor screens, measuring five stories high and 15 stories wide. DLP Cinema technology placed 12 projectors in the grandstands, with three focusing on each screen. A single projector produces 35 trillion different colors. Before the premiere, the movie's stars - including Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt and NASCAR great Richard Petty - walked the red carpet outside the speedway. Fans craned for views, cheering at each celebrity, but the biggest ovation went to NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has a small role in the film. Earnhardt was one of the last celebrities to arrive - and walked the red carpet with the largest entourage, with about 20 family members accompanying him. Although it was a movie premiere, he felt right at home. "There sure are a lot of people yelling 'Junior,' " he joked. "I just hope I have good seats." Set in a world populated entirely by motor vehicles, "Cars" tells the story of Lightning McQueen (voiced by Wilson), a top rookie racer on the prestigious Piston Cup circuit. On his way to California for a crucial season-ending race, McQueen gets detoured off the interstate and into the forgotten Route 66 town of Radiator Springs, where he meets a cute 2002 Porsche 911 named Sally Carrera (Hunt), a crusty 1951 Hudson Hornet with a secret (Newman) and a loyal, broken-down tow truck (Larry the Cable Guy). "Cars" is expected to be another hit for Pixar, the studio that pioneered 3-D computer animation in hits such as "Toy Story," "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo." Its June 9 release will mark the first film for the company since it was bought by former partner Disney for $7.4 billion US in January. "We certainly have high hopes for the movie," said Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. "But it really appeals to everyone from 3 to 103, so we think people are really going to like it." It is also the first directorial effort for Pixar head John Lasseter since 1999's "Toy Story 2." Lasseter, a self-professed car geek and son of a parts manager at a Chevy dealership, has said the film is a love letter to vehicles of all cylinder configurations and to Route 66, the famous road that runs from Chicago to Los Angeles. "I knew I wanted to make a movie about cars. I love racing. I love this whole world," Lasseter said this week. "And I was really inspired by what happened on Route 66 ... the story of these old towns that were bypassed and their lifeblood was taken from them by the modern interstate." Disney pulled out all the synergistic stops for the "Cars" premiere. The Disney-owned "Live With Regis and Kelly" talk show broadcast from the speedway on Friday morning, and "Cars" was being extensively promoted on NASCAR's heavily trafficked Web site. Ticket proceeds benefited Speedway Children's Charities, and Disney donated $500,000 to Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang camps for chronically ill children. Despite the starring role for Newman, who dabbles in sports car racing and owns a Champ Car team, the film's Piston Cup is a thinly veiled version of NASCAR. "Darrell Cartrip" - the voice of retired racer and current broadcaster Darrell Waltrip - is in the broadcast booth for the film's racing scenes, while Petty, the seven-time champion and winningest NASCAR driver ever, is the voice for the race car known, of course, as "The King." When Lasseter met Petty, he was so charmed by the driver's wife, Lynda, that he gave her a cameo in the film as a Petty-blue station wagon who lovingly refers to her husband as "Daddy Rabbit" - just like in real life. Earnhardt was thrilled with his cameo role. "The studio was amazing," he said. "Even though it's a small part, they really took it serious and they really wanted me to do a good job. So it felt good. I wish I'd had a lot more to do, and it would have been fun if I had a bigger part. "Cars" is animated, but with its references to bump-drafting and realistic race sequences - down to the gritty bits of rubber that collect in the corners of the animated tracks - Petty said Lasseter gets NASCAR right in a way that Hollywood never has. "He does a good job of just filling in, and if you are a racing fan and you know NASCAR history then you can really relate to the movie," he said. "If you're not a racing fan, you can just relate because there's a good story there." Junior on Nextel All-Star Challenge Earnhardt said the team that finds a way to handle the tires, not necessarily the fastest car, will win. "I talked to [crew chief Tony Eury] Jr.," said Earnhardt, who was caught speeding on pit road during his all-star qualifying run. "He said, 'Hey, man. I know you have a lot of [crap] going on and your car is sliding all over the place and you don't like it. But you're actually not as bad as you think. There's a lot of people worse off than you are.'" Illness doesn't slow Junior at Darlington Want to know how Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to make it through the Dodge Charger 500? Ask a pharmacist. Earnhardt Jr. battled flu symptoms all weekend, but a healthy dose of Zithromax made him feel better, and he wound up fifth Saturday night at Darlington."I was sick when I got here and I went to the infield care center and they helped me out of a little bit, but shouting into the mic tore my voice up a little bit," said Earnhardt Jr., who moved from sixth to fifth in the series standings. "I was going to finish the race no problem. Just [shouting] over the motor tore my voice up. I didn't know if they could hear me or not. "I told them to maybe have [a driver] on standby just in case, but I wasn't planning on getting out." Earnhardt Jr. didn't lead any laps -- he was the only top-five finisher to fail to do so -- but he said he wasn't really worried with catching the leaders. "I don't worry about who is up front, I just watch the guys behind us and whether they are coming or not," said Earnhardt Jr, who was gunning for back-to-back wins for the first time in his Nextel Cup career. "That is sort of my style." Darlington is always a welcome stop for Earnhardt Jr. -- he was eighth here last year -- but the race's length and constant wheel-handling left him exhausted. "It was a tough race. It's hard," said Earnhardt Jr. "I am tired [here] whether I am sick or not." From the source Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "Once I was in the lead, it felt like old times. We were haulin' and pulling away from those guys at the end." Quotable "I think that one pit call there where everybody came down and Kevin [Harvick] stayed out was probably the turning point of the race. That kind of set him up to overdrive his car a little bit the rest of the night."-- No. 8 Chevrolet crew chief Tony Eury Jr. Junior snags first Cup victory in 10 months The turnaround is complete, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back in Victory Lane. Coming off the worst season of his career, Earnhardt ended a 27-race winless streak Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway with a victory that proves just how far his team has come since missing out on the Chase for the Nextel Cup last year. "I think we are there,'' he said. "We keep taking our shots, but we're pretty competitive. Everything is working really great. I couldn't ask for any position on this team to be any better. "I'm just glad to be back in Victory Lane. It feels really great.'' He celebrated his 17th career Nextel Cup victory and third at Richmond with perfect doughnuts along the frontstetch, spinning his No. 8 Chevrolet until it was engulfed in thick, white smoke and one of his tires had exploded. Earnhardt won last July in Chicago -- his only victory of 2005 -- but backed into the win because of fuel strategy. It was the lone highlight in a season of turmoil: He finished 19th in the final standings and was never a contender. But he has reunited with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. this season, and the two had made quiet strides with a handful of solid finishes this season. Now he's got a win, and it moved him up two spots in the standings to sixth. He trails leader Jimmie Johnson by 216 points. Denny Hamlin, driving with his hand heavily bandaged after he needed 19 stitches to close a gash he received "horseplaying'' with his crew, finished second. Although he won the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in February, Hamlin, a Chesterfield, Va., native, cherished this finish in front of a hometown crowd more. "This is by far the biggest race of my career,'' he gushed. "It's awesome, I can't tell you how I feel. I'm going to ride this wave for months.'' Kevin Harvick, who dominated the race and led 272 of the 400 laps, was third and extremely disappointed with the finish. "Just got tight,'' he shrugged. Harvick, who signed a three-year contract extension with Richard Childress Racing on Friday, won the Busch Series race and was looking for his second weekend sweep of the season. But Hamlin, Earnhardt and Kyle Busch all got in his way. All three had gotten by Harvick late in the race, and Busch was out front after taking the lead following pit stops. But Busch couldn't hold off Earnhardt and Hamlin, who both raced their way past him with 44 laps to go. Earnhardt then pulled out to a healthy lead, only to have the field bunched back up when Brian Vickers and Scott Riggs touched while racing side-by-side to bring out the caution with 15 laps to go. Racing resumed with 10 to go and Earnhardt got a terrific jump on the field. But he didn't even make it one lap around the track before the next caution came out because Ken Schrader hit the back of Jeff Burton, who wrecked. It was only a quick caution, and Earnhardt once again jumped out front. He still had to hold off Hamlin, one of his closer friends in the series, but the rookie never could get close enough to make it past. Earnhardt was slightly disappointed he had to beat Hamlin. "A little part of me wanted to see him get the win,'' Earnhardt said. "He's a great driver and he's going to win a lot of races.'' Greg Biffle, plagued with bad luck all season, finished a season-best fourth. "I'm so excited -- I'm going to celebrate like it's a victory,'' Biffle said. "I tell you what -- it's like I won even though I didn't get the trophy.'' Busch, who turned 21 earlier this week, was fifth and defending series champion Tony Stewart was sixth. Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Sterling Marlin and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10. Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, both in the top 10 in the standings, had their races ruined by mechanical failures. Kenseth went out before the first 100 laps when his oil tank broke and he spent considerable time in the garage getting it fixed. He was almost 50 laps off the pace when he returned to the track, and nursed his Ford home to an 39th place finish. He's now third in the standings after starting the race only 21 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Gordon's troubles were in his engine and came shortly after the halfway point. Gordon, who was in 13th place when his engine sputtered, needed extensive work and wound up finishing 40th. Lap by Lap: Crown Royal 400 Lap 400: Checkered flag. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins! Lap 394: Green flag -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads Denny Hamlin. Lap 391: Caution -- Jeff Burton gets turned around. Lap 391: Green flag -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads. Lap 386: Caution -- Scott Riggs and Brian Vickers make contact in Turn 3. Lap 374: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now leading by 1.603 seconds. Lap 359: Kevin Harvick is now second. Lap 356: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead. Lap 352: Green flag -- Kyle Busch leads. Lap 348: Pit stops -- Leaders to pit road. Kyle Busch wins the battle off pit road. The dominant car of Kevin Harvick comes out fourth. Lap 348: Jeff Burton pits while pit road is closed. He'll go to the tail end of the longest line. Lap 346: Caution -- Robby Gordon whacks the wall in Turn 1.. Sterling Marlin gets the free pass. Lap 334: Kevin Harvick is now being shuffled back to fifth, as the old tires take their toll. Lap 330: Denny Hamlin blows by Kevin Harvick on the bottom of the racetrack for the lead. Lap 325: Kevin Harvick holds off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead. Now Kyle Busch is trying his luck. Lap 318: Kevin Harvick's leads is .436 seconds -- and shrinking. Lap 317: Jeff Gordon has returned to the race. He's 41st, 74 laps down. Lap 293: Green flag -- Kevin Harvick leads. Lap 288: Pit stops -- Leader Kevin Harvick stays out. Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins the race off of pit road. Lap 287: Caution -- Martin Truex Jr.'s engine looks to have expired. Greg Biffle is the Lucky Dog. Lap 281: Bobby Labonte is fifth and has spent more than 100 laps in the top 10. Lap 269: Jeff Gordon still behind the wall. Team still looking for a solution. Lap 266: Green flag -- Kevin Harvick leads. Lap 260: Caution -- Martin Truex Jr. spins by himself, as does Tony Raines, who narrowly misses Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lap 255: Kurt Busch sent back down pit road for a pit box violation. He's then nailed again for too fast exiting pit road. Lap 235: Jeff Gordon and crew make the long trek behind the wall. Lap 233: Kevin Harvick is coming up on lapped traffic -- again. Lap 229: Jeff Gordon: "It completely shut off." He's on pit road. Lap 224: Tony Stewart is in the top five. Lap 217: Kevin Harvick's lead is growing again. It's now up to 2.1 seconds. Lap 208: After a long battle, leader Kevin Harvick puts Greg Biffle a lap down. Lap 202: Greg Biffle is battling with Kevin Harvick to stay on the lead lap. Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is coming closer. Lap 191: Green flag -- Kevin Harvick leads. Lap 186: Pit stops -- Leaders in. Kevin Harvick takes few adjustments and wins the battle off of pit road, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart. J. J. Yeley gets the free pass. Lap 185: Caution -- Carl Edwards spins triyng to get to pit road as teammate Mark Martin was going down pit road to make a stop. Lap 177: Green-flag stops begin -- Greg Biffle gives up sixth place to make a stop. Lap 168: Points leader Jimmie Johnson is now a lap down to leader Kevin Harvick. Lap 162: Kevin Harvick's lead is now more than 2 seconds. Lap 149: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now second, 1.549 seconds behind leader Kevin Harvick. Lap 143: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now battling Greg Biffle for second. Lap 131: Kevin Harvicks lead has ballooned to nearly two seconds. Lap 103: Green flag -- Kevin Harvick leads. Lap 100: Kevin Lepage has been checked and released from the infield care center. Caution is still out with Kevin Harvick in front. Lap 94: Caution -- Big explosion and fire under Kevin Lepage's No. 61 car. Lap 93: Green flag -- Kevin Harvick leads. Lap 88: Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart to the pits for major adjustments. Lap 81: Matt Kenseth behind the wall. His oil tank is broken. Lap 79: Caution -- Casey Mears and Jeff Green each spin out coming out of Turn 4. Meanwhile, Jeff Burton says he's run over something. It appears to be a brake rotor. Lap 78: Jeff Gordon has gone from 18th to fourth since the start. Lap 73: Green Flag -- Greg Biffle leads, but not for long as Kevin Harvick takes the lead in less than a half-lap. Lap 67: Pit stops. All lead-lap cars in. Greg Biffle wins the battle off of pit road. Kevin Harvick falls in second. Matt Kenseth picks up two spots to third. Lap 66: Caution -- Tony Raines spins just past the start-finish line. Michael Waltrip gets the free pass. Lap 64: Kevin Harvick lead has ballooned to 1.5 seconds. Lap 63: Kasey Kahne is back on track, five laps down. Lap 58: Kasey Kahne, who felt like he was dropping a cylinder, has gone to the garage. Lap 55: Tony Stewart is losing spots, hoping for a caution. Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has motored up to the top 10. Lap 50: Kevin Harvick has taken the lead from Greg Biffle. Lap 40: Kasey Kahne slows on the backstretch. Kahne says he feels like he's down a cylinder. Lap 27: Look out for the red-hot Kevin Harvick. He's up to second and gaining on leader Greg Biffle. Lap 23: Green flag -- Greg Biffle leads while Scott Wimmer returns to the racetrack three laps down. Lap 21: Pit stops -- A dozen cars, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jamie McMurray, are in the pits for adjustments. Lap 20: Caution -- Scott Wimmer into the wall after squeezing up into Jeremy Mayfield. Wimmer and Mayfield to pit road for repairs. Lap 15: Bad news for Carl Edwards. He's fallen from ninth to 18th since the start. Lap 11: Green flag -- Greg Biffle leads. Lap 8: Caution -- Mike Wallace spins by himself. Greg Biffle still leads. Lap 3: Greg Biffle takes the lead back from Mark Martin Lap 2: Mark Martin takes the lead from Greg Biffle Lap 1: Greg Biffle leads the opening lap All times eastern 7:42 p.m. -- Green flag: Polesitter Greg Biffle leads 7:34 p.m. -- The engines are fired. 7:28 p.m. -- The U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps finishes the best rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner played at a NASCAR even in quite some time. 7:20 p.m. -- And the Teutels are at yet another NASCAR event. Love those guys. 7:15 p.m. -- Kevin Harvick tells Steve Byrnes that he hasn't been this hot behind the wheel since his days running late models. 7:03 p.m. -- Jimmie Johnson tells Chris Myers there are less 48 haters than when he won at Daytona -- and fits in a shameless plug for his radio show. 7:00 p.m. -- FOX is on the air -- and showing off its Emmys. 5:40 p.m. -- We're just shy of two hours from the green flag and the weather doesn't look bad at Richmond. 10 Questions: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the midst of a season in which he's successfully re-establishing himself, crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. and their Dale Earnhardt Inc. team as one of the most consistent in the league on a week-to-week basis. This weekend Earnhardt and the No. 8 Chevrolet crew head to Richmond International Raceway, a venue where he's a previous winner, for Saturday night's Crown Royal 400 (7 p.m. ET, FX). But a short time ago, at Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt and his pet bulldog, Killer, took a break to answer 10 questions not necessarily connected to his racing career. 1. What is your favorite outdoor activity? Earnhardt: My favorite outdoor activity is probably playing tackle football. I like to get a bunch of my buddies together, and a bunch of the guys from a couple of the [race] teams and have us a big old game. It's a lot of fun. Yeah, I got some property, but we don't go as far as putting any lines or goalposts up. We just pick a couple trees out -- and that's out of bounds and touchdowns and what not. We like to hose it down to get it good and wet. We get a little muddy field going to get a little dirty. As a kid, I was always wanting to be a free safety for the Washington Redskins because it seemed like you could be doing pretty much whatever you think you needed to be doing. That's the way I like to get things done. 2. If you could go back in time, what period in history would you like to live in? Earnhardt: Well, it wouldn't be that far back. It probably would have been in the '70s. I would have liked to live my 20s in the '70s, because [that time] just seemed like it was a lot of fun. It had a lot to do with the styles, whether it be clothing, the attitudes -- and I don't know, just the vibe that was going on back then. The music was great. A lot of great music was coming out. That's a very mysterious time for racing, as far as NASCAR goes, at least to me. It's maybe not that way to a lot of other people who remember it like it was yesterday. But to me, I just can't get enough or to know enough about those years and how the sport was -- what the cars drove like and what not. 3. What's your least favorite household chore? Earnhardt: My least favorite household chore has come about just recently, and it's probably cleaning up after my dog, Killer. He's pretty good at letting himself out, but a lot of times -- especially in the middle of the night -- he doesn't bother letting anybody know [he has to go] and he just finds him somewhere in the house to do his business. So I have to get up in the morning and take care of it, or find it some time later down the road, if he's hid it real good. That's probably the biggest pain in the butt. And taking out the trash has never been a fun thing. But [Killer] is a great dog, and I really enjoy being around him. If I could think of the perfect dog, he's definitely the one for me. 4. Which athlete outside of racing do you most admire? Earnhardt: That's tough because I have a lot of athletes that I admire outside of racing. Roger Clemens is one of them [because] he reminds me a lot of my dad. I don't bother separating [Clemens] into a Red Sox player or a Yankees player or a Texas player -- he just impresses me overall. I had a hard time really having a favorite team in baseball, especially since free agency and all that stuff. With guys going from one team to another it's really hard to follow anyone. I didn't get involved with the sport at a young age like a lot of young guys do and they have that team that they always have pulled for. I got into it after my father became buddies with some of the Braves. So I pulled for Atlanta a lot and had a lot of Braves players that I pulled for. But I met Roger [Clemens] and he just left an impression on me with how he treated me, personally -- and that impression I'll never forget. There are several others. A lot of Redskins football players, obviously, because being a big Redskins fan I've followed a lot of guys like Darrell Green and Art Monk. Darrell Green and Art Monk were great role models. They were really solid and they never had any real issues on the field or really ever did anything that set a bad example. 5. What is your favorite most recent movie, and your favorite all-time flick? Earnhardt: My favorite most recent movie was probably Just Friends, which was pretty good. It was sort of a movie that I think their target age group was anywhere from 18 to 25, so it was a little young for me -- but I enjoyed it and I thought it was really funny. My greatest movie of all time was more of a mini-series that came on regular television back when I was about in the ninth or 10th grade, called Lonesome Dove. It had Robert Duval in it and Robert De Niro, I think. I'm not quite sure. Who was the guy in that casino movie? Was it De Niro? I'm not quite sure. 6. Who are you glad you're not? Earnhardt: Hah! I'm glad I'm not? Man, I don't know. Whew, that's tough. You got enough tape, here? Let me think about that. There have been a lot of times when I felt bad for somebody, or I tried to put myself in their shoes, but I guess I'm glad I'm not living in a country that wouldn't allow me to do the things that I do today. You look around at the way some people are forced to live or they don't have any other choice and it looks like a hard life. You see people over in Africa or even in Iraq or what not, on the outskirts of some of those towns, living in shacks and struggling from one day to the next. That would be a helluva way to have to get by. 7. Do you own an iPod, and if you do, what's on it? Earnhardt: Yes, I do. There are 1,600 songs on it. I know a lot of people that have got me beaten by a lot, but I listen to a lot of old stuff. You know, I like listening to popular music and what's on the radio now, and me and my buddies and friends and all that stuff talk about this new song that's come out and all that, all the time. But you wear that out, over and over and over and the radio does a pretty good job anyways of giving you all you can stand of it. So for me it's fun to go back and find those lost one-hit wonders -- those lost treasures that you remember listening to and you remember hearing when you're a kid. But you can't remember who sang it or you never heard of who sang it. So you go onto iTunes and you can go and dig deep into that site and find some of those songs. Finding 'em is half the fun, and then having your own compilation of what you like. Just having something like that, and you play it for your friends and they're like, 'Damn, I remember that song -- I forgot all about that.' 8. What was your first job, and your most vivid memory of it? Earnhardt: My first job was pumping gas at an Exxon station on Exit 36 and my most vivid memory was that there was a Waffle House behind it -- and every day I ate chicken melts for lunch. Yeah, that was the day of full service. I had gotten a speeding ticket and I had to pay for it. 9. What is your biggest vice? Earnhardt: My biggest vice is -- man -- it's probably ... well, I have several, but probably video games, because I can just sit there for hours and play. I'll be sitting there in the bus with my PR guys and I'll be, like, 'Damn, when are they going to leave so I can start playing video games?' Or maybe another driver or a buddy will come by to visit at 8 o'clock and I've got to stop and put it down and talk to them, and I'm like, 'Damn!' When it comes to a game that more than one person can play at the same time, I enjoy Tiger Woods golf because I can't play golf at all in real life. I'm terrible at it. I'm sure if I really put my head down and put myself to work trying to learn, I could get to where I could enjoy it, but I enjoy the challenge of playing my buddies at Tiger Woods golf because that's a lot of fun. Like I said, as a little kid I had that dream of being a football player, so [I enjoy] any kind of [video] football game -- college or pro. 10. If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be and why? Earnhardt: It would probably be Hugh Hefner, for obvious reasons. I really would like to know what goes on at the house -- at the [Playboy] mansion -- and what the parties are really like. I mean, obviously, if I'm Hugh Hefner I have [control]. For everybody that comes to the party, this is what it's like where they're standing, but I wonder what it would be like behind closed doors and what not. It would just be interesting to be a fly on the wall, so to be Hugh Hefner for a while would be cool, to kind of see what that's like. He's a little old, but it would be pretty cool to go back about 20 years and to see what it would be like to be Hugh Hefner. And if I wasn't him, I'd like to be a rock star of some sort for a while. That would be cool -- for a day or whatever it was -- to be a rock star. Who would it be cool to be? I'm trying to think of who's really digging right now. You know, all those girls like those Gavin McGrews [DeGraw] and whatever the hell their names are -- Jack Johnson and all those guys that sing all those slow songs. What they go through is a little bit the same as what we have to deal with, with the fan adulation and all that. There are certain parts of the grind that are similar. You know, you can see the look on their face when they come into your town to play a concert and you go backstage and you can tell it's wearing on them, going to city after city after city. But they get up there, once it's time to start, and it's just like when you roll off of pit road, you forget all about that [distractions] and you're just ready to do it. That's so much fun [for racecar drivers] and when you're on stage I'm sure that's the same way that they feel. I'm sure that I could be the lead singer for any band, and it wouldn't matter who it was because they probably all have a lot of fun. But maybe I'd be the lead singer for Chevelle, because I like the music that they play and I'd like to be able to play it. Junior's Jaunt One collision nearly eliminated two of the race favorites shortly before the halfway point. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was running alongside Carl Edwards when he got loose on the entry to Turn 3 on Lap 88. Earnhardt avoided most of the traffic around him, but was lightly tagged by Tony Stewart, giving each car some minor nose damage. Each car was repaired under the subsequent caution flag, allowing the two drivers to stay in contention. Temporarily, anyway. Earnhardt’s Chevrolet lost an engine at the end of the backstretch on Lap 151, putting him out the race with a 31st-place finish. “We had a pretty decent car,” Earnhardt said. “Got loose getting into (Turn) 3 and it was four-wide and I got loose and got into Carl (Edwards) and spun myself out. I might have spun the motor backwards; that's probably why I blew up. We don't normally have engine failures. But right there just now, it just blew up and quit running. It was a tough day for us, but oh well.” Junior not worried about starting 27th If Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to win a sixth time at Talladega, he'll have to do it from a starting position of 27th. He's started that far back only two other times at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. "We got a good car," Junior said. "I don't know why we qualified so slow. We ran about three-tenths faster than that yesterday when we made our [practice] run. "You just can't never tell what you're going to get here in qualifying. I ain't really worried about it. The car will be fine and we'll have a lot of fun on Sunday." Junior's new paint job stirs some echoes Father-son relationships are complicated enough, never mind trying to sort out the issues while nudging the speedometer toward 200 mph. Yet that's the delicate task Dale Earnhardt Jr. set himself this weekend at Talladega, hoping to honor the man who taught him the business while scaring the snot out of everybody else -- and still win the race. If that sounds like a tall order, keep in mind that NASCAR's restrictor-plate events don't allow much wiggle room to begin with. But Junior has decided to roll in the old man's colors, swapping the familiar red paint job on his No. 8 Chevy for a likeness of the black No. 3 car the late Dale Earnhardt drove, and see if it helps him channel the spirit that made "The Intimidator" the most feared racer of his generation. "Everybody," Earnhardt Jr. recalled earlier this week, "always said he could do a lot of things with a race car a lot of other people couldn't." As if anybody needed reminding, Earnhardt Sr. was being inducted Thursday night into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega. It was there as a kid that Junior rummaged through the exhibit soaking up most of his history lessons. And Saturday would have been Earnhardt Sr.'s 55th birthday, excuse enough to recall his 10 wins on the track -- the last of which, in October, 2000, marked the 76th and final victory of his career. His closing run that day is still considered one of the best the sport has ever seen. On top of that, one of the last cars "The Intimidator" zoomed past that day was being driven by none other than Junior. But there's another layer to the story. It was at Talladega in October, 2004, when Junior, still working on his own legacy, learned a painful lesson. He climbed out of the car after winning at the speedway for the fifth time and fumbled to pay tribute to the old man. The win didn't mean much, Junior said during a live broadcast, since, "Daddy's won here 10 times." Only he used a saltier word for "much." Though Junior was being neither angry nor boastful -- exhilarated was more like it -- the moment that word left his mouth, he knew NASCAR officials were lining him up for a $10,000 fine and docking him 25 points in the race for the season-ending championship. So while this might be the first time Junior reached down this far into his motivational bag of tricks, it won't be the first race he felt there was something left to prove. That's been the case throughout his career, at least the portion of it that began after Earnhardt Sr.'s fatal, last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 a half-dozen years ago. It's that way for a lot of the kids who try to follow famous fathers. So you could look at this a number of ways: Cynically, as a ploy to sell even more NASCAR-licensed merchandise; whimsically, as nothing more than a bid by Junior to change his luck, since he arrives at Talladega on an upswing after his most disappointing season in 2005; or even as a calculated gamble. With his confidence growing and so many story lines waiting to be knotted together, Junior could have it all -- and make another downpayment on the debt he still owes his father. "His birthday is something I do enjoy pointing out or celebrating or recognizing myself personally, because that was always a lot of fun with him," Earnhardt Jr. recalled. "When he would get a little bit older we were always picking about what his real age was. ... "There were some things that come and go with a blink of the eye, but there are other things that come and go that you want to point out and you want to recognize and you do appreciate and you do miss or you do want to -- between me and my family or whatnot, and all of his fans, you do want to take a moment and remember. I think," Junior said finally, "his birthday is a good one." Like we said at the top, father-son issues are generally weighty ones. When someone asked Junior earlier this week whether he paid attention to paint schemes before now, he talked about how his father and his racing team had always done that, "thinking of cool ways to do and ways to incorporate neat things that they like or enjoyed." But then, in one of those utterances that would fill up an hour on a psychologist's couch, Junior said, "If I had my choice, I'd be driving an all-white car. I'd paint it sort of like the delivery trucks that Budweiser has. But, you know, I like the car I've got and I think it is a reflection of myself. I think it fits my personality as good as any." It does. But maybe it's a good sign, too, that Junior feels comfortable enough to wear his dad's colors for a race, the way some sons try on their father's suits after a while, to feel for themselves how far they've come and even more important, to get a sense of how much farther they still have to go. Auction to be held to benefit ailing Ard Richmond International Raceway has joined with former NASCAR Busch Series champions and other stars to participate in an auction at the track next month to benefit former champion Sam Ard and his wife. Ard, the 1983 and 1984 Busch champion and two-time Richmond winner, was diagnosed last May with Alzheimer's disease. His wife, Jo, was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that could lead to blindness. "Sam Ard is a great part of the NASCAR Busch Series history, and Richmond International Raceway's history," said track president Doug Fritz. "It is warming to see the tremendous support we have been given by the NASCAR family for the auction during our 25th anniversary celebration of the NASCAR Busch Series." The silent auction will take place May 5 and 6 at the track amphitheater outside Turn 1. Among the items up for bid are: _ Autographed driver gloves from Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. _ A Jimmie Johnson-autographed Excedrin diecast car. _ No. 24 and No. 48 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series crewmember firesuits. _ No. 5 Nextel Cup Series sheet metal. _ A Bill France-autographed NASCAR hat. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to the Ard family. Items for the auction will continue to be collected through May 5. Fans can see a daily update of items up for bid at Richmond International Raceway's Web site. Talladega perfect for Junior to honor father Dale Earnhardt Jr. used to wonder if his father really was as old -- or young -- as he claimed. It almost became a joke among family members. "We were always picking about what his real age was," Earnhardt Jr. said. But they always celebrated Earnhardt's birthday on April 29, and they will do so again this weekend in many ways. Saturday has been proclaimed "Dale Earnhardt Day" at Dale Earnhardt Inc., the empire Earnhardt began in Mooresville, N.C. Six and a half hours away, the Busch Series race at Talladega Superspeedway will be held in honor of the seven-time Cup champion. In Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Talladega, Earnhardt Jr. will drive a special black paint scheme in honor of his father, who would have been 55 had he not died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. can't wait for the latter, preferring to remember moments such as this rather than the five-year anniversary of his father's death that was in February. "There are some things that come and go without a blink of the eye," Earnhardt Jr. said on Tuesday. "But there are other things that come and go that you want to point out and you want to recognize and -- between me and my family and all of his fans -- you do want to take a moment and remember. "I think his birthday is a good one." And Talladega is the perfect place to remember. Earnhardt won a record 10 times on the 2.66-mile track where he was considered the master of restrictor-plate racing. Earnhardt Jr. is second in victories with five, using many of the drafting secrets learned from his father. He'd like to get No. 6 in black. "I was very excited when I saw the car," said Earnhardt Jr., who heard of the paint scheme through the grapevine like most people. "It's a cool way to honor my dad. It's going to be a lot of fun to be behind the wheel of that car, and sort of see the reaction that ... it gets from the other drivers on the racetrack. "Hopefully, I can get a little bit more help on the draft than we've been getting in the last couple of races on the plate tracks." Earnhardt Jr. has won seven times on plate tracks -- Daytona and Talladega -- since entering Cup full time in 2000. He won four in a row at Talladega from 2001 to 2003. But he's won only twice in the last nine plate races, with the last time coming at the second Talladega race in 2004. He hopes this year's reunion with crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who worked for then-DEI teammate Michael Waltrip a year ago, will help turn things around. Regardless, Earnhardt Jr. believes his father would approve of the paint scheme that is sure to revive memories of the black No. 3 Chevrolet. He recalled how special paint schemes were a trademark of his father and team owner Richard Childress, just like the familiar Budweiser red has been his. "We haven't changed our paint scheme a lot, but I really enjoy a good clean racecar without a lot of different colors," Earnhardt said. But neither black nor red is Junior's preferred color. "If I had my choice I'd be driving an all-white car," he said. "I'd paint it sort of like the delivery truck that Budweiser has. I like the car I've got. It is a reflection of myself. It fits my personality as good as any." The black No. 3 definitely fit the personality of the elder Earnhardt, known affectionately to competitors and fans as The Intimidator. That color and number will be prominent on Thursday night when Earnhardt is inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega. Earnhardt Jr. is anticipating that night as much or more as he is looking forward to driving the black No. 8. "That's a great shrine ... and as a kid I could not wait to go to the racetrack so I could go through it every year," he said. "It's just a huge honor. It's one of the biggest honors in the sport. I'll be one of the first ones through the gate." Trips to Talladega always stir Junior's memories of his father, none more than the 2000 October race in which Earnhardt went from 18th to first over the final six laps. "I was running second thinking I was in a position to try to get me a win, and I can see him and his line formed on the outside coming up, getting closer and closer," Earnhardt Jr. recalled. "Every time I looked in the mirror, he'd moved up a few more feet toward us and was coming. "Everybody on the bottom line was sort of in panic mode as to, 'Wait a minute now; this thing ain't playing out like we had in mind.' That was pretty cool." He expects Sunday will be cool as well. And for the record, Earnhardt Jr. believes his father really would have been 55, even though some official publications list the birth year as 1952 instead of 1951. "It's going to be neat," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I hope the fans appreciate it. I hope, you know, everybody at NASCAR appreciates it because it's a pretty cool deal for DEI." Earnhardt Jr. in Black Budweiser Car This Weekend The No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet piloted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a new look for this weekend’s activities at Talladega Superspeedway. The usually red No. 8 will be predominantly black with white lettering and silver and red stripes in honor of the life and brilliant career of the late Dale Earnhardt. The paint scheme mimics the design the elder Earnhardt made famous in his career while driving for Richard Childress Racing in the Cup Series and Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) in the Busch Series. Ten of Earnhardt’s 76 career wins came at Talladega – more than any other driver. His son, Dale Jr., is second in all-time Nextel Cup victories at Talladega with five, including a record four-in-a-row for DEI between October 2001 to April 2003. The elder Earnhardt will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega Thursday evening, and Saturday, April 29th would have been his 55th birthday. Among the most memorable of Earnhardt’s 10 victories at Talladega was the last of his 76 career victories, where he came from 18th place with five laps remaining to take the win in October 2000. Anheuser-Busch and the Busch family had a personal and business relationship with Dale Earnhardt for many years, promoting the Busch brand. Earnhardt won the first-ever race run under the “Busch Series” name in 1982 at Daytona. Shop Talk: Tony Eury Jr. Tony Eury Jr. took a break in his Talladega preparations to talk about where the No. 8 team's season is in relation to its goals, why they have excelled at Talladega and how new NASCAR rules might affect strategy: Tony, you and Dale Jr. "reacquainted" yourselves with each other, if you will, at the end of last season with some success. So how would you assess your 2006 season, to this point? Eury: We've done everything we've wanted to do. We came into the season and we wanted to finish with top 10s at [Las] Vegas and California. We're coming into a stretch now where we feel like we're really comfortable with the tracks, and that we can possibly get a win -- or get top fives pretty easy. In our first 10 races this season we really wanted to come out of the box strong, be in the top five in points and we're knocking on the door on every one of our goals. It's looking back a few weeks, but what did the race at Martinsville -- where your car was involved in a wreck on the second lap but came back with a top-five finish -- mean not only to your team's growth, but Dale Jr.'s growth as well? Eury: It means the world because it just shows how good the quality of the team that we have, is. It shows that mixing the two teams from last year [Earnhardt's 8 and Michael Waltrip's 15], together, has worked. At Martinsville, nobody lost their head and everybody did the job that they needed to do. And that's what it takes to win a championship. You're going to have bad days, and [to win championships] you have to be able to turn those days around and turn them into something positive. That was just one occurrence when it happened early in the year, and hopefully we can all thrive off of it for the rest of the year. As well as you've run in the points so far -- and as you say, you're waiting to get through 10 races to see where you stand -- would it be safe to say the best is yet to come for this race team? Eury: I think so. I think we're getting better and better every week. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together. We're fine-tuning the motor department, the bodies and our set-ups. I think we're still getting notes together, though. It's real easy for a team like the 48 [Jimmie Johnson] or the 20 [Tony Stewart] to come in from last year, having all their notes, after being in title contention all year -- and now they're just playing on their notebook, here. We're still building ours to get reacquainted so the best is yet to come. Dale Jr. all year has said his cars have been better this year than last year's. So from a crew chief's point of view, where are your cars in relation to where they're going to be, from a development standpoint -- and how much better can you make them? Eury: We can make them a ton better. I mean, the motor department has got a lot to strive for and I've got a lot to strive for. For many years, I've concentrated just on speedway cars and not really that much on our downforce stuff, but I've really buckled down on myself and said I was going to get the best downforce cars. So that's what I'm really working hard to do. Set-up-wise, every day there's a new innovation coming out, and the 9 car [Kasey Kahne] is the perfect example of that. They've got some real trick stuff going on that looks really good. We've got to figure that out and we've got to catch up to those guys -- but at the same time, we've got to come up with something new. As far as you and Dale and the team are concerned, is Talladega coming at just the right time in the season? Eury: Yeah, I mean, Talladega is pretty cool. You know, we run pretty well there, but speedway racing, you run it only four times a year. We run good there, and I'd say three-quarters of it is [Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s] driving talent. We've just got to make sure that the cars and the motors are up to the level to perform up to his standards. Given that, could you run plate racetracks every other week -- or do you not quite want to do that? Eury: No. As good as we run there, I really don't. The amount of work that goes into a speedway car and just the preparation of every part of it [is intense]. The whole week of getting ready for Talladega is a real pain but we really need to concentrate on the other [32 or 33] races where we can really make up points, and that really shows the difference [between race teams]. With what we saw at Daytona, there appear to be a couple other people to contend with on plate tracks, such as Casey Mears or Clint Bowyer -- or can you not eliminate anyone in the field as a contender? Eury: Yeah, you have to look at it that way. Everybody is a contender -- but you've got a few of them that can draft. You've got the Jeff Gordons -- guys like that, that know what they're doing. Those are the guys that you're going to race, no matter what kind of car they have. There are some rookies coming in that have good motors and good bodies and they're starting to show up. And I think we're off a little bit on our motor program, so if we get our motor program back up to snuff where we need to be -- and I know we're going to get there -- we'll be fine. Which racecar are you going to take to Talladega, and what's its history? And have you made any refinements to it, since Daytona? Eury: We're going to take the same car that we had at Daytona. That car blew extremely well in the wind tunnel when we took it down there. The only thing we've done to it is the modifications that NASCAR wanted to the front bumper -- which shouldn't be that big of a deal. When you've got a car like that, you fluff and buff on it all year and you pick up a little bit here and there. But the biggest deal is, we're really working hard to get our plate motor program back up. Exactly what has NASCAR mandated for the front of the car, as you'll implement it? Eury: A lot of us had steel plates and a lot of reinforcement bars for the front bumpers. They've actually gone to a two-bar system in the front, and the two bumper bars have got to be six inches apart. I think you can only have, I think it's an inch-and-3/4 diameter tubing, with only three uprights and one main support coming off of the frame, to hold the bumper. What's it's done is take a lot of support out of the center of it, so if you're going to ram somebody really, really hard you're going to mess up the nose. But it shouldn't be a really big difference for a lot of people. In your opinion, will it fix the issue of bump drafting? Eury: No, it won't. I mean, if a guy hits way too hard he might cause his car to run a little bit hotter, but you're not going to fix the bump drafting issue. It's too much of an advantage and I think the rear bumpers have got more to do with the bump drafting incidents than the front bumpers do.People have just got to learn how to use the technique. There are a lot of rookies that come in here and just see it on television and they just want to knock the person right in front of them. The people just need to calm down and use it how they know they should. Junior Misjudges Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ran in the top 10 for most of the night, or at least until Lap 222, when he hit Kyle Petty in Turn 4. Petty spun and Mark Martin got into the back of Earnhardt’s Budweiser Chevrolet, tearing up its rear deck en route to a 23rd-place finish. “I have a lot of respect for Kyle, and I want him and all the other drivers to have respect for me as well, and that ain’t the way to get it,” Earnhardt said. “It just makes me sick to have something like that happen.” Tidbits OPTIMISTIC NO. 8 Dale Earnhardt, Jr., one of only three two-time winners at Phoenix International Raceway, said Thursday that enjoys his sojourns out to the desert oval. “We like this race track,” said Earnhardt, who won here in 2003 and ’04. “We’ve won a couple of races here. We just seem to have a handle on the set-up. I like the track and get a lot accomplished when I come out here. JUNIOR FAN Mark Martin said that it’s possible for a young driver to race hard without tearing up a lot of equipment, citing Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has someone who despite having a famous father had to earn his way up the ranks the hard way. “Dale Sr. was tough on Junior,” Martin said. “Junior just didn’t get a lot of stuff handed to him. He got the name handed to him, but the rest of it he had to earn. And it shows. Dale Jr. is a fine young man who had to show he wanted it really bad, and had to work for the opportunity to be a NASCAR driver. Look how that turned out. He’s a fierce, aggressive competitor who doesn’t hardly cause any trouble on the race track. That’s what you want. That’s what fans want to see, fierce competition. They know you can have that and not have a wreckfest. Nobody wants to see a demolition derby.” Q&A: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Q. Would you mind discussing your thoughts on the new testing limits. Earnhardt Jr.: You know, it just doesn't make a difference to me as long as it's the same for everybody, I guess. If we weren't testing, we're doing something else. I think a lot of drivers are apt to test more. As long as it's the same for everybody, I feel like it's an equal playing field. Q. How hard was it last year to be on the outside looking in in the Chase? Does that give you a lot of extra incentive? Earnhardt Jr.: Last year wasn't really that hard. I had a lot of fun. It was kind of nice to take sort of a break from the spotlight a little bit, kind of recharge your batteries in an immediate sense. We were frustrated that we didn't get the finishes. There was a couple races, a good handful of about 10 or 12 races where we should have finished well, and either I made a mistake, which was probably more often than not, or we had a mechanical failure of some sort or something like that. You know, it wasn't that difficult of a season for me. I enjoyed working with Steve and the team that I had. A great group of guys. You know, they made some of the frustration a lot easier to take. Coming into this season, we sort of brought some of those guys from that team last year to the new team now with Tony Jr. A lot of the old guys that were there in '04 are still there with me now. I just really am lucky to be driving the car that they put together. They got a lot of confidence, they got a lot of skill, and they build a great racecar. I just really feel fortunate to be in a position I'm in right now. Q. In terms of etiquette and unwritten rules on the track, what in your mind is the most important? Does that kind of thing exist? Earnhardt Jr.: I guess if they're unwritten, you're definitely going to get a lot of different answers. You just have to have a lot of respect for each other on the racetrack. You know, for example, one of the more common ones is if a guy races you really hard, and it seems pointless at the time, then next time when he's in a position that he needs a break, you don't cut him one. The guys that do cut you a couple breaks, say if I run down Tony Stewart or he runs me down, if it's not in the last 50 or hundred miles of the race, we're probably going to make it easy on each other because the tires are so crucial, you can't really be racing people. If you want to continue -- if you're three-tenths faster than the field, trying to get up through there, you want to continue that type of dominance, it helps to have people helping you out, getting out of your way when you come up to them. That's sort of one of them unwritten rules, sort of like a little courtesy on the track goes a long ways, a little respect goes a long ways. That's sort of the main one that I probably deal with most often. Q. Who is the best at on-track etiquette? Earnhardt Jr.: Mark Martin has a great etiquette on the racetrack, shows a lot of courtesy. Races really hard, drives his car really hard, but he treats people on the track with a lot of respect. But when it's time to go, time to race, he can get what he needs out of his car. You don't want to be giving up so much on the racetrack that you take yourself out of position to win. You can't just let everybody go by that catches you. If a guy runs you down from a straightaway back and a couple laps, it's pretty cool if you let him go because he's probably going to remember that next time when you're in the same situation. Mark Martin is probably the guy that holds class every week for all of us that are still learning and still trying to understand a lot of the things that are going on on the racetrack. You know, all the rookies come in here. One of the first things that they see that's different from where they were before, whether it be Truck or Busch, the Cup guys race harder every lap. We run hard every lap of the race. Everything's really happening a lot faster. They assume right off the bat that they've got to drive their tail off every second. They get a little overzealous every once in a while. When it comes to a situation where you need to cut a guy a break, they're not even thinking about that, they're thinking about trying to impress their team, their owner, whatnot, which is cool and fine, but they'll realize after a couple, two or three years that, you know, it's really smart to play it cool and keep your stuff in one piece and try not to wear your car out to where you're in position at the end to have a good shot at winning the race. Q. Last week you were talking about being in the best shape you've been in as far as resources. Do you look at these next two races and say now we're getting somewhere where we can get back in the groove? Earnhardt Jr.: I mean, you know, I don't really think that. I want to be in the groove all the time. We've ran well, we've had great-driving cars every week. I just want to hope that continues, that we can continue to go to the racetrack, show up, not be scrambling to get in the ballpark. You know, we got a couple tracks coming up that we do traditionally run well on. There's a stretch in the summer where we struggle, like at Michigan, Pocono, places like that, Sonoma. I'm sort of looking that far ahead really trying to prepare myself and hopefully have a better opportunity and a better finish at a lot of those racetracks that we've struggled on in the past. Q. As far as the new testing rules go, how has it changed the way you test? Also with so many cars at the track testing, is there more spying going on? Earnhardt Jr.: I suppose, yeah. You walk around, see if anybody's got any springs laying out, just kind of take a look at some of the buckets, the front A-frames, see what kind of angle they are, things like that. You look at their spindles, know what kind of degree spindle they're running. It's pretty easy to see all that stuff when we're all piled in here pretty close. As far as how it changes the way we test, there's just a larger sense of urgency because you know you only got five tests. Where you might take a little more time in between runs, you're in and out of the garage a lot quicker now, where you're trying to get as many runs as you can, trying to try as many things as you can. You're doing a lot of things that you may be testing for for other tracks, like Phoenix and other places that are similar to a Richmond. Not only are we testing, you know, basically to get a good idea of what we need for this racetrack here, but we're trying to test to learn what we can learn at other tracks we won't have the opportunity to go to. Quotable - Texas "For sure, 12th is not what we wanted, but with the way the car was handling, we'll take it and we'll run with it."-- Tony Eury Jr., crew chief for the No. 8 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt, Gordon each look for first win of season When it comes to racing at Texas Motor Speedway, there is no driver more popular than Dale Earnhardt Jr. But when it comes to success at the 1.5-mile track, perhaps no one has been disappointed more frequently than four-time NASCAR series champion Jeff Gordon. Both Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon view Sunday's Samsung/RadioShack 500 as a key race entering the Easter break. Earnhardt scored his first career Cup victory at this track in 2000. His proud father, the late Dale Earnhardt, charged into victory lane to celebrate with his son that day. "That's pretty neat, a pretty cool honor," Earnhardt Jr. said. "It was definitely one of my top moments, because it was a wakeup call to the world that the team was officially on the premises. That was a special day. And it was a very special Victory Lane with my dad and all." After failing to qualify for "the Chase for the Championship" last year, Earnhardt Jr. enters Sunday with 824 points, 109 behind leader Jimmie Johnson. "I thought we were going to pull through and get one at Atlanta," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Texas has been one of the better tracks for me. We do run well every time we come here. We seem to be able to get good top-10 finishes in most of the races." Earnhardt Jr. is hoping to notch his first win of the season before the grueling schedule hits the hot summer months. "Anywhere right now would be good to go to and get a win," he said. "This early in the season, to be able to rack up some points like that would be awesome. It absolutely could come here. We came here and tested with Goodyear during the offseason, and I was real happy with how well the car drove." One of NASCAR's all-time greats with 73 career wins and four Cup titles, Gordon has the ability to win anywhere, any time. This is why it is so surprising that he has never won a race at Texas Motor Speedway. "Texas is an important race track for us," Gordon said. "We struggled here last year, and we've been really focused on improving our intermediate track program. I'm actually looking forward to this race not because I think we're going to be great, but because we have things that we're really anxious to try that I believe will help us." Gordon admits it would be a personal conquest for him to win at Texas Motor Speedway after coming close so many times. "We've had pretty much across the board everything that can happen to you - from crashes to being in victory lane and not getting it," Gordon said. "I'm just glad we've got two chances a year now to try to get that. It would mean a lot to me." Gordon believes the fast track is what gets many of the drivers in trouble at this track. Downforce and balance are important to a winning race car that has to navigate across some pretty big bumps. "To me, this is one of the most difficult race tracks to get the car working and get it balanced," Gordon explained. "There's basically one groove, and that's the bottom. ... It takes a lot. This is not an easy place to get around." It's early in the NASCAR season but Earnhardt Jr. showing plenty of grit Everything was set up for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to fail. He was in two separate accidents that heavily damaged his car and ruined his chances of winning at Martinsville Speedway. But instead of shrugging it off as just another bad day at the office, Earnhardt salvaged every minute of track time he had and rallied to a fourth-place finish Sunday. That's the commitment Earnhardt will need if he is ever going to put together a true championship run. "We had to work all day - the hardest I believe we've had to work as a team throughout 500 laps," he said. Those kind of efforts were lacking during his first six seasons, when a mishap on the track would demoralize his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team. They'd patch up the damage and send Junior back out on the track, but more times than not he was just running in circles chasing after a few extra points. And if his car wasn't handling well? Forget it. Neither the driver or the crew seemed capable of focusing long enough or hard enough to correct the problem in time to salvage their day. But this is a whole new season for NASCAR's most popular driver, who built an enormous following despite a spotty resume that boasted little more than dominance at restrictor plate tracks. Of his 16 career victories, seven have come at either Daytona or Talladega. Now Junior seems intent on proving he's not just a celebrity, and he's as good as any other driver on the track. And his team, no longer content to ride on his celebrated coattails, is finally ready to contend for the Nextel Cup title. He missed the show outright last season, failing to make the Chase for the championship while finishing 19th in the final standings. But the run Sunday was the first sign that the No. 8 Chevrolet might really be among the best week in and week out. Just seconds after the green flag fell, Earnhardt was caught in a pack of nonmoving traffic that caused a stack of fender benders. The contact knocked most of his front fender off and left a gaping hole in the back of his car. He had to make several stops on pit road to check the damage. But his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team made all its repairs under caution, preventing Junior from falling off the lead lap. He then worked his way back to the front through the next 249 laps, driving from 40th all the way to fourth - only to see all his hard work erased in a second accident. Ryan Newman pinched Earnhardt into the curbing on the tight track, causing him to slip all the way back to 18th. Despite more damage to his car, he once again drove back into the lead pack and passed Kyle Busch in the final turn to steal his fourth-place finish. When he hopped out of his car, he was ready to celebrate like he'd just won the race. The crowd reacted like he had. "That's really the biggest reward out of the whole deal, is when everybody appreciates what you do," he said. "I don't ever remember getting cheered like that for anything less than a win, so it's neat that they recognized what we went through to get that top five. It was loud - they were chanting, cheering, raising hell." His followers recognize what Earnhardt accomplished at Martinsville - and how far he's come in the past year and a half. He was a legitimate championship contender in 2004, but saw his title hopes crumble at Martinsville when he was plagued with problem after problem during the race and wound up finishing 33rd. And although Earnhardt finished 13th at Martinsville last spring, he left the track 16th in the standings and well on his way to his forgettable season. He fired his crew chief five races later and spent the rest of the year trying desperately to get back on track. His time as an also-ran made him realize just how much he missed his former crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., who is also his cousin. The two were separated at the end of 2004 when they couldn't get along, and it took a season of struggles for Junior to realize he needed Eury back on top of his pit box. They reunited with 10 races to go last year, giving them a head start on this season. Now they head to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend in sixth in the standings - a full 10 spots from where Junior was this time last year - and quietly putting the pieces together for a run at the Nextel Cup title. Earnhardt has got into the top 10 in standings with little fanfare, unusual for a celebrity who is mobbed just about everywhere he goes. But that low-key approach from top to bottom on the team might be the difference in the end. "I think people are finally seeing that we know what we're doing," he said. "We had a hard year last year, but the company has bounced back." Junior, Gordon finish strong after early woes Tony Eury Jr. had the best description for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car on Sunday. "That's a battle wagon out there," the crew chief said to his driver. Missing its right-front fender, the No. 8 Chevy's front tire was exposed to all of Martinsville's elements -- rocks, debris, other drivers' fenders -- but it didn't matter, as Earnhardt overcame two accidents to lock in a fourth-place finish. "Good job today, guys, good work," Earnhardt said to his crew over his radio just after the checkered flag waved on the DirecTV 500. "You guys are awesome." Jeff Gordon was singing the same song about his team and the way it rebounded from an early altercation. Gordon, a seven-time winner at Martinsville and the hot-topic of discussion all week leading up to the race -- for various reasons -- carried a lot of clout entering the speedway. He swept last season's events here, and he'd won four of the last six at the .526-mile short track. But when he cut a tire on Lap 90 going through Turns 3 and 4, glimpses of a third consecutive victory were vanished -- for the time being. The debris brought out the race's third caution. No panic, though. "When my tire blew, that instantly sent a message to me that I need to be a little less aggressive," Gordon said. "It was pretty much my fault. I was racing with Kasey Kahne at the time, and he had a good car. I recognized I was over-driving the car. Then we got tight and boom, it blew." Gordon was conscious enough to duck onto pit road immediately after the problem, balking at the fact that pit road was closed. Good decision. Despite the ensuing penalty from NASCAR because he'd entered pit road as it was closed, he stayed on the lead lap during the caution. "We got lucky," he said. "We got real lucky. When and where it happened, we could've gotten in the wall and we could've gone a lap down." The cut tire didn't do any body damage, and once Gordon got his machine inside the top 10, he didn't fall out of it. By Lap 345, he had sliced his way to fourth, just behind Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. On Lap 483 he caught and loosened Johnson, who'd been dominant all day, to take second. But after the red flag on Lap 493 for Matt Kenseth's crash, Gordon had nothing for Stewart on the final restart and held on for a second-place finish. "I thought, 'We got a shot at this thing,'" he said. "I drove down in [Turn 1] and couldn't hold it. Then I was just trying to hang on." But for Earnhardt, the bad-day-turned-good wasn't that easy. "It drove great all day," Earnhardt said with a laugh. "I couldn't hurt it. We bounced off a lot of things, but it continued to drive straight. "I remember Harry Gant winning a race with a car that sort of looked like that." Earnhardt's trouble started, nearly, at the drop of the green flag. With a lap under their belts and the tightly wound 43-car field barreling two-wide into Turns 1 and 2, too many cars went in, not enough came out. Six cars wadded up in the middle of Turn 2, and Earnhardt's front bumper collected some damage, forcing the crew to cut the entire right-front fender off the car while keeping Earnhardt on the lead lap. The aero-nightmare gave the No. 8 Chevrolet a bump in speed, but the bad dream continued on Lap 316 after he'd worked his way all the way to the fourth position. Ryan Newman was in the second groove, but it appeared he came down heading through Turns 3 and 4. Earnhardt, trying to avoid getting hit, clipped the curb, smacked the inside wall and left a crumpled left-front fender to finish off his car's nose. Damage was minimal at first, although the pit stop dropped him to 18th on the restart. A hundred laps later he was flirting with the top 10. The curb-hopping initially appeared to damage the balance of his car, but as the race progressed, it got better. "This was a fun race, man," Earnhardt said. "We kept on coming back. We knew we were putting on a good show." Junior critical of TV Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't mince words at Martinsville when asked about a curse word that made it onto FOX Sports' broadcast of last weekend's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. "They're spending million of dollars on it on the TV program and they can't even keep that from happening," Earnhardt said. "That is ridiculous. Somebody is a real moron." Two years ago, Earnhardt received monetary and points penalties for saying the same "s-word" in a Victory Lane interview that his Dale Earnhardt Incorporated teammate, crew chief Kevin Manion, let fly on an in-car radio transmission to driver Martin Truex Jr. that was inadvertently broadcast by FOX. "You can air my radio conversations anytime you want but Martin Truex is already out of his racecar when that aired," Earnhardt said. "That's not Martin's fault, obviously. I mean please, everybody has to know that." Earnhardt said that whether or not his radio transmissions are being monitored makes no difference to him. "I don't think about it," Earnhardt said. "When you're on the radio, you're not thinking about your language. If that's the case, I may as well not even take any points any week -- [NASCAR can] just keep my points [and] I'll race for a paycheck. "That is ridiculous. It aired and Martin was already out of his car. It's somebody else's job [to monitor it]." Earnhardt Jr. settling in as owner Now that he's a car owner, too, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he's settling down some, trying to motivate his team and still not mincing words. Earnhardt owns Mark McFarland's team in the Busch Series. "You have to be really aggressive, set the example for the people you work with," Earnhardt said. "It's all about keeping that fire lit under them, keeping them pumped up. ... That is probably the hardest part, to keep them really fired up to do the very best job they can because they don't know just how good they really are. "You really have to dig to help them to bring it out in themselves." Earnhardt also said he thinks it comical that Martin Truex Jr.'s team came under fire last week when someone was heard swearing on television after the race at Bristol. "When you're on the radio, you're not thinking about your language," he said. "If that's the case, I may as well not even take any points any week. Just keep my points and I'll race for a pay check. That is ridiculous." Besides, he said, television should be able to control what is transmitted. "They're spending millions of dollars on the TV program and they can't even keep that from happening? That is ridiculous. Somebody is a real moron," he said. Earnhardt turning it around with little fanfare NASCAR's most popular driver isn't getting much attention these days despite a strong start that has him in the top 10 of the standings. That's weird for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who usually can't do anything without attracting a flock of followers who hang on his every move -- both on and off the track. ``It's considerably more low key that it has been in the past,'' he said. ``The first four years in the series was pretty wide open. Last year sort of took a lot of spotlight off us and put it on some other drivers that were coming into the series. ``In a sense, it's kind of fine with me. But at the same time, you want to be as successful as you can in the sport. We definitely want to get back to our form on the race track. I think everything else will take care of itself.'' Earnhardt will try to race his way back into the spotlight at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he starts 19th in Sunday's race. Qualifying was washed out by rain, so the field was set based on last year's owner's points -- and everyone knows how terrible 2005 was for Earnhardt. He started last year with a new crew, never found any chemistry or rhythm and failed to qualify for the Chase for the championship. He wound up a career-worst 19th in the final standings. But he was reunited with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. -- who is also his cousin -- for the final 10 races of last year and gave his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team a head start on this season. The early preparation has paid off with two top-10 finishes in the first four races, including a third place Monday in Atlanta. ``We're definitely better than we were last year,'' Earnhardt said. But he doesn't really use last year's debacle as a measuring stick, preferring to compare his current progress to the 2004 campaign when he won six races and finished fifth in the final standings. Yet that season was far from perfect, despite the on-track results. He and Eury were at each other's throats most of the year, and were barely even speaking during the season finale. It led to the swapping of crews and a ton of hard feelings between the two. But they slowly patched things up in their time apart, and were eager to be reunited and build the team back up to an annual contender. ``It's really a great feeling, to have put all that nasty stuff that had come between us aside and not see that anywhere around us now,'' Earnhardt said. ``You can kind of tell when you work with people whether that's still going to be a problem. I don't have that feeling at all. ``I've changed and he's changed and it's really a good feeling to be able to get in his race cars.'' When people are getting along, it makes work a lot more pleasant for everyone involved with the race team. That's translated into Earnhardt feeling like he's got a shot at winning every time he goes to the track. ``My cars are better and the way they're better is to me there's a lot more confidence going in to building them,'' he said. ``We're putting cars together now with a lot more confidence in the shop. That just shows in craftsmanship and how good they look when they roll off the trailer. ``I feel a lot more excited about each weekend, each race, about the rest of the season.'' It's not clear if Earnhardt will carry his momentum into Sunday's race. Poor weather limited the Cup teams to just two practice sessions to prepare their cars. Earnhardt was only 25th on the speed chart in the first practice, then dropped to 31st in the second session. But the in-race communication with Eury has improved so much, Earnhardt has no doubt he'll be fine on Sunday. ``In my mind, he's one of the best and will be recognized as one of the best,'' he said. ``When you got people like that, you'll be in good shape.'' Junior Achievement Although far from the newest or fanciest track on the circuit, Bristol Motor Speedway is near and dear to the hearts of drivers, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who swept the Cup and Busch races here in August 2004. “It’s way up there,” Earnhardt said when asked where his sweep here ranked in his career achievements. “What’s cool about winning here is the history of the track. … It’s just an awesome track. There are tracks on the circuit that are important to me and those are the Daytonas, the Atlantas, the Charlottes, the Bristols, the ones that have been there for years and years and years. … It’s still that high-banked half-mile short track where anything can happen. When you win a race (here) you feel like you have successfully navigated a minefield. It’s half elation and excitement and the other half’s relief. We Hear... THAT Dale Earnhardt Jr. is starring with DJ Cassidy in the new Wrangler Jeans ad campaign. Cassidy flew to North Carolina early this week and immediately went to the NASCAR racetrack to meet Earnhardt before the shoot. Georgia just peachy for pair of DEI teammates Atlanta marked a little bit of redemption for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt still feels pain from his tortured finish at Las Vegas, when a late four-tire stop -- coupled with a speeding penalty -- turned a sure top-15 into a 27th-place finish. The finish was maddening because Earnhardt had been decent at Fontana and Las Vegas, places that had previously served as momentum-killers. On Monday, Earnhardt came from the back of the pack twice to finish third, his best run since winning at Chicagoland last July. "We were going to have a top 15 at Vegas I felt, and we had a bad deal there and lost a lot of points," said Earnhardt, who moved to seventh in the points. "We ran all right at California. It is a good feeling to kind of be back where we were in '04." The finish didn't come easily. Earnhardt battled tire wear all day long, even at the end. Looking at the car on pit road after the race, it was evident that his tires were blistering in a short amount of time. "The [tires] gave up, but we were not crashing, just sliding a lot," Earnhardt said. "Guys fell off real bad at the end, I was wrecking loose and I still put two more seconds on the guy behind me with 10 to go." Earnhardt had a tire go down early, knocking him off the lead lap. He got the lap back a short time later, and Earnhardt started running the high line. Earnhardt's Chevrolet was lightning-fast up top, and he picked off 10 cars in the last 50 laps. "They got it handling good, man, I could make some passes," Earnhardt said. "[The high line] just seems to be the line I prefer. You just gain a lot of speed up there." One of the cars Earnhardt passed in the closing laps belonged to teammate Paul Menard, who wound up seventh in his first Nextel Cup start on an oval. DEI was not originally going to bring Menard to Atlanta, but after his team failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, DEI team boss Richie Gilmore elected to field a third car at AMS. Menard stayed out of trouble over the 500 miles, and more importantly, he avoided the tire problems that affected others. Gas was an issue, however. Initial indications had Menard running out of gas with two laps to go, but DEI kept him on the track, and Menard coasted to the finish. "We didn't have much to lose, so we took a gamble there," said Menard, who is expected to drive in seven Nextel Cup events this season. "I was a little nervous. I was lifting early. It all worked out." Menard's No. 15 Chevrolet was remarkably undamaged after the race, and his tires were blister-free. "Paul's car looked awesome and he drove a great race," Earnhardt said. "He's just a real professional with a good attitude, and that will get him some good finishes. He don't make a lot of mistakes, if any." Earnhardt and Gordon making strides It looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon may be back on track after a disappointing 2005. NASCAR's two biggest stars were both missing from the 10-race, playoff-style Chase for the Nextel Cup championship at the end of last year. But both took on new crew chiefs for the final 10 races of 2005 and got some momentum going that has carried into the new season. Earnhardt, the most popular driver in the sport, came through with a season-best third-place finish in Monday's Golden Corral 500, postponed from Sunday by rain. Gordon was right behind Junior at the finish. The results vaulted Gordon from ninth to sixth in the points and moved Earnhardt from 11th to seventh. ``I'm real proud of my guys,'' Earnhardt said, giving credit to chief Tony Eury Jr. and his crew. ``It was just a great effort with them and the car they brought this weekend. It was a lot of hard work. ``I'm just trying to do the best job I can,'' added Junior, who also has finishes of eighth, 11th and 27th this season. ``They gave me some great cars already this year and I'm glad we could get a good run.'' Four-time Cup champion Gordon was also happy after adding another top-five finish to his fifth-place run a week earlier in Las Vegas. ``Back-to-back top fives on 1.5-mile tracks, I'm proud of that,'' Gordon said. ``There were times when we had the best car out there and times when we had a 15th-place car. But we had great pit stops and call making by (crew chief) Steve Letart and the guys in the pits.'' Another NASCAR star, two-time and reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart, also had a good day, taking fifth after running well but finishing badly the last two races. He contended for the win in California but wound up 43rd when his engine broke. In Las Vegas, he was also a contender until he bounced off the wall and damaged his car late in the race, finishing 21st. ``That's how we won a championship last year,'' Stewart said after Monday's run. ``The good thing is that these guys will leave the track today excited about the performance, about how we ran today. They won't be excited about where we finished, but we'll look past that and see the big picture. ``We don't normally run this strong early in the year, so I'm really excited about where we're at right now,'' added, Stewart, who moved from 19th to 12th in the points.< Luck all bad for Junior at Vegas Dale Earnhardt Jr. no longer dreads coming to Las Vegas. At the same time, he is happy that the track soon will undergo a transformation. The track, which plans to add banking immediately after Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, has never been favorable to Earnhardt. That trend continued Friday. Earnhardt had a less-than-stellar practice run of 168.834 mph and followed that up with an abysmal qualifying session. Earnhardt's run of 163.334 mph failed to make time, and he needed the owner points provisional to start 42nd in the 43-car field. "I don't think the racing is all that great the way it is," Earnhardt said of the current Vegas layout. "It's flat. It's hard to get around when it's flat. It has more grooves, which is great, but more banking is more fun for the drivers." Thus, he'll welcome the changes to the track. "It is kind of like going into your living room and just moving your furniture around," Earnhardt said. "Little change of pace. It will be an improvement. Earhardt has famously experienced major struggles at the flat downforce tracks on the Nextel Cup schedule. His 11th-place run at Fontana was celebrated as a moral victory. "We finished in the top 15 last week and that is our goal this week," he said. "If we can do that at these two racetracks, which has been our biggest nemesis, I think we can expect to have a good season and be competitive all year." Fontana and Las Vegas devastated Earnhardt in 2005. He finished 42nd at Las Vegas after he admittedly caused an accident on Lap 12. He left Nevada 27th in points, and he never really recovered. "When you go into California and don't run well, and you go into Vegas and don't run well, it puts a lot of pressure on you," Earnhardt said. Earnhardt -- like everyone else in the garage -- has been forced to watch as Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have dominated NASCAR's downforce tracks. During the winter, DEI had little choice but to work on the spoiler and tire package that gave it fits in 2005. "I think, from what I have seen, we are making some huge gains and making some great ground on these tracks," Earnhardt said. "It makes me excited to go to Atlanta and places where I know we have been great ... my team is in as good a shape as it has ever been. "This is the best opportunity I've had as a driver when it comes to driving good equipment. The team is really capable from top to bottom." Junior, McFarland fly with Navy's Blue Angels Speed is nothing new to a driver in a top-tier NASCAR division. They routinely race at speeds three times the highway limit. However Mark McFarland, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet in the Busch Series, and his team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., have a new perspective on the word. On Feb. 20, the two flew with the Navy's Flight Demonstration Crew, the famous Blue Angels. There they were introduced to speeds in excess of mach 1.2, or 890 mph, and G-forces seven times that of their body weight. "That was unbelievable, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," McFarland said. "I was a little nervous before I went up, but I am ready to go again. What a rush." "That is the roller coaster that they can't build," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I thought we pulled a lot of G's at places like Bristol and Atlanta, but riding with these guys gives you a new perspective. This is a testament to the condition they are in." Lt. Kevin Davis, Blue Angel No. 7, put the two through roughly an hour each of twists, turns and rolls over the mountains that border NAF El Centro, which is the winter home of the Blue Angels. Pensacola, Fla., the Cradle of Naval Aviation, is their home during the "flight season." A "season" can be made up of 35 locations, much like a Busch Series season. The similarities between the Blue Angels and the No. 88 crew do not end there. Not only are the drivers and pilots mirror images of each other, the technical aspects of each team's crew are nearly in direct correlation. A pilot selected to become a Blue Angel is generally regarded as one of the best pilots in the Navy. On any given Saturday some of the best stock car drivers in the world will take the green flag in a Busch Series event. The Blue Angels have their own crew in charge of upkeep and making sure each F/A 18 Hornet is performing at its optimal level. At takeoff there is a mobile "pit crew" that follows the group to the runway in case repairs need to be made in a hurry. A tire can be changed in three minutes on one of the F/A 18's, which when taken into scale is a pretty phenomenal feat. The Navy team provides McFarland with top-notch equipment to compete at the Busch level. Their pit crew routinely knocks off 15 second pit stops to gain McFarland valuable track position. The Blue Angels are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. By comparison, NASCAR is 58-years-old. "The two are a natural fit," said Senior Chief Jeff Priest, Navy Motorsports program coordinator, in regards to NASCAR and the Navy. "We believe the average NASCAR fan can identify with what the Navy represents. In Mark and Dale Jr. we have two guys who personify everything we are looking for in sailors present and future." Downtown Charlotte victorious in race for NASCAR Hall of Fame NASCAR's first Hall of Fame will be built in downtown Charlotte, within miles of the garages and sprawling mansions that make the region an epicentre of the sport. The selection of Charlotte for the site of the $107.5 million US hall ended a yearlong race featuring four other cities. The hall is expected to lure hundreds of thousands of NASCAR fans annually, and officials hope it will open in 2009. "In the end, you look at what's going to be best in the long run," NASCAR chairman Brian France told a crowd of about 1,000 people at the city's convention centre Monday. The remaining finalists were Daytona Beach, Fla., and Atlanta. Richmond, Va., and Kansas City, Kan., were eliminated earlier. "As a guy, I'm disappointed. They decided to marry the girl next door," Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said. "We had a lot to offer. It could have been a great marriage." Robin Braig, president of Daytona International Speedway, added: "It would've been a great show for us, but we'll rebound from it." Sports marketing experts have described the hall as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to spur tourism among NASCAR's famously loyal fan base. Charlotte's proximity to the heart of the sport was cited repeatedly by supporters. Lowe's Motor Speedway in suburban Concord is home to the longest race on the Nextel Cup circuit, the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600, and has long hosted NASCAR's annual all-star race. Nearly all the top race teams are headquartered in the communities north of the city, and many top drivers own luxury condominiums in downtown Charlotte or palatial homes on nearby Lake Norman. Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the most popular drivers, lives nearby and has said Charlotte should get the hall. In billboards and bumper stickers distributed as part of the city's campaign for the hall, officials boasted, "Racing was built here. Racing belongs here" and "We Eat, Sleep & Breathe Racing." Felix Sabates, who with fellow team owner Rick Hendrick helped spearhead Charlotte's campaign, said the deal was completed Friday. Officials were expected to take the package to the city council for approval at a Monday evening meeting. Charlotte touted its proposal with architectural drawings by I.M. Pei, noted designer of the famous pyramid addition to the Louvre in Paris and the east wing of Washington's National Gallery. Those drawings are dominated by a banked curve that encircles the building, evoking the shape of a speedway. From one corner of the building, a latticework tower emblazoned with the NASCAR logo rises, reminiscent of the towers that display race standings from the infield of most speedways. Under NASCAR's deal with Charlotte, ground is to be broken by the spring of 2007, with opening scheduled for no later than March 31, 2010. The hall is to be owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its convention and visitors bureau under a contract with NASCAR that runs into 2038. In return, the city is to pay unspecified royalties to NASCAR, plus between five and 10 per cent of various revenue streams. Royalty payments will be deferred if the hall doesn't make a profit. The deal also gives NASCAR a six-month option to commit to building a 300,000-square-foot office building as part of the Hall of Fame development, under a 99-year lease that would cost NASCAR $1 a year. The project also is to include a new $43 million ballroom for the adjacent Charlotte Convention Center. Rare restrictor-plate mistake costs Junior Dale Earnhardt Jr. is considered by many one of the best restrictor-plate drivers, if not the best, in the Nextel Cup Series because of his ability to handle the draft. On Sunday, he made a mistake that likely cost him his second Daytona 500 victory in three years. The mistake came with less than 20 laps remaining Earnhardt allowed himself to get hung out on the high side and fall out of the draft. Earnhardt slipped from a top-10 spot to 21st, which he nearly overcame before settling for eighth place. He immediately apologized to his crew over his car radio for the mistake after leading a race-high 32 laps. Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said no apology was needed. "He didn't make any mistakes,'' he said. "He got in the wrong line one time, that's all. To get from 21st to almost the front, he was putting on quite a show out there.'' Richie Gilmore, the director of motorsports at Dale Earnhardt Inc., agreed. "To come from where he did, that shows how talented he is,'' he said. "He made some great moves.'' Earnhardt was fifth on the green-white-checkered restart, and appeared ready to make one last run. But he pulled out of draft on the low side again and fell back to eighth when nobody pulled out with him. "I knew nobody would go with me on the outside, but it was the only chance we had to win, so I decided to go for it,'' Earnhardt said. "I'm not here to run fifth or eighth. I can live with myself knowing I at least tried to win rather than stay in line.'' Earnhardt fought a push most of the day, but he never fell far from the lead until his "mistake.'' His average position was fifth. "The motor is like an old man,'' Earnhardt said over his car radio late. "It will wake up and run for a while, then fall back asleep.'' Eury said power was an issue that DEI normally doesn't have on restrictor-plate tracks. "We've got to go back to the shop and get in the wind tunnel and find out what the problem is before we go to Talladega,'' he said, referring to the next restrictor-plate race. "We'll do that and be all right.' NASCAR's new statistics package showed Earnhardt had a better day than most. He finished with a driver rating of 103.5, third only to winner Jimmie Johnson (118.4) and third-place finisher Ryan Newman (114.2). His problem came late in runs, where he ranked 25th in speed during the final 25 percent of the run. Everything else was fine. "Just awesome pit stops,'' Earnhardt said. "We had a great race car. I don't know what happened on the front straightaway [of the last lap]. We passed a bunch of cars while they were beating on each other. "They rule me eighth, so I'll take it and go to California.'' Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets another top-10 finish at Daytona 500 Dale Earnhardt Jr. stared at the scoreboard, saw his No. 8 car listed in fifth place and knew there was an error. There was no way he had a top-five finish. Not with an ill-handling car. Not with an inconsistent engine. Not with increasingly cool weather that made it nearly impossible to pass. The standings were eventually changed, and Junior felt fortunate to finish eighth in the Daytona 500 on Sunday - five years after his father's death on the final lap of the same race. Earnhardt led seven different times for a race-high 32 laps despite all the problems - a strong testament to his mastery on the 2 1/2-mile superspeedway. "It's been a long week," said Earnhardt, whose car didn't feel right in the exhibition race, the qualifying race or in six practice sessions. "We're just happy to come out of here (without wrecking). A lot of guys weren't so fortunate. We're happy with a top 10." Jimmie Johnson won his first Daytona 500, followed by Casey Mears, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler and defending Nextel Cup Series champ Tony Stewart. Earnhardt wasn't far behind, not too surprising considering his recent run at NASCAR's most famous track. He now has 23 top-10 finishes in 26 races at Daytona International Speedway since his father's death Feb. 18, 2001. Earnhardt reiterated last week that it was still difficult being the son of The Intimidator. Everywhere he goes he gets mobbed. Everything he says makes headlines. Everything he does gets scrutinized, analyzed and sometimes criticized. He didn't want any memorials to his father this week, saying those things needed to be saved at least until the 10-year mark, maybe longer. Instead, he wanted the focus to be on turning around his disappointing 2005 season. Earnhardt finished 19th in the series standings last year, winning only one race. He switched crew chiefs, returning to his cousin Tony Eury Jr. in hopes of getting into the Chase for the championship. "This was a good start for our team," Earnhardt said. Especially given the circumstances. He said the car didn't want to turn in the corners and that the engine faded in and out. "The motor's like an old man - it'll get up, run for a while and then fall back asleep," he said. He also said the cool weather - temperatures dipped into the mid-50s, with 10 mph winds making it feel much less mild - made it tough to pass on the outside, a move he has used with success numerous times at Daytona. Earnhardt climbed out of his race car after 203 laps, walked around it a couple times and surveyed the damage. It was minimal. He hopes to get through the rest of the season the same way, but closer to the front. He predicted six or seven victories and being third in the points when the Chase begins in mid-September. "We weren't the strongest one out there, but this is just one race," he said. Junior declines beer bet against Busch Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving a blue Miller Lite Dodge? Kurt Busch in a red Budweiser Chevrolet? Don't laugh. It could have happened. Busch's Miller Lite sponsor extended a bet to Earnhardt's Budweiser team Friday, offering a friendly wager on the outcome of this season's Nextel Cup series standings. ``This is joke, right? I'm focused on the season and winning races, so I'm not interested in a stunt like this,'' Junior said. ``I'm the Bud guy and this deal is something dreamed up by the guys in Milwaukee to create something out of nothing.'' Miller's chief marketing officer Tom Long sent a letter to Anheuser-Busch vice president of brand management Marlene Coulis, proposing a deal in which the driver who finished lower in the points race in 2006 would drive the other car's paint scheme in a 2007 race. Two Budweiser cars at Martinsville? Two Miller Lite entries at New Hampshire? Earnhardt and Busch in a season-long battle that could be comparable to racing for pink slips? Busch, the 2004 series champion, was in favor of the deal from the start, saying it would create more excitement and give his entire team more incentive to win. As intriguing as the thought might be, it won't happen -- at least not this year. Earnhardt and Anheuser-Busch declined the beer bet without much debate. Miller challenges Bud: Busch vs. Earnhardt Jr. Miller Brewing Company is kicking off a new era in its 35-year history of motorsports sponsorship by boldly declaring its confidence in Kurt Busch's ability to drive the No. 2 Dodge to Victory Lane. Miller's chief marketing officer Tom Long on Friday sent a letter to Anheuser-Busch vice president of brand management Marlene Coulis, betting the beer-market leader that Miller Lite driver Kurt Busch will finish ahead of Budweiser driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final 2006 Nextel Cup Series point standings. The terms of the friendly wager: The losing sponsor must change the paint scheme on its car to match the winning brand's car for one Nextel Cup Series points-paying race next year. Budweiser has until the start of Sunday's season-opening race to accept the Miller challenge. "We chose Kurt to drive the Miller Lite car because he thrives on competition and has an unrelenting will to win," Long said. "Healthy, fun-spirited competition is the essence of sport and of business; and the Miller versus Bud battle is one great example of this. We both have a great tradition in the sport, and a little added public competition will be fun for everyone, especially the winner." The winner of NASCAR's inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup championship in 2004, Kurt is looking forward to taking the checkered flag early and often in his first season behind the wheel of the No. 2 Dodge. "This challenge is great for our sport because it will create even more excitement throughout the season for fans of both teams, and I know it will give me and my team added incentive to win," Kurt said. "I hope the guys in St. Louis accept the challenge because everybody loves a spirited rivalry. Whether it's Miller and A-B, or Junior and me, we're going to give the fans something to holler about this season." Dale Earnhardt Jr. eBay Charity Auction To Benefit Make-A-Wish Three-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. has announced the start of an eBay fund-raising project, with all proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western North Carolina. The Dale Earnhardt Jr. eBay Charity Auction will give fans the chance to bid on uniforms, sheet metal, and other personal memorabilia. The first items in the auction, which ends Feb. 21 at 10 p.m. EST, will award the highest bidders Earnhardt Jr.’s firesuit and helmet worn during a 2005 commercial shoot for FOX Network. Fans can log on to www.ebay.com/dalejr for a chance to bid on the items, or to obtain more information about the Dale Earnhardt Jr. eBay Charity Auction. Fans can also stay tuned to SPEED throughout the week for more details and a live look at the items during special on air promotions. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children who suffer from life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with Hope, Strength and Joy. Since joining as a full-time NASCAR Nextel Cup driver in 2000, Earnhardt has met over 100 kids through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more information regarding donations and the online auction, please log onto: www.ebay.com/dalejr Junior: We'll have six or seven wins before Chase Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't look like a driver that failed to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup last season judging by his big smile when he walked into the tent outside of Daytona International Speedway. He didn't sound like one, either. "We're going to come into the Chase and be in the top three in points,'' he said during Thursday's media day. "We'll have six or seven wins, if not more. If we lose the championship it won't be by much.'' The son of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt didn't stop there, adding he would have won the Daytona 500 last season had he "made a certain move'' and predicting he would win next Sunday's 500. "I got the car to beat over there in the garage,'' Earnhardt said. "It's the fastest car. It won't run fast in qualifying, but that's the way we build it. We build it to race good and a lot of guys build their cars to go fast in straight line. "And that's not how you win.'' Needless to say, Earnhardt is confident as he begins his seventh full season in Cup. Some of it has to do with re-uniting with crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who worked for former Dale Earnhardt Inc., teammate Michael Waltrip last season. Some of it has to do with other hires at DEI that Earnhardt believes strengthened the company. But seven wins before the chase? That would be six more than last season when Earnhardt struggled to a 19th place finish in points and the combined total of Earnhardt's wins the past two seasons. "The company is really hungry as a whole,'' Earnhardt said. "The company has shown a lot of fire, a lot of promise. We've got guys that we're really excited about coming to work for us.'' Earnhardt seemed almost embarrassed talking about his plan to finish his career driving for Richard Childress in the black No. 3 car that has been parked since his father was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500 five years ago. He said he wanted to win a championship in the No. 8 car for his sponsor, Budweiser, with Eury Jr. before considering a move to the 3. "I could do it now, but that would be kind of a phony tribute if we did it now,'' he said. "It just wouldn't feel right. It's something we can do whenever we want. I've got to think about my career future right now. I can't be fooling around with tributes and feel good stories all the time. We've got to get down to business and race. "When that opportunity comes, we'll do that. Plus, I don't think a lot of people are ready for it. It's not even an option.'' Earnhardt said he's dedicated more to his team this season than ever. "To go in this year and show them I'm in the trench and we're going to do this together, every minute, mile to mile, that'll be more productive for the company than for me to stand there and say, 'All right man. Y'all keep it tight now. I want to win,' '' he said. "I want everybody in the company to feel I'm dedicated. ... If the guy in the engine shop thinks I'm going to drive somewhere else if something doesn't work out, that ain't good.'' Earnhardt is so dedicated to DEI that he wants to one day run the company that his stepmother, Teresa, runs. "I'd love to take over DEI,'' he said. "Me and Teresa will talk about that when the time comes. We'll talk about that before the time comes, but that's not in the near future.'' The near future doesn't go past the first few races. "I want to get off on a fast start because I want to prove not only this to the fans, but to everybody, that this team I strong,'' he said. "I looked at my racecars and they're better looking than I've ever seen. "I never really felt that way before about a racecar, but I saw them just before they were getting loaded up and I couldn't believe how they looked.'' Stewart's title defense, Gordon and Earnhardt among things to watch Tony Stewart marked his time off by flipping a sprint car during a race, visiting the White House and battling a winter cold. It was hardly the restful, relaxing offseason he had in mind. Now, a mere two months after winning his second Nextel Cup championship, Stewart heads to Daytona International Speedway to begin his title defense. The 2006 season revs up Saturday night with the made-for-TV Budweiser Shootout, followed by the Feb. 19 Daytona 500. Although he's had little time to catch his breath, Stewart is ready to race again. "It's a nice feeling starting the season knowing we're the defending champions," he said. "With that, I mean, it starts the year off right for our team. Everybody is positive and having fun. "We're not going to reinvent the wheel this year. We're just going to keep doing what we've been doing all along." For Stewart and some others, that philosophy may very well translate into another successful year. But for Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the 2005 also-rans, the new season marks a fresh start in the race to make the Chase for the championship. Both Gordon and Earnhardt, NASCAR's two biggest stars, failed to make the field last year and were forced to watch the championship battle from afar. Each driver used their time out of contention to get a jump on 2006. Gordon replaced veteran crew chief Robbie Loomis with newcomer Steve Letarte for the final 10 races of last year, while Earnhardt reunited with Tony Eury Jr. Now both believe they head into the new year well prepared to turn their past troubles around. "Our goal this year is to just come out of the box, be better in our performance, put ourselves into those positions to have good luck and good things happen for us," Gordon said. "Chemistry with the team is obviously really important. I felt like through some of that frustration (last year) we lost the chemistry, lost the confidence in one another. "I know I lost confidence in what I was doing out there. It's just about building that back." Their progress is just one of the many story lines in NASCAR this season. The sanctioning body will be keeping a close eye on its new testing limits, which only allows teams to practice at six specific sanctioned facilities. Teams used to be able to test at seven tracks of their choice. A new tire leasing program will also be implemented, preventing teams from stockpiling unused Goodyears. The new policy calls for Goodyear to distribute tires prior to the start of each NASCAR test session and sanctioned event, and all unused tires will be collected. NASCAR will also spend the year readying itself for Toyota's entry into Cup racing in 2007. The Japanese automaker is expected to pursue some top-level drivers, and undoubtedly will have Kevin Harvick on the top of the list unless car owner Richard Childress can sign him to a long-term extension before he becomes a free agent. And teams will be forced to focus on the Car of Tomorrow, a NASCAR-designed chassis that will begin racing on a limited basis in 2007. The on-track competition will center on Roush Racing, which placed all five of its cars in the Chase last season. It will be difficult to repeat, but it's hard to figure who might falter this year. Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards were stout all season long, and Mark Martin will try to mark his final season (for real this time!) with a championship. Matt Kenseth is a proven winner and Jamie McMurray will be stepping into a strong ride as Kurt Busch's replacement. Busch, meanwhile, will be trying to reverse one of the biggest tumbles from the top in NASCAR history. He won the title two seasons ago, then spent much of last year finagling his way out of his Roush deal so he could replace Rusty Wallace at Penske Racing. His release finally secured, the Roush camp kicked him to the curb with two races left in the season after he had an altercation with Phoenix police. Busch, one of the least popular drivers on the tour, will now try to rebuild himself in the No. 2 Dodge _ one of the most recognizable cars in NASCAR. "It still feels strange for many different reasons _ I kind of feel a little like Rusty Wallace," Busch said. "I think of it more as just carrying on his legacy, the good times he's had, the championship, all the race wins." Bobby Labonte will be looking to reclaim some of the glory of his earlier years. The 2000 Cup champion has struggled since that season, hasn't won in 72 races and was 24th in points last year. He split with Joe Gibbs Racing to drive for underwhelming Petty Enterprises _ but in the famed No. 43 Dodge. He'll be working with Loomis, who won a championship with Gordon, and veteran crew chief Todd Parrott, who earned a title with Dale Jarrett, in an effort to jumpstart his career. Meanwhile, his brother, Terry, will end a 29-year career at the end of 2006. The two-time series champion will run a limited schedule this year, starting with the first five races of the season in the cockpit of NASCAR's newest team. Terry Labonte will be a part-time driver for Hall of Fame Racing, the team owned by former NFL quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. He'll drive seven in all for the upstart team, give way to Tony Raines for the rest of the season, and finish his career out with 10 races for Hendrick Motorsports. He's not sure what his final event, the Nov. 5 race at Texas Motor Speedway, will be like. "I haven't given it a lot of thought, what it will feel like that final race," he said. "Last year was a little adjustment, but I really enjoyed the limited deal. It was nice to sit back and not go to every race. I'm not sure what it's going to feel like to not go to any races at all." Schrader draws pole for Bud Shootout Ken Schrader will lead a field of 21 drivers to the green flag in the 28th running of the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway (8 p.m. ET Saturday on TNT). Schrader, who is entering his 22nd full season of Cup competition, was one of two drivers remaining to draw his respective starting position Thursday night at the Budweiser Shootout Qualifying Draw Party when he pulled the No. 1 spot. Saturday will be Schrader's first race in the famous No. 21 Wood Bros. car. He replaced Ricky Rudd, who stepped away from racing at the end of the 2005 season. SPEED will broadcast the Draw Party on NASCAR Live at 5 p.m. Friday, between the first and second practice sessions. Schrader is a two-time champion in the annual preseason event that features Bud pole winners from the previous season as well as past champions of the event. He won the race in 1989 -- from the pole -- and in 1990. Jimmie Johnson, the 2005 Shootout champion, will start on the outside poll. Starting lineup for the Budweiser Shootout Pos. Driver Pos. Driver 1. Ken Schrader 12. Bill Elliott 2. Jimmie Johnson 13. Mark Martin 3. Tony Stewart 14. Kyle Busch 4. Joe Nemechek 15. Denny Hamlin 5. Kasey Kahne 16. Matt Kenseth 6. Elliott Sadler 17. Jamie McMurray 7. Ryan Newman 18. Kevin Harvick 8. Scott Riggs 19. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 9. Dale Jarrett 20. Brian Vickers 10. Jeff Gordon 21. Michael Waltrip 11. Carl Edwards Speedweeks Schedule Broadcast Date Time Event Speed 02|10|06 4 p.m. Budweiser Shootout practice Speed 02|10|06 6:30 p.m. Budweiser Shootout final practice Speed 02|11|06 10:30 a.m. Daytona 500 practice Speed 02|11|06 1:30 p.m. Daytona 500 practice MRN 02|11|06 7:15 p.m. Budweiser Shootout TNT 02|11|06 8:30 p.m. Budweiser Shootout NBC 02|12|06 Noon Daytona 500 qualifying Speed 02|15|06 Noon Daytona 500 practice Speed 02|15|06 2 p.m. Daytona 500 practice Speed 02|15|06 3 p.m. Hershey's Kissables 300 practice Speed 02|15|06 4 p.m. Truck Series 250 practice Speed 02|16|06 9 a.m. Truck Series 250 rookie practice Speed 02|16|06 9:30 a.m. Truck Series 250 final practice Speed 02|16|06 11 a.m. Hershey's Kissables 300 rookie practice Speed 02|16|06 11:30 a.m. Hershey's Kissables 300 final practice MRN 02|16|06 1 p.m. Gatorade Duels at Daytona TNT 02|16|06 2 p.m. Gatorade Duel at Daytona, Race 1 TNT 02|16|06 TBD Gatorade Duel at Daytona, Race 2 Speed 02|16|06 6:30 p.m. Truck Series 250 qualifying Speed 02|17|06 1:30 p.m. Daytona 500 practice Speed 02|17|06 3 p.m. Hershey's Kissables 300 qualifying Speed 02|17|06 8 p.m. Truck Series 250 MRN 02|17|06 8 p.m. Truck Series 250 02|18|06 10:30 a.m. Daytona 500 final practice MRN 02|18|06 12:30 p.m. Hershey's Kissables 300 TNT 02|18|06 1 p.m. Hershey's Kissables 300 MRN 02|19|06 1 p.m. Daytona 500 NBC 02|19|06 1:30 p.m. Daytona 500 TNT 02|20|06 2 a.m. Daytona 500 Encore Bud Shootout Lineup Format: The 70-lap event is divided into two segments: 20 laps followed by a 10-minute break, then 50 laps. (Teams are allowed to make changes to the car during the break.) Eligible drivers: Bud pole winners during the previous season, and past Bud Shootout winners. On TV: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT 2005 Bud Pole Winners Car Driver Pole 88 Dale Jarrett Daytona 5 Kyle Busch California 12 Ryan Newman Las Vegas, Atlanta (2), Texas (2), Charlotte, Michigan, Dover 38 Elliott Sadler Bristol, Indianapolis, Talladega, Charlotte 10 Scott Riggs Martinsville 24 Jeff Gordon Phoenix, Sonoma 29 Kevin Harvick Talladega, Richmond 9 Kasey Kahne Darlington, Richmond 55 Michael Waltrip Pocono 20 Tony Stewart Daytona, NHIS, Martinsville 48 Jimmie Johnson Chicago 25 Brian Vickers Loudon 26 Jamie McMurray Pocono 01 Joe Nemechek Michigan 17 Matt Kenseth Bristol, Kansas 99 Carl Edwards California, Homestead 11 Denny Hamlin Phoenix Qualifying was rained out at Dover and Watkins Glen Eligible Past Budweiser Shootout Winners Car Driver Year 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2003 6 Mark Martin 1999 21 Ken Schrader 1989, 1990 36 Bill Elliott 1987 96 Terry Labonte 1985 Tickets for Speedweeks events are on sale now Wednesday Morning Test Speeds - Las Vegas Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 99a Carl Edwards 170.778 2 9a Kasey Kahne 170.374 3 2b Kurt Busch 169.353 4 12a Ryan Newman 169.099 5 17a Matt Kenseth 169.056 6 42b Casey Mears 168.898 7 16b Greg Biffle 168.655 8 01b Joe Nemechek 168.629 9 17b Matt Kenseth 168.602 10 16a Greg Biffle 168.560 11 10a Scott Riggs 168.466 12 12b Ryan Newman 168.287 13 48b Jimmie Johnson 168.140 14 99b Carl Edwards 168.104 15 07 Clint Bowyer 168.041 16 01a Joe Nemechek 167.884 17 14a Sterling Marlin 167.853 18 25b Brian Vickers 167.806 19 11 Denny Hamlin 167.770 20 21a Ken Schrader 167.712 21 18 J.J. Yeley 167.712 22 5b Kyle Busch 167.650 23 18a J.J. Yeley 167.520 24 20a Tony Stewart 167.297 25 20b Tony Stewart 167.234 26 48a Jimmie Johnson 167.198 27 51b Mike Garvey 167.146 28 24b Jeff Gordon 167.095 29 07a Clint Bowyer 167.007 30 22a Dave Blaney 166.997 31 42a Casey Mears 166.960 32 45b Kyle Petty 166.821 33 96a Terry Labonte 166.528 34 10b Scott Riggs 166.425 35 24a Jeff Gordon 166.266 36 03 Todd Bodine 166.261 37 22b Dave Blaney 166.205 38 25a Brian Vickers 166.093 39 19b Jeremy Mayfield 166.077 40 14b Sterling Marlin 165.955 41 5a Kyle Busch 165.756 42 19a Jeremy Mayfield 165.391 43 43a Bobby Labonte 164.865 44 45a Kyle Petty 164.830 45 21b Ken Schrader 163.974 46 32a Travis Kvapil 163.780 47 50b Larry Foyt 161.324 48 32b Travis Kvapil 159.626 Tuesday Afternoon Test Speeds - Las Vegas Pos. No. Driver Speed 1. 38a Elliott Sadler 168.429 2. 07 Clint Bowyer 167.796 3. 6b Mark Martin 167.749 4. 66 Jeff Green 167.738 5. 31x Jeff Burton 167.431 6. 18 J.J. Yeley 167.385 7. 88b Dale Jarrett 167.291 8. 88a Dale Jarrett 167.286 9. 4a Scott Wimmer 167.245 10. 20b Tony Stewart 167.234 11. 6a Mark Martin 167.224 12. 11 Denny Hamlin 167.141 13. 66h Jeff Green 167.084 14. 20a Tony Stewart 166.945 15. 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 166.919 16. 41a Reed Sorenson 166.502 17. 78a Kenny Wallace 166.430 18. 29a Kevin Harvick 166.430 19. 26a Jamie McMurray 166.369 20. 38b Elliott Sadler 166.277 21. 61 Kevin Lepage 166.241 22. 18a J.J. Yeley 166.215 23. 41 Reed Sorenson 166.011 24. 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 165.996 25. 7a Robby Gordon 165.980 26. 26b Jamie McMurray 165.965 27. 4 Scott Wimmer 165.538 28. 1a Martin Truex Jr. 165.396 29. 40x David Stremme 165.213 30. 49b Brent Sherman 165.011 31. 07a Clint Bowyer 164.936 32. 40 David Stremme 164.454 33. 04 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 164.404 34. 55a Michael Waltrip 164.144 35. 11x Denny Hamlin 163.969 36. 92a Chad Chaffin 163.944 37. 1b Martin Truex Jr. 163.211 38. 00 Hermie Sadler 163.039 39. 7 Robby Gordon 162.470 40. 55b Michael Waltrip 162.002 41. 49b Brent Sherman 160.152 Tuesday Morning Test Speeds - Las Vegas Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 26b Jamie McMurray 169.316 2 26a Jamie McMurray 168.924 3 2a Kurt Busch 168.903 4 6a Mark Martin 168.518 5 17b Matt Kenseth 168.513 6 31x Jeff Burton 168.503 7 2b Kurt Busch 168.382 8 66 Jeff Green 168.313 9 38a Elliott Sadler 168.130 10 17a Matt Kenseth 167.921 11 66h Jeff Green 167.905 12 9a Kasey Kahne 167.884 13 41 Reed Sorenson 167.863 14 6b Mark Martin 167.832 15 29 Kevin Harvick 167.686 16 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 167.525 17 12b Ryan Newman 167.499 18 78a Kenny Wallace 167.411 19 99a Carl Edwards 167.400 20 16b Greg Biffle 167.354 21 88b Dale Jarrett 167.312 22 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 167.245 23 5a Kyle Busch 167.229 24 12a Ryan Newman 167.146 25 9b Kasey Kahne 167.131 26 48a Jimmie Johnson 167.115 27 01b Joe Nemechek 167.074 28 04 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 167.022 29 16a Greg Biffle 167.022 30 41a Reed Sorenson 167.012 31 5b Kyle Busch 167.002 32 24b Jeff Gordon 166.966 33 99b Carl Edwards 166.898 34 29a Kevin Harvick 166.878 35 4 Scott Wimmer 166.806 36 24a Jeff Gordon 166.754 37 01a Joe Nemechek 166.728 38 25b Brian Vickers 166.636 39 42a Casey Mears 166.600 40 7a Robby Gordon 166.579 41 38b Elliott Sadler 166.497 42 22a Dave Blaney 166.379 43 88a Dale Jarrett 166.369 44 10a Scott Riggs 166.329 45 48b Jimmie Johnson 166.323 46 21a Ken Schrader 166.312 47 14a Sterling Marlin 166.256 48 40 David Stremme 166.200 49 25a Brian Vickers 165.975 50 14b Sterling Marlin 165.914 51 22b Dave Blaney 165.888 52 19b Jeremy Mayfield 165.832 53 10b Scott Riggs 165.766 54 43a Bobby Labonte 165.695 55 4a Scott Wimmer 165.548 56 32a Travis Kvapil 165.294 57 19a Jeremy Mayfield 165.234 58 42b Casey Mears 165.229 59 51a Mike Garvey 165.122 60 1a Martin Truex Jr. 165.097 61 96a Terry Labonte 164.765 62 50a Larry Foyt 164.694 63 45a Kyle Petty 164.419 64 45b Kyle Petty 164.414 65 61 Kevin Lepage 163.765 66 32b Travis Kvapil 163.736 67 1b Martin Truex Jr. 163.681 68 55b Michael Waltrip 163.651 69 96b Terry Labonte 163.587 70 55a Michael Waltrip 163.542 71 31 Jeff Burton 163.508 72 49b Brent Sherman 163.493 73 03 Todd Bodine 162.592 74 00 Hermie Sadler 162.421 75 49a Brent Sherman 162.294 76 92a Chad Chaffin 160.595 Juniors Earnhardt, Truex set to lean on each other Familiarity as co-workers could be the competitive key for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. in 2006. Both operate under the Dale Earnhardt Inc. banner, but Truex joins Earnhardt Jr., in the Nextel Cup Series this season. He'll compete for rookie of the year honors after winning two consecutive Busch Series titles for DEI, and as Truex's mentor-turned-teammate, Earnhardt isn't concerned about rookie pitfalls. "The toughest challenge for Martin will be the schedule," Earnhardt said Monday at preseason testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway," and he's pretty aware of the racing part of it. He's been racing all his life." Both drivers display similarities many observers say may foreshadow breakout seasons. Both Truex and Earnhardt were introduced to their sport by their fathers. Both are low-key, sometimes soft-spoken, with wry senses of humor. "Nothing's been that hard yet, but it's about to get a whole lot harder," Truex said of the approaching season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 19. And while his Cup indoctrination promises some learning curves, he knows exactly where to go for clarification. "Me and Junior are good friends," Truex said. "He's been a great friend and someone I go to for advice, and not just the stuff on the race track." "Off the race track, I talk to Martin and see if he's having some of the same issues I'm having," Earnhardt said. "If they've got their car figured out, I might take that back to [crew chief] Tony [Eury] Jr." Earnhardt says both DEI teams are working well together -- both drivers along with Eury Jr., and Truex's crew chief, Kevin "Bono" Manion. Monday morning's session proved a work-in-progress for both drivers -- Earnhardt in a quest to rebound from last season's disappointing 19th-place finish, and Truex in his quest to adjust to the Cup Series. "Being here [Monday] has been really good so far," Truex said. "Coming here, you get the rust knocked off. We're just trying to get our cars prepared the best we can." Jeff Green posted the fastest time in Monday's morning session, 170.068 mph and 31.752 seconds in the No. 66 Chevrolet. Elliott Sadler posted the second-fastest time of 169.428 mph and 31.872 seconds in the No. 38 Ford. Monday afternoon speeds 1. 38a Elliott Sadler 168.429 2. 07 Clint Bowyer 167.796 3. 6b Mark Martin 167.749 4. 66 Jeff Green 167.738 5. 31x Jeff Burton 167.431 6. 18 J.J. Yeley 167.385 7. 88b Dale Jarrett 167.291 8. 88a Dale Jarrett 167.286 9. 4a Scott Wimmer 167.245 10. 20b Tony Stewart 167.234 11. 6a Mark Martin 167.224 12. 11 Denny Hamlin 167.141 13. 66h Jeff Green 167.084 14. 20a Tony Stewart 166.945 15. 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 166.919 16. 41a Reed Sorenson 166.502 17. 78a Kenny Wallace 166.430 18. 29a Kevin Harvick 166.430 19. 26a Jamie McMurray 166.369 20. 38b Elliott Sadler 166.277 21. 61 Kevin Lepage 166.241 22. 18a J.J. Yeley 166.215 23. 41 Reed Sorenson 166.011 24. 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 165.996 25. 7a Robby Gordon 165.980 26. 26b Jamie McMurray 165.965 27. 4 Scott Wimmer 165.538 28. 1a Martin Truex Jr. 165.396 29. 40x David Stremme 165.213 30. 49b Brent Sherman 165.011 31. 07a Clint Bowyer 164.936 32. 40 David Stremme 164.454 33. 04 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 164.404 34. 55a Michael Waltrip 164.144 35. 11x Denny Hamlin 163.969 36. 92a Chad Chaffin 163.944 37. 1b Martin Truex Jr. 163.211 38. 00 Hermie Sadler 163.039 39. 7 Robby Gordon 162.470 40. 55b Michael Waltrip 162.002 41. 49b Brent Sherman 160.152 Monday morning speeds 1. 66 Jeff Green 170.068 2. 38a Elliott Sadler 169.428 3. 6b Mark Martin 169.369 4. 6a Mark Martin 169.311 5. 31x Jeff Burton 169.083 6. 31 Jeff Burton 168.713 7. 29a Kevin Harvick 168.592 8. 66h Jeff Green 168.545 9. 38b Elliott Sadler 168.387 10. 29 Kevin Harvick 168.361 11. 7a Robby Gordon 168.224 12. 88a Dale Jarrett 168.130 13. 88b Dale Jarrett 168.088 14. 07 Clint Bowyer 168.046 15. 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 167.593 16. 26b Jamie McMurray 167.520 17. 20a Tony Stewart 167.250 18. 41 Reed Sorenson 167.219 19. 18 J.J. Yeley 166.847 20. 1a Martin Truex Jr. 166.795 21. 26a Jamie McMurray 166.775 22. 07a Clint Bowyer 166.610 23. 7 Robby Gordon 166.595 24. 40x David Stremme 166.507 25. 4a Scott Wimmer 166.487 26. 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 166.246 27. 04 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 165.960 28. 11x Denny Hamlin 165.761 29. 1b Martin Truex Jr. 165.751 30. 41a Reed Sorenson 165.578 31. 11 Denny Hamlin 165.573 32. 92a Chad Chaffin 165.254 33. 40 David Stremme 165.249 34. 4 Scott Wimmer 164.559 35. 78a Kenny Wallace 164.494 36. 61 Kevin Lepage 163.934 37. 55a Michael Waltrip 163.770 38. 00 Hermie Sadler 163.716 39. 55b Michael Waltrip 161.483 40. 49a Brent Sherman 160.901 41. 49b Brent Sherman 160.152 Jr.: I expect to drive the 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants to drive the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress. Expects to, even. It has been discussed. "I really think that'll happen," Earnhardt said, leaned back easily in a folding chair on the JR Motorsports shop floor. "I've informally talked to Richard, just so he knew I wanted to do that." Easy, Junior Nation, easy... Before you run off and make the 6.7 commercial reality -- "HE CHANGED HIS NUMBERRRR!!" -- relax. Take a deep breath. It'll be a while. "I'll drive the No. 3 car toward the end of my career if I've done what I wanted to do at DEI, and that's win championships and win races," Earnhardt said. "And I'll stick around as long as it takes to do it." Earnhardt's devotion to Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has never been stronger. The want to see his father's vision through to fruition has fostered a new, sharper focus. That wasn't the case six months ago. A tumultuous 2005 season ignited a firestorm of speculation about Earnhardt's commitment to DEI. Word was he wanted out, was seeking the quickest avenue to a new racing home. But a reunion with Tony Eury Jr., and the renewed mutual respect a year apart forged, along with Martin Truex Jr.'s elevation to the Nextel Cup Series, has reinvigorated the entire company - and Earnhardt's belief therein. "There's been a lot of gray areas at DEI for four or five years. We've made some mistakes, so there's a lot of questions on a lot of people's minds about the future," he said. "But some things, fortunately, have happened in the last year that are putting us in position to make it right. "What if Tony Jr. didn't want me back? What if Martin was still a year away? It'd be another awful year. But it's clicking. It feels like the gears are all meshing again. "We have the opportunity to have harmony throughout the entire business side, and as a company become the icon we once were." If and when that happens, if and when DEI becomes self-sufficient and no longer requires Junior's presence for perceived legitimacy, if and when Junior hoists the Nextel Cup under the DEI banner, he'll park the 8 and head to RCR to write the final chapter of his father's legacy. For many that is necessary. For some members of the Earnhardt family, and for many of Dale Earnhardt's lifelong friends inside racing and out, closure won't come until the 3 screams down the superstretch at Daytona. With Junior at the wheel. But this isn't about Junior. It's not about the fans. It's not about NASCAR marketing hoopla. It's about the passion with which Dale Earnhardt and his boys competed. It's about racing - hell-bent, pedal to the mat racing. "It'd be good for guys like Will Lynn, guys that spent a lot of time with my Dad in his racing career," Junior said. "If I ever drove the 3, it'd have nothing to do with my personal feelings. It'd be all racing. "It'd be all about going out on the track with the 3, with an Earnhardt behind the wheel, putting a smile on Chocolate (Myers') face and Richard's face and those guys he spent so much time with for so many years. "It's not necessarily for anyone. If the fans like it, they like it. If they don't agree with it, they don't agree with it. That's fine. It's between me and Richard." He'd gladly leave the particulars to Childress. "They could do it however they saw best," Junior said. "If they want to paint it black, they can paint it black. If they don't, I don't care. I don't feel it's my decision. It'd just like to do it because I'd like to drive for Richard. He's been so good to me. "People tend to twist that around and think I want to (leave DEI) tomorrow. I have a commitment -- not legally as much as mentally -- to do what I can to make DEI as good as it can possibly be. "But Richard knows I'd like to do it, and he seems pretty open to it. We'd like to do it together." SPEED ADDS BACK IN THE DAY HOSTED BY DALE EARNHARDT JR. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star Dale Earnhardt Jr. is putting his newly formed production company to work, as Hammerhead Entertainment has reached a deal with SPEED to deliver up to 13 30-minute episodes of Back in the Day, a modern adaptation of the vintage race program Car and Track with Bud Lindemann. Back in the Day will make a Prime Time premiere during Daytona Speedweeks on Feb. 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET. Car and Track, a collection of American racing footage from the 1960s and early 1970s, ran in replays on SPEED from 1996-2000. Earnhardt Jr., a longtime fan of the series, will host the updated version, which will revisit NASCAR in its infancy, touching on not only what was going on at the race track, but what was going on in America. "I’ve always been a big fan of Car and Track," Earnhardt said. “Bud Lindemann had the vision to bring auto racing to television over 30 years ago. I watched every episode as a kid and still watch them today. We’re going to show everyone the grassroots of our sport and bring the past to the present in a fun and entertaining way.” “What makes this program not just historically relevant but also immensely entertaining are the personal reflections and pop culture content that will be key components of Back in the Day,” said Robert Ecker, SPEED VP of Programming. “Central to the concept and what really makes this stand out is the decidedly modern approach to the vintage footage. In filtering the storied past of the sport through the prism of the high-tech present, two key elements clearly emerge - Dale Jr.’s unabashed enthusiasm and respect for this era; and the sheer magnitude of the changes that have occurred over time.” SPEED, celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2006, is the nation's first and foremost cable network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in nearly 70 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country, the home to NASCAR TV and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on-demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. Earnhardt Jr. ready for radio NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be branching out this year, adding a weekly show on XM Satellite Radio to his already busy racing and personal appearance schedule. "I love racing and I love XM, so I definitely couldn't pass up on an opportunity to combine the two," Earnhardt said Thursday. "It's a perfect fit." The show on XM's NASCAR Radio, channel 144, will debut next month. The third-generation stock car driver will discuss the latest events on the NASCAR circuit, as well as music, video games and other personal interests. "Listeners to my new show on XM will get a real sense of who I am both on and off the track," Earnhardt said. "Thanks to XM, I'll have a national weekly radio show that allows me to speak my mind, play my music and, most important, keep in touch with NASCAR fans." Offseason capsule: Earnhardt Jr. 2005 season statistics Wins: One (Chicagoland) Best Finish: First Top-fives, top-10s, DNFs: 7, 13, 6 2005 Recap Junior said it himself: "Even Elvis made bad movies." That just about sums up Junior's season. The much talked-about team swap with Michael Waltrip's squad prior to the start of the season was a disaster for both teams and eventually was reversed following the second Bristol race. Every great driver has a bad season, and 2005 was Junior's. When his team was good (Junior did score a win at Chicagoland), it was decent. But when it was bad, it was really bad. Chalk it up as Junior's "lost weekend." 2006 Outlook What's next Earnhardt Jr.'s cousin Tony Eury Jr. took the reins of the No.8 team toward the end of '05 and immediately made a difference. Junior can drive a bad race car – much like his dad did – but he's unstoppable when he's got a good car. A new attitude about his life along with several new team members will put Junior back in the Chase in '06. Best case scenario: DEI has stepped up its engine program over the past year, and that will provide the kind of horsepower that could make the No. 8 car untouchable, especially on the restrictor plate tracks. Expect Junior to be back in the Chase and to be a serious contender for the championship. Likely scenario: With rookie teammate Martin Truex Jr. alongside, Earnhardt Jr. will find an even better match than he did in the "older brother" figure of former teammate Waltrip. Both Juniors will benefit from the relationship. Beware: Late nights and a rekindling of his mainstream media celebrity status when he starts winning races again could knock this juggernaut of its tracks. Afternoon test session - Jan 11 Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 24b Jeff Gordon 189.298 2 48b Jimmie Johnson 189.195 3 17b Matt Kenseth 189.024 4 40x David Stremme 189.000 5 1a Martin Truex Jr. 188.663 6 80b Jeff Fuller 188.426 7 12b Ryan Newman 188.229 8 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 188.222 9 31x Jeff Burton 188.103 10 20a Mike McLaughlin 188.029 11 43b Bobby Labonte 187.903 12 9b Kasey Kahne 187.813 13 12a Ryan Newman 187.790 14 31 Jeff Burton 187.762 15 23a Mike Skinner 187.739 16 38a Elliott Sadler 187.621 17 41 Reed Sorenson 187.613 18 19a Jeremy Mayfield 187.613 19 36b Bill Elliott 187.578 20 9a Kasey Kahne 187.563 21 21a Ken Schrader 187.531 22 17a Matt Kenseth 187.508 23 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 187.188 24 19b Jeremy Mayfield 186.931 25 20b Mike McLaughlin 186.536 26 1b Martin Truex Jr. 186.012 27 43a Bobby Labonte 185.997 28 4 Scott Wimmer 185.801 29 23 Mike Skinner 183.027 30 4a Scott Wimmer 178.696 31 80a Jeff Fuller 000.000 Morning test session - Jan 11 Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 17a Matt Kenseth 188.403 2 38a Elliott Sadler 187.649 3 12a Ryan Newman 187.637 4 17b Matt Kenseth 187.512 5 41x Reed Sorenson 187.488 6 21b Ken Schrader 187.441 7 40x David Stremme 187.402 8 9a Kasey Kahne 187.367 9 19a Jeremy Mayfield 187.282 10 24b Jeff Gordon 187.250 11 48b Jimmie Johnson 187.110 12 31x Jeff Burton 186.935 13 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 186.908 14 36b Bill Elliott 186.834 15 12b Ryan Newman 186.803 16 31 Jeff Burton 186.800 17 9b Kasey Kahne 186.765 18 1a Martin Truex Jr. 186.359 19 80b Jeff Fuller 185.877 20 43a Bobby Labonte 185.647 21 20a Mike McLaughlin 185.613 22 43b Bobby Labonte 185.014 23 80a Jeff Fuller 184.873 24 41 Reed Sorenson 184.869 25 4 Scott Wimmer 184.862 26 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 184.475 27 23a Mike Skinner 183.978 28 20b Mike McLaughlin 183.932 29 23 Mike Skinner 182.737 30 1b Martin Truex Jr. 182.219 31 4a Scott Wimmer 181.324 Afternoon test session - Jan 10 Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 24 Jeff Gordon 188.466 2 36a Bill Elliott 188.025 3 38a Elliott Sadler 187.594 4 48 Jimmie Johnson 187.582 5 17a Matt Kenseth 186.982 6 38b Elliott Sadler 186.955 7 20a Mike McLaughlin 186.614 8 19a Jeremy Mayfield 186.521 9 43a Bobby Labonte 186.070 10 31 Jeff Burton 185.935 11 36b Bill Elliott 185.605 12 80b Jeff Fuller 185.468 13 80a Jeff Fuller 185.280 14 41 Reed Sorenson 185.166 15 21b Ken Schrader 185.018 16 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 184.805 17 17b Matt Kenseth 184.771 18 9b Kasey Kahne 184.657 19 20b Mike McLaughlin 184.638 20 9a Kasey Kahne 184.619 21 23a Mike Skinner 184.566 22 12a Ryan Newman 184.479 23 41x Reed Sorenson 184.422 24 4 Scott Wimmer 184.411 25 24b Jeff Gordon 184.117 26 12b Ryan Newman 183.906 27 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 183.891 28 23 Mike Skinner 183.404 29 40 David Stremme 183.404 30 40x David Stremme 183.400 31 1a Martin Truex Jr. 183.020 32 1b Martin Truex Jr. 198.016 33 78b Kenny Wallace 182.934 34 4a Scott Wimmer 182.467 35 78a Kenny Wallace 181.984 Morning test session - Jan 10 Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 48 Jimmie Johnson 186.966 2 24 Jeff Gordon 186.734 3 20a Mike Mclaughlin 186.382 4 36a Bill Elliott 186.374 5 43a Bobby Labonte 186.047 6 36b Bill Elliott 185.778 7 80b Jeff Fuller 185.713 8 80a Jeff Fuller 185.613 9 38a Elliott Sadler 185.533 10 38b Elliott Sadler 185.494 11 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 185.372 12 19a Jeremy Mayfield 185.338 13 31 Jeff Burton 185.235 14 20b Mike Mclaughlin 185.216 15 17b Matt Kenseth 185.094 16 17a Matt Kenseth 185.048 17 41 Reed Sorenson 184.961 18 23a Mike Skinner 184.668 19 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 184.668 20 4 Scott Wimmer 184.627 21 41x Reed Sorenson 184.547 22 9b Kasey Kahne 184.532 23 21b Ken Schrader 184.490 24 9a Kasey Kahne 184.332 25 12b Ryan Newman 184.328 26 12a Ryan Newman 184.305 27 31x Jeff Burton 184.226 28 24b Jeff Gordon 184.207 29 23 Mike Skinner 183.985 30 40 David Stremme 183.696 31 19b Jeremy Mayfield 183.490 32 43b Bobby Labonte 183.471 33 4a Scott Wimmer 183.161 34 1b Martin Truex Jr. 182.778 35 1a Martin Truex Jr. 182.534 36 78a Kenny Wallace 182.249 Afternoon test session - Jan 9 Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 36a Bill Elliott 187.219 2 48 Jimmie Johnson 187.029 3 38a Elliott Sadler 186.908 4 24 Jeff Gordon 186.648 5 36b Bill Elliott 185.931 6 17a Matt Kenseth 185.801 7 20a Mike McLuahglin 185.713 8 4 Scott Wimmer 185.376 9 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 185.159 10 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 185.098 11 19a Jeremy Mayfield 184.923 12 80b Jeff Fuller 184.904 13 9a Kasey Kahne 184.759 14 43b Bobby Labonte 184.733 15 41 Reed Sorenson 184.729 16 17b Matt Kenseth 184.718 17 31 Jeff Burton 184.642 18 43a Bobby Labonte 184.634 19 21b Ken Schrader 184.631 20 24b Jeff Gordon 184.574 21 80a Jeff Fuller 184.517 22 9b Kasey Kahne 184.392 23 23a Mike Skinner 184.385 24 12a Ryan Newman 184.370 25 23 Mike Skinner 184.283 26 31x Jeff Burton 184.109 27 12b Ryan Newman 184.060 28 21a Ken Schrader 183.906 29 40x David Stemme 183.880 30 20b Mike McLaughlin 183.869 31 4a Scott Wimmer 183.730 32 41x Reed Sorenson 183.722 33 1a Martin Truex Jr. 183.348 34 78b Kenny Wallace 183.105 35 19b Jeremy Mayfield 182.953 Gordon paces Cup field during first test session Preseason Thunder began Monday morning at Daytona International Speedway, with Jeremy Mayfield the first driver to hit the track as the countdown to the 48th Daytona 500 officially began. Twenty-one drivers in 37 cars took laps during the morning test. Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet topped the speed charts at 187.029 mph, narrowly beating teammate Jimmie Johnson. The rest of the top-five speeds were posted by two-time Daytona 500 winner Bill Elliott, who is driving the No. 36 for MB2 Motorsports, Matt Kenseth and Elliott Sadler. In a strange twist, MB2 hired Elliott from Evernham Motorsports, which last year announced it had signed former MB2 driver Scott Riggs for 2006. Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were the only drivers to put two cars in the top 10 of the speed chart, while Kenseth was the fastest among Ford drivers in the new-for-'06 Fusion. "We had two cars here [Monday], obviously," Earnhardt said, "one of them was a lot better on acceleration. I'm really pleased with what I feel underneath the hood. It's only a tenth-faster, but it has a little more acceleration." Sadler, who was second-fastest among the Ford drivers, said the Fusion has gotten off to a racy start. "I've been very happy with the way my car feels in the racetrack," he said. "I like the Fusion body, the nose on it. ... I can't wait to get it into some drafting practice." Defending Cup Series champion Tony Stewart is not testing the No. 20 car this week. Subbing for Stewart is Mike McLaughlin, who was sixth-fastest at 185.927 mph. Three rookies also are getting their first taste of preseason Cup testing. Reed Sorenson was 20th on the chart at 184.456. Two-time defending Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. was 26th and David Stremme 33rd. Ryan Newman, who opted to run an Intrepid nose on the No. 12 Dodge in last season's finale at Homestead, returned to Daytona with a full-bodied Charger. He was 17th-fastest in Monday's morning test. "There were times and places where the Charger was good last year, and there were times and places it wasn't," Newman said of the frustration with the first-year model. "Honestly, we're still working on how we're goint to apprach and do somethings we were struggling on last year. "We ran really well with the Charger at the restrictor-plate tracks," he said, "[and] we look forward to starting Daytona as strong as ever. ... We'll see how it works out." The first Nextel Cup Series testing period runs through Wednesday, with two sessions each day. This week's testing features drivers who were in odd-numbered positions (as of July 13, 2005). Even-numbered owners'-points drivers are scheduled for Jan. 16-18. Earnhardt had a somewhat tongue-in-cheek response to the grind of three days of testing. "Three days is a long of time to be here testing. It really gives those guys who are cheating a lot of time to get things figured out. "I think two days is plenty, if you're running under the rule book -- at least the one they give us." Truck Series drivers will be at the track Jan. 13-15, and the Busch Series will wrap Preseason Thunder on Jan. 20-22. Inside the Numbers: Monday morning testing Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 24 Jeff Gordon 187.029 2 48 Jimmie Johnson 186.928 3 36a Bill Elliott 186.521 4 17a Matt Kenseth 186.023 5 38a Elliott Sadler 186.020 6 20a Mike McLaughlin 185.927 7 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 185.628 8 36b Bill Elliott 185.300 9 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 185.132 10 4 Scott Wimmer 185.071 11 31x Jeff Burton 184.983 12 19a Jeremy Mayfield 184.885 13 80b Jeff Fuller 184.809 14 17b Matt Kenseth 184.710 15 20b Mike McLaughlin 184.642 16 43a Bobby Labonte 184.543 17 12b Ryan Newman 184.525 18 38b Elliott Sadler 184.509 19 31 Jeff Burton 184.483 20 41 Reed Sorenson 184.456 21 12a Ryan Newman 184.411 22 43b Bobby Labonte 184.305 23 21b Ken Schrader 184.260 24 23 Mike Skinner 184.143 25 4a Scott Wimmer 184.090 26 1b Martin Truex Jr. 184.019 27 23a Mike Skinner 184.015 28 9a Kasey Kahne 183.805 29 21a Ken Schrader 183.790 30 80a Jeff Fuller 183.733 31 1a Martin Truex Jr. 183.718 32 9b Kasey Kahne 183.554 33 40x David Stremme 183.236 34 40 David Stremme 183.083 35 41x Reed Sorenson 182.953 36 19b Jeremy Mayfield 182.619 37 78a Kenny Wallace 180.963 Dale Jr. tabs McFarland to drive No. 88 BGN car Mark McFarland, the 2003 Dodge Weekly Racing Series national champion, has been hand-picked by Dale Earnhardt Jr. to be the first Busch Series driver for his Mooresville, N.C.-based company, JR Motorsports. McFarland will pilot the No. 88 NAVY Chevrolet in his quest for the 2006 Busch Series title and Rookie of the Year award. McFarland spent the 2005 season competing in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series for JR Motorsports. A quick study in anything with a steering wheel, McFarland compiled one win, 10 top-five finishes, 13 top-10s and a series-leading seven pole awards. While McFarland will have a yellow stripe on his bumper next season, he does have 10 Busch Series starts under his belt. The most recent came in the 2005 Ford 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami, his first race in the No. 88 NAVY Chevrolet that he will pilot in 2006. He qualified 18th and brought the car home in a respectable 20th place. McFarland's highest Busch Series finish came at Richmond in the fall of 2004 where he finished 16th. This is Earnhardt Jr.'s first solely-owned Busch team and signifies another step in his evolutionary career. "I'm proud to be entering a relationship with an organization like the U.S. Navy," Earnhardt said. "When you consider the history and the accomplishment the Navy has it's overwhelming. The opportunities the Navy can provide for people are virtually limitless. "They've given us an opportunity with this sponsorship and I'm proud to represent them. They're giving Mark an opportunity as well and I'm confident he will make the most of it." Said McFarland: "This great sponsorship from the NAVY has given me the chance to fulfill what would be any young racecar driver's dream and that is to compete with the best. "It is an honor to be selected to represent the integrity and fortitude that the NAVY stands for." Dale Jr.'s team hard at work It's full steam ahead for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the improved No. 8 brew crew. The team's fabrication shop is refurbishing the stable and has two intermediate cars, a new Bristol car and two speedway rides ready to roll. The engine department tested earlier this month at Nashville and tested restrictor-plate engines with ARCA journeyman Mark Gibson last week at Daytona. Earnhardt, who had minor surgery to remove a calcium deposit from his wrist December 9, will be ready to test at Daytona January 9-11 with teammate Martin Truex. Paul Menard will test at Daytona the next week to prepare for his first of seven Cup races. Dan Stillman will be his crew chief. . . . In Review: Earnhardt Jr. For Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the 2005 Nextel Cup season was disappointing, at times even borderline miserable. But it was equally educational, for Junior and everyone else affiliated with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. A new respect was built between Earnhardt and Tony Eury, Jr., both for their respective abilities as driver and crew chief and in acceptance of just how good they are together. And without question, it took the split to reestablish the union. Despite earning career-highs in wins (six, including the Daytona 500), top-fives (16) and top-10s (21) and a run at the Nextel Cup championship in 2004, DEI chose to switch crews between their Nos. 8 and 15 teams in search of improved chemistry. Since he entered the NASCAR Busch Series in 1998, Earnhardt had only raced with his uncle and his cousin. And they'd always bickered. So the DEI brass thought it best to separate them for '05, to send Eury to lead Michael Waltrip's team and appoint Pete Rondeau to head-up the No. 8 squad. It was a disaster from the outset. Admittedly miffed, the Eurys refused to communicate with Rondeau and the No. 8 team, starting a downward spiral from which they were never truly able to recover. "The biggest thing about the whole year was we wanted the world to know that that team wasn't riding Dale Jr.'s coattails," Eury Jr. said in June. "We're a legitimate team. We're one of the best out here. We can be in this Chase with Michael Waltrip or Dale Jr., either one. "I think when the change come a lot of people thought, 'Well, those guys are done. We won't see them no more.' That was a point we wanted to prove, and it got real tense around the shop. I'll be the first one to admit that. It was." Junior struggled, but 10 weeks into the season, following a string a three top-10s in four races, managed to climb to ninth in the championship standings. But after a 14th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway dropped him to 11th, he'd never see the top 10 again. Two weeks later, just before to the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, DEI announced its decision to replace Rondeau with technical director Steve Hmiel. The team saw instant results, as Earnhardt consistently ran among the top 10 at Charlotte before the season's seminal moment unfolded: Earnhardt, running eighth just behind Waltrip, got into Waltrip's Chevrolet exiting the tri-oval on Lap 245, sending the No. 15 Chevy hard into the wall and ruining a promising night for both teams. The incident drew the ire of Tony Eury, Sr., who publicly criticized his nephew. "I don't know what his problem is with Michael, but it'll be fixed [Monday] -- I'll guarantee it," Eury said that night. "He acts like he's friends with [Waltrip], but every time he gets around him on the racetrack he ends up wrecking him." Sure enough, a team meeting was called the following week to clear the air. "It took a blowup like that for everybody to sit down and sort it out," Eury Jr. said in June. "After the Charlotte deal, we all sat down and let everybody know how everybody feels, just kind of opened the lines up a little bit. "We just mainly wanted to find out who wants to stay and who's not wanting to be there. We didn't have that train of thought earlier in the season. Earlier in the season it was [about] who could get an edge on the other." Earnhardt never did find the necessary edge in 2005. His lone victory came at Chicagoland Speedway, thanks largely to Hmiel's call for two tires on the final pit stop that pushed him to the lead. He then held off hard-charging Matt Kenseth to secure a much-needed triumph. "I was worried I was going to go winless this year," Earnhardt said. "Now, let's go out and do it again, win some more." There would be no more victories, but there would be plenty of promise. When it became clear that Earnhardt would miss the Chase for the Nextel Cup, DEI reunited him with Eury, Jr. The results bode well for 2006. "I'm wore out, but I can't believe the season is over," Earnhardt said after finishing 19th in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "This one went by fast. I wish we were racing somewhere next week." It's safe to say 2006 can't get here soon enough for the No. 8 team. Junior wins Most Popular Driver award again Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won his third straight Chex NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award. The announcement was made Friday during the National Motorsports Press Association's Myers Brothers Awards Breakfast at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. A record number of fans nationwide have again voted the North Carolinian as the most popular driver. "It's a huge honor to win the Most Popular Driver award just one time, but to win it three times in a row is pretty overwhelming. I just want to thank the fans, and I want to thank Chex and the National Motorsports Press Association for the award," Earnhardt said. "This one probably means more to me than the others because of the kind of year we had. It's one thing to have fan support when you're riding high and winning races. It's another thing to have it during the rough times." A record 4,157,443 votes were cast in 2005, a huge jump for an award which never had more than 400,000 votes in a year prior to General Mills sponsorship. Earnhardt Jr. has led the voting since the start of the 2003 season and easily captured enough votes in the record-setting 2005 year to again win the award. He finished with 1,403,544 votes, which is also an all-time record. "The fans have pretty well made a statement in regards to their favorite driver in this era," said Kenny Bruce, president of the NMPA. "They have also made a statement as to the importance of this award. We appreciate every fan who voted, and we really appreciate Chex for its sponsorship." "On behalf of Chex and General Mills, I want to congratulate Dale Earnhardt Jr. on winning this award for the third straight year," Chex Marketing Manager Trevor Bynum said. "We also want to thank the millions of fans who voted and made this award possible with their continued strong support." Jeff Gordon finished second in the voting with 594,434 votes. Kasey Kahne was third with 343,154; 2005 champion Tony Stewart fourth with 246,026; and retiring Rusty Wallace fifth with 214,026. Rounding out the top 10 were Kevin Harvick, Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett and Jimmie Johnson. The NASCAR Most Popular Driver award dates back to 1956, making it one of the oldest and most traditional awards in NASCAR racing. It began as a simple poll of the drivers and later grew to incorporate all NASCAR Nextel Cup competitors. Later, it included all NASCAR members. Today, it is a prestigious award voted on by racing fans throughout the world. Bill Elliott's 16 most popular wins tops all drivers. He is followed by Richard Petty, who has won nine times. Junior blows tire, finds wall early at Phoenix The Checker Auto Parts 500 presented Dale Earnhardt Jr. with one of his best opportunities to claim his second checkered flag of the season. As it turned out, he didn't even get halfway to the checkered flag. Earnhardt Jr., the defending winner of Sunday's race, blew a right-front tire going into Turn 3 and hit the wall on Lap 114. Instead of defending his race win in the desert, Earnhardt Jr. was forced to endure his fifth DNF since the Brickyard 400 in August. "It hadn't been on there long," Earnhardt Jr. said of the blown tire. "We had just gotten tires." Junior also was quick to say that the accident was not due to a faulty tire. "Looking at the tire, it ain't worn out. It's got a lot of tread on it. I don't know where the hole came from, whether we ran over something or the sidewall, or something like that. The tire's in great shape, as far as wear-wise. It's frustrating." The accident halted a small streak of success for the No. 8 team. They finished eighth last weekend at Texas and fourth two weeks ago at Atlanta. Earnhardt Jr. said the team was poised to add to that run Sunday. "We had a fast car," he said. "We were gonna race up for a top-three or a win, for sure. The car was really good. We were getting up through there, mixing it up with those guys, having a lot of fun. "I'm just really disappointed that we're not still out there. It was a great car." While a lot of other people in the garage area are looking forward to the end of the season, Earnhardt Jr. wishes he could keep racing. "I'm still having fun," he said. "I wish the season would keep going a little more. I've just gotten into a rhythm where we're going to the track and being fast, but we've got good cars, like [Sunday] we had one of the top two cars, at least." Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Race Driven NASCAR Cars Listed for Charity on eBay for $1 million A rare opportunity to acquire the race cars driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. at Watkins Glenn is available on eBay starting November 9th, at 6 P.M. Pacific Time (PST) and running for 10 days. The cars are viewable at www.ebay.com/dubshop . With bidding beginning at $1 million, interested parties need to prequalify with Auction Cause, a premier online auction management agency specializing in high profile eBay events. Partnering in the effort is DUB Magazine, the leading, authoritative voice in urban automotive lifestyle that recently launched its store on eBay Motors. Owners of the cars, Jay Hansen and Wade Whitaker, are donating 50% of the final sales price to charity to aid Hurricane Katrina victims, meaning a minimum $500,000 windfall for The Northwest Louisiana Food Bank, based in Shreveport, LA. This story starts from the vision of a 5 year old girl named Hanna. After learning in her kindergarten class about the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Hanna decided to empty out her piggy bank to help her class raise money for the flood victims. She told her mom and dad about donating to the flood victims and wanted to know what else she could do to help. Moved by this, Hanna’s father, Jay Hansen, realized he did have something to contribute to the efforts. He was the owner of the #3 GM Goodwrench race care driven by the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. This car had been one of Earnhardt’s road course cars that had raced at Sears Point, CA, and also at Watkins Glenn, NY. Jay’s friend, Wade Whitaker, had recently purchased a #8 Budweiser race car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., which raced at the same track, Watkins Glenn. They agreed packaging them together to benefit Katrina victims would set into motion Hanna’s idea Jay contacted Eric Gazin of Auction Cause, the agency which sold the Robby Gordon helmet for charity on eBay. Using the eBay Giving Works and MissionFish charity auction platforms that highlight 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Eric found a worthy cause, “The Northwest Louisiana Food Bank”, which was on the front lines providing basic necessities to the thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina. Jim Presson, Executive Director of the food bank and thought his prayers had been answered, as the strain on the food bank had almost become too much to bear. The auction is poised to set a new automotive vehicle record for eBay Motors, as well as challenging other well off individuals to step up and conduct their own charity drives to benefit victims of one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit the United States. To view the cars, please visit: www.ebay.com/nascar4charity Another top-10 run, but 8th not enough for Junior Even though he barely avoided disaster when Greg Biffle spun directly in front of him, Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn't capitalize on his good fortune in Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Still, an eighth-place finish gave Junior his first back-to-back top-10 finishes since July, when he was third in the Pepsi 400, won at Chicagoland and ninth at New Hampshire. Earnhardt Jr. moved around Jeff Burton to reclaim 18th in the Nextel Cup points, two weeks after dropping all the way to 20th. "It was OK," Earnhardt said. "It wasn't great. We were tight all day. We got a good finish out of it. I was pretty happy about that." Driving the same No. 8 Chevrolet that dominated huge hunks of last weekend's race at Atlanta before finishing fourth, Earnhardt expected a similar situation at Texas. Early on, that seemed to be the case, as Junior moved from his 10th-place starting spot up to fourth within the first 30 laps. However, the car progressively tightened as the track cooled, leaving Earnhardt having to wrestle it around the corners. He fell back as far as 19th at one point before rallying late to get back into the top 10. "The car didn't drive as good as I wanted it to, or as good as my team wanted it to," Junior said. "I had to work real hard [Sunday], so it was a little bit more work than play." Earnhardt's one big scare came on Lap 83. Running directly behind the lapped car of Biffle as the two cars headed for the dogleg frontstretch, Junior had to jam on the brakes, swerve to the right and then correct back to the left -- all at speed -- in order to miss the spinning No. 16 Ford. Somehow, Biffle also avoided the wall. "It's good to get a finish like that after all that effort," Junior said. Riding shotgun with Dale Earnhardt Jr. How could I say no when the offer came from Wrangler and the Richard Petty Driving Experience to take a ride-along with Dale Jr.? Being the shameless thrill seeker that I am, no one had to ask me twice. I've been fortunate to ride around Lowe's Motor Speedway with several other drivers before, but the opportunity to do it with Junior was, as the MasterCard ads say, priceless. After two hours of waiting -- talk about an-ti-ci-pa-tion -- it finally was time to suit up. Fortunately, the driving suit fit over my can. Next the helmet, then the Hans device (I get what the drivers' bitching was all about) and it was time to climb in. I slipped through the window, strapped in, smiled for the obligatory souvenir shot and off we went. I was surprised how fast Junior got the No. 8 two-seater up to speed. We cruised at a good clip for the warm-up lap, sliding eerily close to the back-stretch wall until Junior arced the car into Turns 3 and 4. The second lap was wide-open and inches from the wall. Trust me. I was in the passenger's seat. If I had been stupid enough to stick my arm out the window, I could have touched the concrete. It was full speed down the front stretch and another arc into 1 and 2, back out to the wall and around down pit road. "Is this your line?" I asked, but he couldn't hear me over the engine. After three laps, the ride was over, but I was ready to go again. The experience was exhilarating. Junior made driving at 180 mph seem effortless. But that's why he's NASCAR's rock star. Charity and fun wrapped up into one A few lucky fans were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as they strapped in beside Dale Earnhardt Jr. last Wednesday and took three warp-speed laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway. Averaging speeds of 170 miles per hour, the NASCAR superstar had the wheel while fans held on tight riding shotgun. But it wasn't all just fun and games. While this is the second "Take a Test Drive with Dale Jr." event for the Wrangler brand, it is the first time a ride was auctioned on eBay for charity. For seven days in September, fans raced to bid on a ride with Dale Jr., knowing 100 percent of the winning bid went directly to the American Red Cross to support hurricane relief efforts. A ceremony was held as part of Wednesday's event to officially donate a check in the amount of the $42,100 winning bid to the American Red Cross. Don Crawford of Ocala, Florida, the winning bidder, along with representatives from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation and the Wrangler brand, presented the check to American Red Cross officials Marilyn Garner (Greater Carolinas Chapter) and Nancy Litton (Cabarrus County Chapter). Crawford outbid others for the ride, which he gave to his wife Debbie, a self-proclaimed "huge Dale Jr. fan." Five others, who were winners of a separate sweepstakes, the nationally-advertised "Take a Test Drive with Dale Jr." contest, took their turn beside Dale Jr. in the recognizable No. 8 car as well. And several media celebrities came out to enjoy the ride including Tanika Ray from "Extra!," Lance Smith from CMT, "ESPN Hollywood's" Thea Andrews, and Vicki Johnson from "NASCAR Nation." "The Wrangler brand welcomes our contest winners," said Craig Errington, director of marketing, Men's Mass Market Brands at VF Jeanswear, a division of V.F. Corporation. "They are the real reason we do this -- as a thank you and a touch-point with our consumers and fans. We are also proud to have contributed to the hurricane recovery efforts by working alongside Dale Jr. and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation on the auction opportunity to benefit the American Red Cross." The Wrangler brand has had a long-standing relationship with DEI and the Earnhardt family, and since 2004 the Wrangler Jeans Co."! brand has reigned as the official jeans of Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. racing team. Last year "TV Guide Channel's" Kim Caldwell (of "American Idol" fame), "Entertainment Tonight's" Victoria Recano and Erika Vettrini of "The Tony Danza Show" (and "The Apprentice"), took the ride with Dale Jr. at the "Take a Test Drive" event. Friendly tactics: NASCAR racers let friends, teammates go by If Tony Stewart wins the Nextel Cup championship by five points, he might want to thank good friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart picked up five bonus points when Earnhardt appeared to let the No. 20 car go by for the lead in the early going of Sunday's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earnhardt, who clearly had the stronger machine, quickly reclaimed the top spot from Stewart on the way to leading a race-high 142 laps. For Stewart, it was the only lap he led all day. It could be an important one, since he leads the 10-man Chase by 43 points with only three races remaining. Earnhardt didn't qualify for the Chase, so he appeared to be extending a favour to a friend - an unspoken but common tactic in a sport where alliances and team considerations often take precedence over true racing. A similar situation came up late in the event. Carl Edwards, the eventual winner, was passed by Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth 36 laps from the finish. Like Stewart, Kenseth held his only lead of the race for only one lap. Edwards led 83 of the last 84 laps - and appeared to have a little trouble getting his story straight after the race. Asked if he let Kenseth go by, Edwards insisted that he didn't. "He thought I did, which is awesome," the winner said. "I saw his finger sticking out. I was like, 'Why is he giving me the finger?' I kind of moved over a little bit and I could see his knuckles, and he was giving me the pointer finger, like, 'OK, just give me a minute.' I was thinking, 'OK, now I see what's going on. He wants to lead a lap."' Edwards acknowledged that it wasn't tough getting the lead back from Kenseth. "I got up beside him and he didn't fight me too hard," Edwards said. "He could have held us up and made it harder, but that was very nice of him and I was glad to let him lead a lap." So, he did let Kenseth lead a lap, right? "My teammates have done so much for me that I really think trying to help them in a position when I can help them is the right thing to do," Edwards said. "I'm not saying I always will." At this point, team owner Jack Roush and crew chief Bob Osborne were urging Edwards to plead the Fifth. "They're yelling at me to quit talking," Edwards said. "So I'm going to stop." Kahne, Junior look to get back on track at Atlanta Kasey Kahne is one of a handful of drivers to have won a race this year but who are not challenging for the championship in the 10-race Chase playoffs. Nonetheless, he's eager to get back on the 1.54-mile quad-oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (noon ET Sunday, NBC). Among the non-Chase drivers, Kahne's 4.3 average finish in three starts is tops, and second only to Carl Edwards' 2.0 among active drivers. "Atlanta is definitely one of my favorite tracks," said Kahne, who finished a career-best third in his first race at AMS on March 14, 2004. "I like it because you can run high or low and be competitive. It's a momentum track. Running the low groove isn't always the fastest way around the track. "During the race, you move around looking for a faster line. You may start the race running low and end up later in the race running quick laps up against the wall. By moving around, you can sometimes improve the handling of the car on the track without having to wait for a pit stop to make adjustments." Kahne is 21st in points, 313 behind 11th-place Jamie McMurray in the race for the $1 million bonus to be paid to the highest finishing driver outside the Chase. Kahne has never finished outside the top five at Atlanta and finished fifth in the spring race, won by Edwards. "We've had three straight top-five finishes at Atlanta. We need a top-five to finish the season on the right note and establish our program for 2006." Another driver who knows time is short to make a run at the seven-figure bonus is Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- another of the drivers with a victory this season but not in the Chase. "At this point it'd be nice to bring the car home in one piece," Junior said. "We've been in a string of wrecks lately -- most of 'em not our fault, but wrecks all the same -- and it ain't fun. "If we keep bringing fast cars to the track, it will eventually pay off. We're coming up on some good tracks in the next couple of weeks -- Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix -- all tracks we've won in the past." In 12 races at Atlanta, Junior has one victory and six top-10s with an average finish of 13.2, fourth-best among active drivers. "It's the fastest place we go, and it's almost impossible to describe the feeling of being launched into the turns at 200 mph," Earnhardt said. "It takes guts to keep your right foot down. We tested there last week, and I actually turned the car around once. Fortunately, I didn't hit anything. "We've always been really good at Atlanta and I always feel like I have a chance to win. Last year, it happened for us [in the spring race]. That was a cool deal, because I really, really wanted to win at Atlanta. "My dad always ran well there, and I always ran well there, and I finally had a win to show for it," he said. "It's like Daytona or Bristol -- places where I grew up dreaming of racing there, and to actually win makes me feel like I've entered my own little corner of the history of the track. It's a really cool feeling." Junior, No. 8 team happy with strong run at AMS Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't hesitate when he was asked what the difference was between his fourth-place finish Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 24th-place effort the No. 8 bunch turned in after the spring race at AMS. "Probably Tony Jr.," he said. Of course, Earnhardt Jr. was referring to recently reinstalled crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who was atop the No. 15 pit box of Michael Waltrip for the Golden Corral 500 in March. "This is a track that we ran great at and he's the best guy for me at this track as a crew chief," Earnhardt Jr. said. The Atlanta run was the best for Earnhardt Jr. since he won at Chicagoland in July with Steve Hmiel as his crew chief. In some respects, it may have been better. While the No. 8 car led 11 laps in that victory, it was out front for 142 circuits Sunday. To put that in perspective, Earnhardt Jr. had led just 27 laps all season before Sunday. "It was fun to lead and fun to dominate and show what we're capable of," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We've had great cars the last several weeks, we just haven't been getting the finishes." But even with all the positive numbers, there was one more that Earnhardt Jr. wished he could have gotten Sunday. "We would have liked to have finished better because we were really dominant in the first half of the race," he said. "Either the track got away from us -- we didn't adjust enough for the track -- or our method, as far as how our spring rates changed throughout the race from set to set on the tires was wrong. "It just went away and we had such a dominant car, it really should have been able to stay more consistent," he said. "I think the guys will go home and try to figure that out." As others did throughout the afternoon, Earnhardt Jr. is noticing a change in the personality of the Atlanta track. He attributes the change to Mother Nature. "I think that storm, [the tornado that hit AMS earlier this year], may have accelerated the wear on the track a little bit, but you've seen that in the past here. "A couple of races ago, [the track] was really at its peak," he said. "It's getting toward the too-worn-out point now, but I think it's got a couple more races before they have to think about repaving it. It's in the Darlington, Rockingham area, but it's still a great racetrack. It's one of the best on the circuit." Looking ahead, Earnhardt Jr. sees something that he may not have seen at other points during the season -- a legitimate chance to visit Victory Lane. "I think we'll go to Phoenix and be really fast," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I think next week at Texas we'll be good. We're just going to have a really solid end to the season." Earnhardt Jr. paces testing session at Atlanta Nextel Cup cars were on the track again Wednesday testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway in preparation for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 on Oct. 30. Dale Earnhardt Jr. topped the speed charts in his No. 8 Chevrolet, with a lap of 189.215 mph, (29.30 seconds). The No. 36 Chevrolet of Boris Said was second fastest. Accompanying Earnhardt Jr. and Said were Jimmie Johnson, and Martin Truex Jr. There was one incident of note during the day-long test. Said spun exiting Turn 2, but did not hit anything. Testing their Craftsman trucks were Joey Miller, Jack Sprague and Johnny Benson. Earnhardt Jr., Waltrip fall victim early at Talladega Richie Gilmore stood on the lift gate of the No. 15 transporter, arms folded, face stoic, surveying a mangled NAPA Chevrolet that served as a tangible microcosm of the 2005 season for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. "Been that kind of year," Gilmore said. "If it's going to happen ..." It does happen. Off to Gilmore's left was the No. 8 Chevy, equally destroyed. His drivers, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., flanked him, chuckling a bit in disbelief of what had just happened. Both cars were laser-quick, knifing through the field on Lap 19 when Jimmie Johnson got into Elliott Sadler, triggering a multicar pileup in Turn 1 that collected Sadler, Earnhardt, Johnson, Mike Skinner and Mark Martin. "No idea what happened," Earnhardt said. "They checked up for something. I think [Johnson] and [Sadler] got together and had to slow down. We were all real tight there together, and I hit [Johnson]. "Just can't stop, can't do anything about it. You're going too fast. If you turn left you know you're doomed. That was a wild crash behind me. Glad Michael's OK." Among the overall chaos, Waltrip's wreck was by far the most spectacular individual accident. Waltrip was tapped in the right rear by Martin -- who'd already bounced off of Earnhardt -- and sent barrel rolling through the corner twice before impacting the Turn 2 wall. "If somebody turns the pole-sitter it's going to be a big wreck, and unfortunately that's what happened," Waltrip said. "I start these races knowing three things: that I'm as safe as I can be, that SAFER barriers are my friend, and I'm not going to cause a wreck. "That's all I can do. After that, you just pray." Waltrip's account of the wild ride was classic Mikey. "I was watching the world go upside right, upside wrong, upside right, upside wrong. I was following along," he said. "It was pretty cool, actually. Once I stopped tumbling I was more concerned, because I had pretty good momentum when I was flipping and I didn't want to come to a sudden stop. Those will hurt you." Losing two speedway cars in one fell swoop hurts DEI. "We're pretty disappointed," Gilmore said. "We had really happy hopes going into [Sunday]. All three cars were very good, and to lose two of them in one wreck is just heartbreaking. "That's a very expensive wreck, right there. Plus the hours the guys put in on these speedway cars. But they knew we were here. It's part of these plate races. We had two cars that could win." Earnhardt, standing in front of his car as his team ripped the wreckage apart, could only grin. "My car was super fast, man. It was awesome," he said. "We'll save up for next year, see if we can't afford some, then. I ain't too disappointed. The car was real, real good. "They cut the body off this thing and just put this body on it. All that work. Those boys stayed late and put this body together. It sucks for that reason. But it was fast, so that's cool." "Maybe we'll get all that bad luck gone this year and come back to contend with [Martin Truex, Jr.] and [Earnhardt] for a championship next year," Gilmore said. "Man, just been this kind of year for us." Earnhardt Jr., Gordon step up to the plates Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to Talladega looking to avenge a 15th-place showing in the May race, the result of being collected in a six-car crash two laps from the finish. Avenge? Yes, after all it was his worst finish at the 2.66-miule superspeedway since his rookie season. In 2000, Junior blew an engine an finished 42nd -- the only time in 11 starts that he hasn't led a lap -- and followed that up with a 14th-place finish in the season's second date at 'Dega. In the May race this year, Earnhardt led only three laps, his worst laps-led performance since the Fall 2003 event, when he also led only three laps. Make no mistake, with Tony Eury Jr. back on the pit box, this trip to Talladega is a big race for the No. 8 team. "Talladega is a special place to me, always has been, always will be," Earnhardt said. "I love racing there. I love winning there. It's definitely one of my favorite tracks. "Tony Jr. has had Talladega marked on his calendar for a while, and he's been putting in overtime to get this car ready. I feel we need to redeem ourselves after our last race. The wreck was a bad deal, but we weren't that good to begin with." Earnhardt has reason to be optimistic. He has eight top-10 finishes, including seven top-fives and five victories at Talladega. Factor in that DEI cars have won 11 of the past 19 restrictor-plate races and there's no reason not to expect Junior to race for the checkers. "This is the same car we raced in May, and we've done a lot of work on it to make it better. Tony Jr. is really good at building and preparing restrictor-plate cars. "Our grandpa was Robert Gee, and Robert Gee was the best in the business when it came to hanging bodies on cars, so Tony Jr. learned from the best. Tony Jr. spent a lot of time with him learning how to hang bodies for different types of tracks. He is certainly one of the reasons we've had success at restrictor-plate tracks." Earnhardt is the defending race champion, rallying from 11th during the final five laps to beat Kevin Harvick. However, his post-race slip of the tongue in Victory Lane is what fans will most remember from the 2004 EA Sports 500. Jeff Gordon, no slouch himself when it comes to wheeling at plate tracks, can equal Dale Earnhardt's series record for restrictor-plate victories with a win -- and become only the sixth driver to sweep Talladega in the same year. Gordon won the Aaron's 499 in May, and also won the season-opener at Daytona. A victory Sunday in the UAW-Ford 500 would give the four-time Cup champion three plate wins in a season, which also would tie Earnhardt's record (1990). "Dale was the master at these types of races," Gordon said. "I'd love to get the win, but not because of any statistic or record. And it really doesn't add any extra incentive because this DuPont team tries to win every race. "Statistics are great when it's all said and done but, during the season, you really don't care about them or where you might rank on a list." Best average finish at Talladega Rank Driver Races Wins T-5s T-10s Avg. 1. D. Earnhardt Jr. 11 5 7 8 8.0 2. Ku. Busch 9 0 4 6 12.4 3. T. Stewart 13 0 6 8 12.7 4. K. Harvick 9 0 3 4 13.9 5. J. Gordon 25 4 11 14 14.3 6. M. Martin 39 2 10 21 14.5 7. D. Jarrett 37 1 10 15 16.5 8. B. Labonte 25 1 6 10 16.5 9. J. McMurray 6 0 1 2 16.7 10. K. Petty 47 0 4 19 17.2 Earnhardt turns 31 quietly Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrated his 31st birthday on Monday without much fanfare. NASCAR's most popular driver has been out of the spotlight since failing to make it into the season-ending, 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. He heads into Saturday night's UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., with little riding on the outcome. But Earnhardt, coming off a 34th-place finish on Sunday in Kansas City and with only one top five in his last six races, said he remains motivated to finish the season strong. "We need a good weekend," said Earnhardt, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his late father. "We've had good cars, but we had no chance to show what we've got. We've just been caught in early wrecks and had the loose wheel (three weeks ago) at Dover, and _ I don't know _ either we're in somebody's way or they're in ours. "I'm real pleased with the cars they've built, and they've gotten so much better over the course of the year. That's a credit to everyone at DEI. They've been putting in some long hours, so I'd really like to get 'em a good finish this weekend. We need it. I need it. It'd make our off day Sunday a lot better." Earnhardt, like most of the Cup stars, loves racing at Lowe's, the track in suburban Charlotte. "It's home. That alone makes it one of my favorites. It's late in the season, so there ain't a whole lot that beats sleeping in your own bed," he said. As for turning 31, Earnhardt said his celebration was "just the usual hell-raisin' me and my buddies do any other week. That's usually better than what most people do on their birthdays, anyway." Shop Talk: Tony Eury Jr. A little more than eight months apart showed Tony Eury Jr. how much he missed the working relationship he'd previously had with his cousin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., at DEI. Eury Jr., as car chief on the No. 8 Chevrolet in 2004, was an integral part of the team that fashioned a career year, with six victories, for Earnhardt -- even while the cousins seemingly wrangled continuously like brothers. After an eight-month experiment by DEI failed to succeed in getting either Michael Waltrip or Earnhardt into the Chase for the Nextel Cup, another change was ordered. Eury Jr. took a break at Dover International Speedway to talk about joining Earnhardt as his crew chief for the 10 races of the Chase, NASCAR's "car of the future," where the current balance of power lies in restrictor-plate racing and why Earnhardt excels at that type of racing. Q: Tony, is coming to Talladega, as you will for this weekend's UAW-Ford 500 one of the best security blankets you could ever have, whether it's spring, fall or any other time? Eury Jr.: Yeah, because we've really had a lot of success at Talladega and we really enjoy going there. I think we've been working really hard the last couple of weeks trying to get a really good car for there, and it's going to be fun. I think both of our cars will be up front. Q: In your opinion, have we seen any kind of shift in the balance of power on the restrictor plate racetracks? Eury Jr.: No. I think the same guys are still up front, I think it's just a matter that we're not winning them. We're not winning like we used to, but the same top-five cars are there. You've got Gordon; you've got the 48 (Jimmie Johnson), the 20 (Tony Stewart) and the two DEI cars. We're all still up front and it's just a matter of who's winning, because it's a different game. But right now, Hendrick's (Gordon and Johnson) is on top and it's our job and the 20's job to take that back from them. Q: What is the history of the racecar that you're going to take to Talladega for Junior? Eury Jr.: The car that we'll take there for Junior is the car that he run there at Talladega in the spring. We've done a lot of modifications to it since it run there and in fact, it's going to the wind tunnel on (last) Friday night. Michael will still be running the same car he's run all year, so we're looking forward to it. Q: When you look at altering a racecar like that, is it mostly body things that you're tweaking, or are you looking underneath the car for suspension settings and things like that? Eury Jr.: You can mess with floor pans, you can mess with crush panels -- there are a lot of body modifications you can do. You can tinker with the airbox and the cowl. Everything is a balance deal, so you pretty much have to just put all the ingredients together -- it's kinda like baking a cake, so we think that we've got a pretty good one. Q: In terms of the rules that NASCAR has effected this season, has anything they've done for Talladega made much difference? Eury Jr.: Not really. Everything that they've made rules for pretty much kind of fell our way -- it really hasn't hurt us at all. So they're not changing rules that are going to have that big of an effect. They've gone up on the rear spring rates but that's really not that big of a deal. Q: Talladega's one of those places that has more of a standard schedule, if you will so after most of the season, do you favor the new style schedule or the old version? Eury Jr.: You definitely like the new one, with these impound races. You can come in here and you can get it done, and you can move in the direction of a two-day show -- especially at the restrictor-plate races. You go there all day and you run two laps, so it's kind of ridiculous when they're only going to be piled up four-wide and stuff, so we'd like to do even more. You're still here the same amount of days, and we really wish they could cut that back, but it doesn't seem like there's any way you could do it -- you've still got to be here two-and-a-half days no matter how you look at it. But we definitely like it just for the (lighter) work load on the guys, you know, because we can get in here and we don't have to put two different set-ups under the cars and stuff like that (at impound races). Q: It looks like the latest version of the car of the future is going to test on Monday at Talladega, so have you had much input into that vehicle? Eury Jr.: I've not had much input into the one for NASCAR, but we are building one ourselves, at DEI. We're just getting going on the body, now. It's a totally radical deal -- it kind of reminds you of the old 1990 Monte Carlo deal -- it's kind of got a box roof and the windshield is real wide. It's not laid down like these cars. If most race fans will just picture a truck, and that's kind of what the cab of it looks like, sitting on a car, (is what it is). Q: What's your opinion of that whole program, and is it critical, if you will, for NASCAR to do it the "right way" as far as being a benefit to team owners; and overall, is it a good thing? Eury Jr.: It depends on how they do it. They've got all the right ingredients there. They're trying to take some of the shock out of it, for the drivers (in case of an accident). Like the left side frame rails -- we're putting lead rails on the outside of the main frame rail (for ballast) and that's hitting the wall and the driver's feeling all the G's (g-forces). There are some things on their car that you can look at and you're going, "Wow, that's going to be neat -- that's going to be a good thing." And there are other things about the car where you're going, "This is not a 1965 car -- we need to look at some technology from 2000." But overall NASCAR's always done a good job at what they've done and we just hope that it turns out to be the best for everybody. Q: If you could be king of NASCAR for a day, what would you do with restrictor-plate racing and the regulations for it? Eury Jr.: That's a hard one. With the restrictor plates, that's just another rule that the race fans think NASCAR can govern (the sport with). I'd pretty much just like to see 'em run what ya brung. If you could downsize the cubic inches of the motor, you could probably get to the same deal (speed-wise). But I mean, back in the day when you were running V-6's (in the Busch Series) you were still running just as fast. With as smart as people are today and with the technology that's available, it's just hard to beat it, but then again it's just hard to have that one deal where people think that something's going on. Q: Do you enjoy sitting on top of the pit box at a place like Talladega. Eury Jr.: Yeah -- I enjoy calling the race and just trying to make the car go fast. But you know, it's still a team effort and these guys have got to do their job and I'm just one part of it. But I really do enjoy sitting up on the box. Q: Junior's done so well with plate racing, and at Talladega especially, so what do you feel like is his strength at that racetrack and in that kind of racing? Eury Jr.: He just understands the draft so well. I mean, we can pretty much help him a little bit with the set-up and the aero body -- we've got to give him a car that's as good as what he's competing against, so he can win. But he's as good as his dad was as far as just drafting, and knowing where the air is at and knowing how to move the car around in the draft. So my hat's off to him, because he's got it figured out. I've just got to give him something that he can compete with. Earnhardt happy to be back with Eury Jr. Tony Eury Jr. was back on cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s pit box last Sunday at New Hampshire, and the result was a satisfying fifth-place finish. "It was a lot of fun," said Earnhardt, who has had a mostly forgettable season. "I think everybody saw it coming, and I'm glad he's back. Last weekend was a good start for us. I was real proud of my team." Tony Eury Sr. was removed as Earnhardt's crew chief and promoted to an executive position at Dale Earnhardt Inc. following the 2004 season, while Eury Jr. was promoted by DEI from car chief to crew chief, but with Michael Waltrip's team. Earnhardt said a separation was needed because he and the younger Eury were not getting along. Now they are back together and Earnhardt, who was eliminated several weeks ago from contention for NASCAR's season-ending, 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, could not be happier. "People assumed that we'd just go through the motions in these final 10 races, but honestly, Tony Jr. coming back has kind of put a jolt in our enthusiasm," Earnhardt said. "He's bound and determined to win some of these races and remind everybody what they've got to deal with next year. "It's kind of funny, actually, because I think his real motivation comes from the bonuses in his contract for wins and top-fives. He said he hasn't gotten as many bonuses this year as he did last year, so he has 10 races to try to make up the difference. I thought that was pretty funny." Earnhardt is confident heading to Dover, Del., this week. "It's a place where we've won, so there's always that confidence there," he said. "Last year we raced our guts out for a couple of top 10s, especially the first one. We were two laps down with about 50 to go and ended up finishing third. "Hopefully, we'll have a good car. We're taking a brand new car Tony Jr. built. It's no secret he builds great cars, and I'm looking forward to driving one of them again." Righting a wrong move Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn't just reunited with Tony Eury Jr., his cousin, former car chief and assistant crew chief, on Wednesday. No, the announcement trumpeting the two Juniors joining forces to lead the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, beginning with this weekend's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, was much more. It was the final chapter of what was one of the most unusual moves ever seen in NASCAR. In December, there was an inexplicable and wholesale trade of crews between Earnhardt's No. 8 team and soon-to-be former teammate Michael Waltrip's No. 15 group. Simply put, it was a huge failure and one that shouldn't have happened. While it was understandable that majority team owner Teresa Earnhardt wanted to make Waltrip more competitive, she didn't go about it the right way. You just don't take everyone – save for the driver – from a team that finished the season fifth in the standings (Earnhardt's), and ship them and everything else, including the organization's top cars – again, save for the driver – to a team that finished a mediocre 20th in the standings (Waltrip's). I have to wonder if no one within DEI including Dale Jr. had the guts to tell Teresa Earnhardt that you don't take the first string away from the franchise (Junior) and give it to the second-stringer. It just didn't make sense. And the odd thing is virtually everyone in NASCAR outside of DEI and I'm sure there were a few doubters within the organization who held their tongues – scratched their heads and said, "What the heck are they thinking?" To "promote" Tony Eury Sr. to director of competition, move Eury Jr. to Waltrip's team as crew chief and bring in the virtually untested Pete Rondeau as Dale Jr.'s crew chief – was a disaster waiting to happen. Not only that, while DEI promised Rondeau would continue to have another job after he was ultimately relieved of his crew chief duties in mid-May, he stayed just two more months before leaving in mid-July to become research and development director for Evernham Motorsports. When the switch occurred, it also was the beginning of the end for Junior's Chase hopes in 2005. In fact, he'll be lucky with a finish higher than his career-low 16th, which occurred in his rookie campaign in 2000. For the record, Earnhardt Jr. is now 17th in the standings. Sure, we heard all about how Junior felt he needed a change, that he was clashing too often with Tony Sr. – and to a lesser extent, Tony Jr. – and that sometimes you just need to break family ties in order to move forward. Junior complained that there was too much chatter with his cousins on the team radio and it was taking away from his concentration on the racetrack. As it turned out, Junior had exactly the opposite relationship with Rondeau and his new team members this season. The resulting silence was so deafening that Earnhardt had to literally beg for someone to talk to him on the radio to keep him pumped up. Yep, I bet those spirits are real high right now. We also heard part of the reason for the team switch was how the organization wanted to inject new blood into both teams. As it turned out, however, Type A just doesn't clot very well with Type O. Now we have a potential redemption time for the two Juniors and the No. 8. While guys like Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Rusty Wallace concentrate on winning this year's championship, Eury and Earnhardt can begin working on 2006. If the reunification works, such a strategy could put the No. 8 Chevy ahead of most other teams – particularly those in the Chase – in gearing up for next season. Earnhardt's "interim" crew chief, Steve Hmiel, will now return to his former role as director of research and development for DEI. While Hmiel did make Junior shine a few times since taking over for Rondeau, being a crew chief didn't necessarily play to his strengths. It is as someone who focuses on the things that made Earnhardt and DEI famous – namely, the domination they had for several years in restrictor plate racing – where Hmiel excels, where he's most comfortable and arguably, where he belongs. He also wasn't a bad spotter for Junior atop the grandstand on race day, either. Quite frankly, the Earnhardt Express was derailed big-time in 2005. What was once a driver and car that were the toast of NASCAR – though Earnhardt remains the most popular driver in the sport – are now nothing short of an embarrassment to DEI and to the sanctioning body. How could someone so good drop so far so fast? Simple: DEI greedily messed with success. It took something that wasn't broken and tried to fix it. Invariably, whenever something like that is done, it winds up mucking up the situation even more. And, Waltrip, hoping for greener pastures with Bill Davis Racing, is 22nd in the standings and 158 points behind his soon to be ex-teammate, You know, Waltrip ironically may still wind up being the big winner in all this. He has a good chance of finishing higher than Earnhardt by season's end. I guess the experiment kind of worked after all, didn't it? Earnhardt Jr. sees Chase hopes go up in smoke Dale Earnhardt Jr. watched any hope of qualifying for NASCAR's Chase for the championship go up in smoke. He blew his engine -- and any remaining chances to make the top 10 -- on the 211th lap Sunday night in the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway. His Chevrolet was spewing smoke and hemorrhaging oil as Earnhardt nursed it off the track. He said any chance he had at the championship ``has been over for at least 80 laps,'' and obviously was disgusted with the way his engine performed. ``It finally broke. We struggled all day and all night down the straightaway,'' said Earnhardt, who was eliminated as he dropped to 18th in the point standings. ``We ran it hot in qualifying, I did, and might have burned something up in the motor and it finally just broke. Our car was horrible. But it's real disappointing. ``I'm really glad it's over with and I'm ready to go to Richmond. I promise my fans I'll be back in victory lane next year.'' Heading into the race, Earnhardt had only a slim mathematical chance of squeezing into the top 10. He qualified 41st. ``We just had a bad night tonight -- plus all year,'' he said. ``I'm surprised. I bet you all are surprised.'' Earnhardt has won only once in the series this season and has led only 17 laps. Former series champion Dale Jarrett also was all but eliminated from Chase competition after finishing 24th. He remained 14th in the standings but fell 117 points behind 10th-place Jamie McMurray. Earnhardt announces plans to field a team as car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. is expanding his role as a car owner, announcing plans Tuesday to field a team in the Busch Series next season. JR Motorsports, the business Earnhardt owns independently of all his other ventures, will run Mark McFarland in the No. 88 Chevrolet. The U.S. Navy will sponsor the team. "When I started JR Motorsports, I didn't have a vision or a dream or a five-year plan," Earnhardt said. "We have basically let this thing grow legs on its own." The team debuted in the Hooters Pro Cup Series this season, with McFarland earning one win and 10 top-10 finishes in 13 starts. It's a separate entity from Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team Earnhardt drives for but is owned by his stepmother, Teresa. It also has no affiliation to Chance 2 Motorsports, a Busch Series team Earnhardt co-owns with his stepmother. Martin Truex Jr. won the Busch Series title in that car last season and is currently first in the points standings this year. Earnhardt said he wants DEI involved with his new team, but currently has no firm agreement. He was also vague on whether or not DEI will provide him with engines for his Busch car. "It is very important that DEI is incorporated," he said. "This isn't separate. It's my own company, but I want it to benefit DEI. They can be a big part of this and they can support us and we can be successful." Sponsorship from the Navy is not a huge stretch for Earnhardt, a driver with a hard-partying reputation. On the Navy side, there is no bigger driver it could have chosen to use in its recruitment campaign. And Earnhardt points to his experiences as a high schooler attending military school for his appreciation of the armed services. "I look at my experience in military school as a big change in my life," he said. "It got rid of the rough edges and put me on a straighter path." Earnhardt said he has approached Tony Eury Sr., currently director of competition at DEI, to run his new Busch program. Eury, who is also Earnhardt's uncle, was Earnhardt's crew chief when he won his two Busch titles and for the first four seasons of his Cup career. "Pops won't decide," Earnhardt said. "He's been at DEI a long time so it's hard for him to just up and leave. But at the same time he wants me to succeed with this, so it's hard for him to decide what he wants to do." Meanwhile, Earnhardt said that since Truex is moving to the Cup series next season, Chance 2 will likely scale back to a part-time Busch schedule next year. "We just haven't found anything that has captured our heart the way Martin did," he said. Eury Jr. to move back to Earnhardt's team beginning this week Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be reunited with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. beginning with this week's event in New Hampshire, a team official said Wednesday. The duo will finish the season together to get a head start on 2006. Earnhardt failed to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup title, so he can use the final 10 races of this year to experiment. "We just wanted to get geared up for next season," Richie Gilmore, vice-president of Dale Earnhardt Inc., told The Associated Press. "This gives them a chance to start working on their chemistry. With both of our cars out of the Chase, the time was right to move forward." Eury worked under his father, Tony Eury Sr., on Earnhardt's car from the beginning of Earnhardt's NASCAR career. The Eurys led him to the Busch Series title in 1998 and '99 and went with him to the Cup series in 2000, where they won 15 races, including five last season and the Daytona 500. But team owner Teresa Earnhardt made a wholesale swap of crews during the winter, moving Eury Sr. into a management role while making Eury Jr. crew chief for Michael Waltrip. The swap was necessary because the relationship between Earnhardt and Eury Jr., who are also cousins, had deteriorated to the point that the two were hardly speaking at the end of last season. Earnhardt struggled after the switch, fired his new crew chief in May, and has been working under DEI's longtime technical director Steve Hmiel since. It helped at first, Earnhardt won at Chicago in July, but he failed to make NASCAR's post-season. Waltrip is also out of the Chase, and is leaving DEI at the end of the season, so Gilmore said the time was right to move forward. He also said the swapping of crews was not a mistake. "As a company, we learned a lot from it," Gilmore said. "Dale Jr. and Tony Jr. had not worked together before in this capacity, Tony Jr. was never his crew chief, so it enabled him to get some experience working with someone else. "The time apart also helped their relationship." Earnhardt has admitted that separating the two was the only way to save their personal relationship. "We didn't change the teams because of a performance issue. We changed it because of an attitude issue between me and Tony Jr.," he said. "We changed it, maybe not for the right reasons, but the change did what it was supposed to it. It fixed his attitude and it fixed my attitude. "It's not always greener on the other side for either one of us. We both look at each other and talk to each other today totally different. I think that gives us that opportunity to work together in the future that we wouldn't of had if we would have run ourselves totally apart." Waltrip will finish the season with Tony Gibson calling the shots for his crew. When he leaves at the end of the season, he is expected to take sponsor NAPA with him. That means that Earnhardt and Martin Truex Jr., who is moving up from the Busch series, will be the only two full-time teams at DEI next season. The team may field a third car on a part-time basis with Paul Menard driving it, Gilmore said. Earnhardt, Eury to reunite Dale Earnhardt Jr. and former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. will be reunited in time for Sunday's race at New Hampshire. Eury has been Michael Waltrip's crew chief this season. Tony Gibson, Waltrip's car chief, is likely to succeed Eury as crew chief and stay with the No. 15 team for the remainder of the season. Waltrip is leaving with NAPA at the end of the year to drive the No. 23 car for Bill Davis Racing. Earnhardt is 17th in points and out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but he still has an outside chance to collect the $1 million prize that goes to the driver who finishes 11th for the season. Junior is 150 points behind 11th-place Elliott Sadler and also trails Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Joe Nemechek and Dale Jarrett entering the Chase races. Earnhardt focused on getting DEI back on track Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s season of discontent is not the end of the road for the No. 8 team. In fact, he makes a case that the final 11 races -- beginning Saturday night at Richmond -- will be more than making laps toward a year-end vacation. "I'm pretty disappointed I didn't make the Chase," Earnhardt said, "but we've got to look forward to what we can do these next 11 races to make next year a better year. [We will] just try to figure out what we need to do to make sure the team's right, the car's right." The season began with high expectations after Dale Earnhardt Inc. swapped the crews of the Nos. 8 and 15 in hopes that both Earnhardt and teammate Michael Waltrip would be in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Tony Eury Sr. also was promoted from crew chief of the No. 8 to director of competition for DEI, and Steve Hmiel became technical director. The adage about the best laid plans? Yeah, it's true. Waltrip fell from contention early in the season (he was never higher than 14th in the point standings) and Junior officially was eliminated last week at California. The crew swap came under even more scrutiny when Pete Rondeau was relieved of his crew chief duties after only 11 races with Earnhardt and Hmiel took over on an interim basis in late May. So are more changes in order? "Yeah, we'll make changes," Earnhardt said. "I really can't talk about the changes we're going to make. "If me and Tony [Eury] Jr. are going to work together next year, that'd be a good idea to begin work [this season] on that relationship. With the few races left, use it to work on [team chemistry]. ... It'd be good to get on track with [Tony] if that's what we're going to do next year." Eury served as Junior's car chief before moving over to the No. 15 as part of the offseason swap, and he recently signed a contract extension to remain with DEI. However, Earnhardt said it's not as simple as saying he wants this or that and -- snap! -- it's so. "I suppose I could do that, but that's just not the way it's done," he said. "That's not the way you do business. It's a team. It's not just what one person wants. It's not what one person wants. ... It's what does Tony Jr. think? What does Steve Hmiel think? You get everybody's opinion and you try to get everybody. "I'm not the one with all the ideas and the best way to do it. I certainly can help, but I think there's a lot of experience there with Richie [Gilmore] and Steve and Tony Sr.; those are the guys who have to work together to make it all right." Earnhardt also said Teresa Earnhardt has done her job as the head of DEI. "With everything else she's had to deal with, she's done what she could," he said. "It'll be good when we get a few more people in there in a few places. She's under the understanding we need some kind of a head guy in there making some choices -- not necessarily over just motorsports -- but the whole show. But, I don't know; that's not my business." On the motor side, Earnhardt did not hide his disappointment after the engine blew up last week. To address the issue, Gilmore, who is DEI's vice president of motorsports, may have a larger role in building future powerplants. "I'm sure he'll go back and have some influence on the motors and we'll get some power back," Earnhardt said. "He's good at running the motorsports side of it, and he's good at building engines. He's good at both -- but he can't do both. He's got to do one or the other. He does both of them good, but probably can't do both of them together and make it happen. "[The crew] has been told what they're doing next year. Richie has sat down with most of them, and they all have an understanding about what they're going to be doing next year." In the meantime, Junior will focus on what racers do. "Try to win," he said. "That's what you try to do: steal a little bit of the spotlight from those guys in the Chase. You do what you can to win races. That's it." Long-term contract to keep Eury Jr. with DEI Dale Earnhardt Inc. announced Thursday that Tony Eury Jr. has signed a long-term contract to remain with the team. "Having such a loyal employee and talented crew chief like Tony as part of DEI on a long-term basis was an important objective for the continuity of our program," said Teresa Earnhardt, president and CEO of DEI. Currently the crew chief for Michael Waltrip, Eury Jr. previously was the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, despite a solid 2004 season in which Earnhardt qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, he slipped in the final 10 races to finish fifth in points -- a two-position drop from '03. "I couldn't be happier," said Eury, a 14-year employee of the company. "I've spent many years with DEI and always planned to be for a long time to come. With all the outside distractions now behind us, we can focus on winning races." Before the season, DEI looked to bolster both of its Cup teams by swapping the crews of the Nos. 8 and 15, with Eury moving over to run Waltrip's team and Pete Rondeau leading Earnhardt's crew. The swap eventually led to Rondeau being replaced by Steve Hmiel as crew chief of the No. 8 team. Waltrip also has announced his decision to leave DEI at the end of the season, and speculation remains that Earnhardt and Eury could be reunited. "We'll let you guys worry yourselves about what we're going to do in the future," Earnhardt said after Waltrip's decision. "We're just going to concentrate on one week at a time. I think once we get to the end of the season, we'll have a real clear picture about of what might be the best for us to do." Entering Michigan, Earnhardt is 15th in the standings, 163 points behind 10th-place Carl Edwards in the Race for the Chase with four races remaining until the 10-race playoffs begin at New Hampshire on Sept. 18. Waltrip is 21st with no hope of making the Chase. For 2006 NASCAR competition, DEI plans to field the Nos. 1, 8 and 15 cars on the Nextel Cup Series circuit; and the Nos. 8 and 11 cars on the Busch Series circuit. Junior admits the Chase now pipe dream for No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s recent surge toward Chase qualification may have officially ended Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I ain't no fortune teller, but it ain't looking good," Earnhardt said. "It'll take something extraordinary to make the Chase, for us, at this point." Earnhardt was struggling along near the back of the pack Sunday in the Allstate 400 when, on a Lap 61 restart, the field bunched up behind leader Casey Mears -- and in front of Earnhardt. To elude the cars stacking up ahead, Earnhardt swerved and was tapped in the rear by Mike Skinner, sending the No. 8 Chevrolet head-on into the inside retaining wall. "We were all in line," Junior explained, "and the guys in front of me went, I went, then they stopped and I tried to stop, pulled out to let the guy behind me have that outside line in case he couldn't get slowed down enough and he hooked me in the right rear and sent me into the inside wall." Among those caught up in the melee was Earnhardt's teammate, Martin Truex Jr. "It's unfortunate, we got two of our cars crashed," said Truex, who won the Busch Series event Saturday night at Indianapolis Raceway Park. "I was having a lot of fun out there. That's it. I couldn't see anything really, just cars stopping. I tried to stop and go out by the wall and Junior come back across right in front of me. Wrong place, wrong time." Truth be told, Earnhardt's primary frustration wasn't the accident -- rather the performance of his racecar. "I had a terrible racecar [Sunday] and I'm glad it's over with," he said. "We tested real good, and we came here and we been junk. And it's frustrating when the car don't drive right. "I was in the back and trying to work on it every pit stop and get it better. We did all we could do. Can't help circumstances like that. "We can't bring cars like this to the racetrack. I knew when the race started it'd be a miracle to get a top-10 with that car. As long as we're bringing cars like that to the racetrack, that's where we're going to finish." Earnhardt Jr. open to reunion with Eury Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. blames the controversial crew swap with teammate Michael Waltrip on immature and childish behavior. Now that he realizes he was partly to blame for souring the relationship with former crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who is also his cousin, it appears the two could be reunited as soon as next season. "Tony Jr. is awesome. I always felt like he was going to be one of the best crew chiefs in the business,'' Earnhardt said. "I do want to work with him again. I think we should.'' Richie Gilmore, vice president of Dale Earnhardt Inc., said Saturday that it would be up to team owner Teresa Earnhardt to move Eury back to crew chief of the No. 8 Chevrolet. But it's clear to everyone involved that separating the two and sending Eury to run Waltrip's team did wonders for their relationship. "I think that they gained a lot of respect back for each other,'' Gilmore said. The crew swap at DEI has been widely viewed as a bust for Earnhardt, who has struggled with his new team. He fired the first crew chief he was given after 11 races and has been trying to salvage the season with technical director Steve Hmiel running the show on a temporary basis. Still, he has just one victory this season and is 14th in points heading into Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Waltrip's team, with Eury calling the shots, is 19th in the points but has run much better than its standing. But Earnhardt insists the switch was a good idea regardless of on-track performance. "We didn't change the teams because of a performance issue. We changed it because of an attitude issue between me and Tony Jr.,'' he said. "We changed it, maybe not for the right reasons, but the change did what it was supposed to it. It fixed his attitude and it fixed my attitude. "It's not always greener on the other side for either one of us. We both look at each other and talk to each other today totally different. I think that gives us that opportunity to work together in the future that we wouldn't of had if we would have run ourselves totally apart.'' Now forced to fight his way into NASCAR's Chase for the Championship, Earnhardt has just six races left to qualify for the playoffs. If he does get in, Gilmore said Saturday that DEI would not move Eury over to his team for the Chase. But no one is ruling out teaming the two in the future. In fact, Waltrip is leaving DEI at the end of the next season because the organization would not guarantee him that he would work with Eury in the future. However, Waltrip could end up with Eury anyway. Gilmore said Saturday that Eury has no contract with DEI and admitted Waltrip could take him to his next team. But he said early indications were that he would stay at DEI. "The Eurys have never had contracts, they've always just been there,'' Gilmore said. "It's always been an agreement and a year-to-year deal. Tony Jr. has told me he's not going anywhere and we're working on a deal and it would be his first contract -- ever. "That's the only place Tony Jr. has ever worked.'' Now that Earnhardt and Eury are getting along again, its likely that Eury won't leave. The cousins have always been close. When paired together on a race team, the two fought like brothers. It got so bad in the end that Earnhardt said the two hardly spoke the entire weekend of last year's season finale in Homestead, Fla. Teresa Earnhardt then swapped the teams a few weeks later, separating Earnhardt and Eury to give them a break. Now, the old adage "You don't know what you've got until it's gone" has never been more fitting. "We were driving ourselves apart with our attitudes toward each other,'' Earnhardt said. "Sometimes we act like children and sometime you need a lesson, and we had to give it to ourselves. "We're just both really immature for our age, and that's due to the fact that our fathers let us raise ourselves pretty much. The more mature we get, the easier it is for us to work together.'' DEI will get an overhaul sooner than later Last December, as the world of NASCAR became refreshingly silent and it seemed that Silly Season finally had stalled, Dale Earnhardt Inc. announced that its marquee driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and his crew and car chiefs -- Tony Eury Sr. and Tony Jr. -- were parting ways. Don't expect to wait as long for the reunion announcement. It's not a matter of whether the two Juniors -- call them Junior squared -- will work together in 2006 -- it's a matter of how soon the partnership will start. Although not likely, it could happen this season if Earnhardt doesn't qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Tony and his cousin, Dale, appear quite sheepish when asked whether they will be together as driver and crew chief. Eury, known as "Stiffy," changes the subject. Earnhardt offers Junebugisms, such as: "There is definitely a lot to it that will be understood down the road as it all unfolds." Hmmm. What will unfold at DEI before next season is a major personnel overhaul. The 2006 season will be the first time since 2000 that Earnhardt hasn't raced with Michael Waltrip as his teammate. Earnhardt will miss him but will gain Martin Truex Jr., the defending Busch champion and current Busch points leader. DEI sources expect a friendly rivalry to develop between the two, elevating both of their performances. Until DEI receives word on whether NAPA will sponsor the No. 15 without Waltrip, a third team is on hold. Earnhardt isn't ready to go public with a new partnership with Eury, who is Waltrip's crew chief this season. Earnhardt has worked with his latest crew through transitions to two very different crew chiefs and doesn't want to jeopardize what he has right now, especially with the momentum his team gained in July. Earnhardt has climbed from 18th to 14th in points since Sonoma. "The rest, we'll talk about all of that at the end of the season," he says. "We're just getting my (stuff) going, and I don't want to have to worry about any of that." Fair enough. In the past seven months, the new No. 8 crew has endured the wrath of the other side of Earnhardt Nation. Earnhardt, 30, has been puzzled about how quickly some fans turned on him and the team. Spectators yelled obscenities and spit on and thrown objects at crew members. Still, they stood by their man -- and were rewarded with the sweet taste of victory at Chicago, the type of 1.5-mile track that Earnhardt had struggled on for the past year. The week before at Daytona, Driver 8 complimented Eury Jr. for helping his team devise a setup. Earnhardt reiterated that point at New Hampshire, where he finished ninth. After Earnhardt limped back to the hauler at New Hampshire, the victim of a newly installed car seat, Eury was waiting. It appeared to be like old times: How did your day go? How was the car? Same questions, different season. Steve Hmiel has been a great interim crew chief, but his talents would be best used in DEI's developmental program. There's only one man for the No. 8 crew chief job, and that's Tony Eury Jr. Time running out for Gordon and Earnhardt to qualify Nextel Cup championship Time is running out for Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to qualify for NASCAR's chase for the Nextel Cup championship. Two of NASCAR's most successful drivers are both experiencing their most trying seasons and neither found their fortunes changed Sunday in the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. Gordon finished 13th and Earnhardt was 32nd, two laps behind winner Kurt Busch. Neither driver made a dent in the points standings either, with Gordon staying put in 15th place and Little E dropping a spot to 14th. "A lot of things happened that nobody really knows about, but we got the car better at the end," Earnhardt said. With about 145 laps left, Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet need a spring changed and he was held back a lap for speeding out of pit row. There are six races left to qualify and the "Chase for the Cup" begins at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sept. 18. The series is off next week before going to Indianapolis for the Allstate 400. It has turned out to be a mostly disappointing season for Earnhardt, thanks at least in part to an ill-advised swap of cars and crewmen with DEI teammate Michael Waltrip. Still, the popular driver insisted it wasn't too late for a turnaround. He still believes he can crack the top 10 or get within 400 points of the leader. "We'll get it back," he said. "There at the end, man, we were fast. We passed the second-place car and then ran away from him. So if you paid close attention to what happened today - well, I don't know how to explain it - but we'll be OK. "I can't wait to get to Indy." Gordon is 541 points behind points leader Jimmie Johnson and 114 points behind Dale Jarrett in 10th place. The worst career finish in Gordon's first 12 years on NASCAR's elite circuit was 14th in points in his rookie season of 1993. Earnhardt Jr. lamenting Waltrip's split with DEI Dale Earnhardt Jr. said obliquely Saturday there's no telling what the future holds for Dale Earnhardt Inc.; but his emotions about the upcoming departure of his teammate, Michael Waltrip, were obvious. "I'm sad because Michael has been my teammate for all my Cup career," Earnhardt said. "He's taught me a lot and he's just a fun guy to be around -- and he's been around, you know?" Earnhardt and Waltrip's exploits were most known on Cup's restrictor-plate tracks, where they won 10 of 13 races in one stretch, including finishing one-two in the 2001 Daytona races. "It's going to be weird, I guess," Earnhardt said. "I'm looking forward, I guess, to the rest of this season (but) he'll be missed, you know?" Waltrip and DEI announced Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway that Waltrip's five-year tenure with DEI -- which opened with the victory in the 2001 Daytona 500 -- would end at the conclusion of this season. Earnhardt's comments came after he qualified his No. 8 Chevrolet 24th for Sunday's New England 300. Earnhardt refused to be pinned down on much else, including whether or not he would make the Chase and if Tony Eury Jr. would be with the No. 8 team as crew chief in 2006. Earnhardt and Waltrip swapped crews -- including crew chiefs -- and cars before this season. The change was made despite Earnhardt having a career year in 2004, with six wins and finishing fifth in the standings. Earnhardt started the season with Pete Rondeau as his crew chief, but Rondeau was re-assigned within DEI in May and DEI technical director Steve Hmiel has served in the position ever since. "We'll let you guys worry yourselves about what we're going to do in the future," Earnhardt said of media speculation. "We're just going to concentrate on one week at a time. I think once we get to the end of the season, we'll have a real clear picture about of what might be the best for us to do." DEI's option to retain Waltrip being was up on May 1 and Friday's announcement came at the end of a protracted and futile negotiation centered around, Waltrip said, a lack of commitment to maintaining Eury Jr. as his crew chief. "I think there will be some changes for us," Earnhardt said. "Things can't stay the same forever. I really need to sit down and talk with Michael a little bit about it to understand it a little bit more. "I was hoping, personally, that we would have three race teams next year -- and with Michael, because Michael has always been my teammate. Of course I only want the best for him. "He's taught me a lot about how not to take everybody in this sport and yourself so seriously and to really enjoy life while being involved in this sport as a racecar driver." Earnhardt credited Waltrip with shaping a good bit of the man Junior currently is. "When I came in here I was pretty uptight and running pretty hard on myself every week," Earnhardt said. "He's just got a different attitude and he's a real fun guy to be around. I appreciate the time I've been with him. "I'm really looking forward to the last half of the season working with him and being around him because I know when he's gone we definitely won't see each other as much -- although we'll still call each other friends. "That's just the way it goes. I'm going to miss him." Earnhardt finally said his future with Eury Jr., his cousin, is also undetermined. "We haven't even talked about it," Earnhardt said. "Michael has been around this business a long time and apparently he feels like he has some good opportunities in other places. There is definitely a lot to it that will be understood down the road as it all unfolds." DEI, Waltrip parting ways at conclusion of season Unsuccessful in a six-week quest to agree to terms for a contract extension, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. have mutually agreed to part ways following the 2005 Nextel Cup Series season. "It's as mutual as any decision has ever been, because of my respect for DEI and the relationships I have there with Richie and Teresa. "Dale and Teresa and I go way back, so we wanted to be sure that so we didn't take a step back as an organization or as a team for me, that maybe I should try to find something else to do." Waltrip explained Friday that DEI held the option to renew the deal, with a deadline of May 1. After that, Waltrip was free to seek another job. So for the past month, the two sides worked diligently to agree on terms, but uncertainties about which individuals would make up his team left Waltrip leery. He opted out, and said Friday he has had discussions with owners about possible opportunities. He has received no formal offers. "The way I've performed and the job we've been able to do, I've got a lot of options for 2006," Waltrip said. "I thought I'd drive this car for the rest of my career, and I knew if that was the case, it means I'd be winning races and doing what I needed to do. "It's sad to say I'm not going to be at DEI anymore. "We're not really sure what 2006, seven, eight and beyond will look like. But I definitely will be in the Cup Series with a winning team." Waltrip wouldn't specify with whom he's spoken about future employment, but did make it clear he has no intentions of elevating his Busch Series team to the Nextel Cup ranks. He is also uncertain whether sponsor NAPA Auto Parts will stay at DEI or go with him to another team, but DEI motorsports director Richie Gilmore said in a statement Friday that the team was working diligently to re-sign NAPA and field a third team in 2006. "DEI's NASCAR Nextel Cup focus for 2006 will be to sharpen every entity of our race teams by preparing the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, driven by Martin Truex Jr., and the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., for the championship," Gilmore said. "Additionally, we are working diligently with our current partner, NAPA, on returning to the No. 15 car." Waltrip said he's not sure whether DEI plans to field three cars in 2006. "NAPA has a lot invested in me and they have a lot invested in DEI, so they were hoping we could figure out some way to stay together," Waltrip said. "They wanted to be with me and with DEI next year. That was their goal. "But when that became obvious that wouldn't happen, they're faced with a decision of what they need to do. I'm certainly open to seeing if they want to go with me, and at the same time encouraging them to stay at DEI, as well." This Bud's for 'Crashers' While Budweiser has some brief placement in the New Line release, company executives said they chose "Wedding Crashers" for the promotion because the R-rated movie was a perfect fit. "Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's characters could be taken straight from a Budweiser commercial," said Jim Schumacker, vp creative development and branded entertainment at Budweiser's Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. parent. Wilson and Vaughn play lifelong friends who crash their way into different weddings and different bridesmaids' hearts every week until one of them falls for the daughter (Rachel McAdams) of an eccentric but influential politician (Christopher Walken) at the social event of the season. "Wedding" marks the first time Budweiser is buying media to support a film promotion since it partnered with Ron Howard's "Backdraft" in 1991. Company executives declined comment on how much Budweiser was spending on the new promotion. One of Dobkin's TV spots features a group of young women being briefed with clips from the movie on how to deal with wedding crashers; the other features a man teaching his younger brother, also using clips from the film, the art of wedding crashing. The ads began airing last week. Other elements of the Budweiser promotion include sponsorship of the film's New York premiere and local screenings in 30 U.S. cities, a special paint scheme promoting the movie on Budweiser's No. 8 car in two NASCAR races this month, retail promotions and exclusive content offered on http://www.Budweiser.com. The Web site content includes outtakes from the movie, the film's soundtrack, a "Wedding Crashers" pickup line generator and a "Crash the Trailer" interactive editing feature that allows visitors to the site to place themselves and a friend in scenes from the movie trailer by downloading their photos. The edited trailer can be saved and e-mailed to others. Budweiser, which said it pays to place its beer in eight to 10 major studio films per year but is featured in a total of 40-50 movies a year, said it first cut a deal with New Line more than a year ago to place Budweiser in the movie but decided to do the commercials promotion only after seeing the finished film. Other promotional partners for "Wedding" include Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Circuit City, Tower Records, Guitar Center, Bloomingdale's and Jane and Maxim magazines. None of the other partners is buying media to support their tie-ins. Earnhardt Jr. buoyed by first win of season This season has been a whole new experience for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Before apparently turning a miserable year around two weeks ago with a third-place finish at Daytona and then solidifying the turnaround with a victory Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR's most popular driver was at times booed and vilified for leading his DEI team into a losing spiral. The crew on his revered red No. 8 Chevrolet was jeered on the way out of tracks and Junior's possible departure from Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team his father founded, was a subject of much speculation. Earnhardt's fall from grace was sudden. Little E has been a star since the day he first drove a car in NASCAR's top stock car series in 1999 -- partly because fans of his father, a NASCAR icon killed in a crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, have switched their allegiance to the son and partly because Junior's talent, hip-hop style and charisma have captured the imagination of younger fans. And he has given all of them plenty to cheer about, improving each year. The past two years in particular apparently set the stage for a strong run at the championship this year. Earnhardt finished third in the points in 2003 and won a career-best six races and finished a very competitive fifth last year -- the first season the title was determined by the 10-race playoff-style Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. But it has turned out to be a mostly disappointing season, thanks at least in part to an ill-advised swap of cars and crewmen with DEI teammate Michael Waltrip. "I don't think the boos bother me,'' Earnhardt said after the 16th victory of his career. "That kind of solidifies me in the sport because if everybody cheers for you, people feel like you never pay your dues. So if I'm getting booed a little bit, I'm paying my dues a little bit.'' He has certainly paid some dues in 2005. Until that strong run at Daytona on July 2, Earnhardt had just five top-10 finishes in 16 starts. Until he led the final 11 laps at Chicagoland, Junior had been out front for just five laps all season. Winning, especially the way he did -- with spectacular pit work all day and a two-tire pit stop that gave him track position at the end -- was a real boost to Earnhardt and his crew. As tough a year as it has been, though, Earnhardt says it hasn't all been bleak as the team has tried to work its way out of the disappointing slump. "This is the honest truth: As bad as some of the finishes are that we've had -- as hard as they are to stomach sometimes and to understand -- I've had a good time,'' Earnhardt said. "I've had fun with this team. "I never anticipated them being as good a bunch of guys as they are. They all like each other and get along. They don't put me in a bad position by putting me in the middle of a dispute. They are all giving their best and I feel like part of them.'' A big part of that positive attitude has been interim crew chief Steve Hmiel, who left his post as DEI's technical director in May to replace Pete Rondeau, who failed to spark a real chemistry with Earnhardt after switching from Waltrip's No. 15 team over the winter. Waltrip hasn't run any better than Earnhardt most of this season, but it did seem that he quickly developed a rapport with new crew chief Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt's cousin and longtime car chief. Hmiel, who was a top crew chief early in his career, said some of Earnhardt's problems in the first half of the season have stemmed from NASCAR's new aerodynamic rules -- shortening the rear spoiler and softening the tires -- that have made the cars more difficult to drive. "The guys have worked hard all winter. They didn't sit on their hands and rely on Junior to carry them to the front,'' Hmiel said. "Michael Waltrip's driving style is more conducive to this new tire. ... Junior had never really shown an affinity for that kind of set-up. "It's not like somebody had gone in there and messed everything up. The business changed and it coincided with us making a change with Junior. I had seen a bunch of things from being on the outside looking in that could be made better based primarily on the success that Michael Waltrip and Tony Jr. had.'' Thanks to the success of the past two races, Earnhardt is back in the race for the Chase, which will include the top 10 and any other drivers within 400 points of the leader after the first 26 races. Heading into Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Speedway -- the 19th of the season -- Junior is 13th in the standings, 115 points out of 10th and 491 points behind series leader Jimmie Johnson. And despair suddenly has turned to optimism. "About a week or two ago -- right before Daytona -- I decided to quit worrying about making the Chase, and to not let all the criticism and opinions of everybody bother me,'' Earnhardt said. "I kind of went back to old-school thinking, the way you do when you're a rookie and you're trying to focus on every lap, every turn, every day. "I have all the confidence in the world in my team and in Steve. Hopefully, we can keep doing what we did at Chicago. If we can, maybe we'll make the Chase.'' Sunoco Pit Move: Chicagoland It was hard to fault Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart for taking four tires at the end of the race. If that last caution hadn't flown, Kenseth probably would have won. Obviously, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stole a win with Steve Hmiel's call to take two tires, and all the cars that took two tires were the big winners because that last caution helped solidify their position. It's awfully tough to criticize Robbie Reiser, Kenseth's crew chief, for taking four tires on the final stop. It was pretty safe to assume that the last 19 laps would have been run under green. Instead, the yellow came out again, and Kenseth lost a ton of time getting around Stewart in the closing laps. Earnhardt's crew has got to be commended for putting together a two-tire stop that beat six other teams on pit road, and Stewart's crew gave him a 14-second pit -- with adjustments -- on the final stop. Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets big NASCAR win at Chicagoland Speedway A jubilant Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke through for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup victory of the season Sunday, using a two-tire strategy and holding off Matt Kenseth to win at Chicagoland Speedway. "I was worried I was going to go winless this year," the relieved Earnhardt said after smoking the tires on his No. 8 Chevrolet and celebrating with his crew in the infield grass. "Now, let's go out and do it again, win some more." Kenseth led 176 of the 267 laps but wound up second after choosing to change four tires and falling behind on his final pit stop in the USG Sheetrock 400. Earnhardt, NASCAR's most popular driver, has had a mostly miserable season and has had little to smile about until he turned in a third-place finish last week at Daytona. He started 25th on Sunday and spent most of the day hovering near the end of the top 10. The last of 10 caution flags waved on Lap 249, when Dave Bliss and Jeff Gordon crashed, giving all the leaders a last chance to pit on a day when right-side tires were blistering and causing numerous blowouts and crashes. Scott Wimmer stayed on track and took the lead, while Earnhardt and several other drivers took only two tires and moved ahead of both Kenseth and Tony Stewart, who both took four tires after coming into the pits first and second. The green flag came out on Lap 255 and it took Earnhardt three laps to get past Wimmer, who then faded quickly. Meanwhile, Kenseth charged toward the front, grabbing second place from Brian Vickers on Lap 261. But Kenseth couldn't catch Earnhardt, finishing about five car-lengths back. Jimmie Johnson, the series points leader, came back from a lap down to finish third, followed by Vickers and Stewart. Lap-by-Lap: Chicago Lap 267 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. withstands the charge from Matt Kenseth to win the USG Sheetrock 400 by 0.291 seconds. • Lap 265 -- With three laps to go, Matt Kenseth is 0.5 seconds behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. • Lap 262 -- Matt Kenseth passes Brian Vickers for second place and sets his sights on Dale Earnhardt Jr. with five laps to go. • Lap 258 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads Brian Vickers and Jimmie Johnson. • Lap 256 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Scott Wimmer for the lead -- and then Wimmer surges ahead. • Lap 255 -- Scott Wimmer brings the field to the restart followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeremy Mayfield in the top five. The rest of the top 10: Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Ricky Rudd. • Lap 254 -- Sterling Marlin's No. 40 Dodge is smoking badly as he goes behind the wall. • Lap 250 -- CAUTION: Mike Bliss gets into Jeff Gordon -- both end up against the wall -- to bring out the yellow. ... Anyone remember The Fixx's Saved by Zero? Neither do we. • Lap 249 -- And they're off (again) with Scott Wimmer (who did not pit) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (on two new tires), Jeremy Mayfield, Brian Vickers and Mark Martin in the top five. • Lap 245 -- Leaders come en masse to pit road. Matt Kenseth makes a four-tire stop in 11.7 seconds, while Tony Stewart (13.7) and Greg Biffle (14.1) also take four tires. • Lap 243 -- CAUTION: Debris on the track. • Lap 232 -- Kevin Harvick makes an unscheduled pit stop. • Lap 221 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Rusty Wallace in the top five. • Lap 216 -- Leaders come to pit road. ... Matt Kenseth again turns in a sub-14-seconds stop -- 13.8 -- while Tony Stewart is in and out in 14 seconds and Greg Biffle in 15.3. ... Ricky Rudd is penalized for speeding on pit road. • Lap 215 -- CAUTION: Michael Waltrip is the latest to cut a tire and crash. ... Kevin Lepage again gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 210 -- Stop us if you've heard this one, but Matt Kenseth is the race leader. He's now led 140 of 210 laps (66 percent of the race). • Lap 200 -- The top 10: Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, David Stremme, Rusty Wallace, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joe Nemechek. • Lap 189 -- Ryan Newman slaps the wall and begins dropping back. ... He tries to get down to the inside lane, but is stuck high with traffic to his left. ... As Newman approaches pit road, he's going to fast and has to pull back onto the track and make another lap before finally pitting on Lap 193. • Lap 188 -- Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart lead the pack to the green flag for the restart. The rest of the top five: Ricky Rudd, David Stremme and Ryan Newman. • Lap 184 -- Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart stay on the track, but most of the front-runners -- including Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle -- duck onto pit road. • Lap 183 -- CAUTION: Kasey Kahne's day goes from bad to worse; he blows the engine. ... Jimmie Johnson gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 180 -- Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers are running Nos. 1-5. • Lap 171 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick in the top five. The rest of the top 10: Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Rusty Wallace. • Lap 165 -- Leaders come to pit road. ... Tony Stewart again is fastest at 13.0 seconds, while Matt Kenseth checks in at 13.5 and wins the race back to the track. ... Jeremy Mayfield is penalized for speeding on pit road. • Lap 163 -- CAUTION: Elliott Sadler blows a tire and slams into the wall. ... Mike Wallace gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 157 -- Jimmie Johnson to pit road for four tires and fuel. He falls one lap down. • Lap 150 -- Three drivers have led at least 10 laps: Matt Kenseth (81), Greg Biffle (34) and Jimmie Johnson (21). Other leaders: Ryan Newman (9), Mike Wallace (1), Kevin Lepage (1), Ken Schrader (1) and Bobby Hamilton Jr. (1). • Lap 140 -- Matt Kenseth continues to lead, while back in the pack: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 11th, Michael Waltrip is 14th, Elliott Sadler is 19th and Jeff Gordon is 20th. • Lap 133.5 -- Somewhere between Turns 2 and 3 ... we're officially halfway through the season; Race 18 of 36 has 267 laps. • Lap 130 -- Matt Kenseth leads the field back to green-flag racing. • Lap 126 -- CAUTION: Kasey Kahne slows and is bumped from behind by Jamie McMurray, sending the No. 9 into the wall. • Lap 125 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth's Ford leading a five-car parade of Chevys: Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. Nos. 7-10 are the Fords of Kurt Busch and Mark Martin and the Dodges of Casey Mears and Rusty Wallace. • Lap 119 -- Pit road is open and the leaders come in for four tires and fuel. Matt Kenseth's stop is 14.5 seconds and he wins the race back to the track. Tony Stewart is in and out in 13.5 seconds (about the time it'll take you to read this paragraph). • Lap 118 -- CAUTION: Dave Blaney cuts a tire, skirts the wall, but is driving the car to the garage. • Lap 115 -- Three cars are not on the lead lap: Carl Long (-4), Jeff Burton (-6) and Stuart Kirby (-8). ... Three cars are out of the race: Travis Kvapil, Terry Labonte and Carl Edwards. • Lap 105 -- It's follow the leader out front, so back in the pack: retirees Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace are just outside the top 10, running in 11th and 12th, while David Stremme is 26th in his Cup debut. • Lap 100 -- The top 10: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt Jr. • Lap 95 -- Racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Brian Vickers and Greg Biffle in the top five. ... Defending race winner Tony Stewart, who started 43rd, is up to seventh place. • Lap 89 -- CAUTION: Jeff Burton, after making contact with Jamie McMurray, blows a left-side tire and scatters debris. ... Mike Wallace gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 87 -- Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick are jockeying for position behind Matt Kenseth, who now has a 1.253-seconds lead. • Lap 86 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers and Kevin Harvick in the top five. • Lap 81 -- Leaders to pit road. ... Matt Kenseth makes a 14.8-second stop and wins the race back to the track. Jimmie Johnson is second (13.2 seconds) and Greg Biffle (15.4). • Lap 79 -- CAUTION: Carl Edwards cuts a right-front tire and goes into the wall. ... Kevin Lepage gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 77 -- Terry Labonte to the garage with a broken shock. • Lap 75 -- The top 10: Nos. 1-5 -- Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson; Nos. 6-10 -- Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears and Joe Nemechek. • Lap 66 -- Matt Kenseth again passes Greg Biffle for the lead. • Lap 63 -- Carl Edwards is reeling in the leaders, now running fourth behind Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. • Lap 56 -- Jeff Gordon continues to fall, now running 27th. Two laps later, he's 37th. • Lap 50 -- It's shaping up as another dominating run by Roush Racing: Greg Biffle (first), Matt Kenseth (third), Carl Edwards (fourth) Kurt Busch (seventh) and Mark Martin (11th). • Lap 42 -- DEI's Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are on the inside lane and marching into the top 15. • Lap 40 -- Greg Biffle leads Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers and Jimmie Johnson. The rest of the top 10: Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Dale Jarrett, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. • Lap 32 -- Matt Kenseth surges past Greg Biffle for the lead -- and five bonus points -- and then Biffle resumes the point. • Lap 31 -- Greg Biffle passes Jimmie Johnson for the lead -- and Matt Kenseth follows into second place. • Lap 30 -- Green-flag racing resumes. • Lap 27 -- The field heads to pit road. ... Ryan Newman gets into Stuart Kirby; minimal damage. ... Greg Biffle is in and out in 14.2 seconds, Matt Kenseth in 14.8 and Jimmie Johnson in 14.1 to win the race back to the track. • Lap 26 -- CAUTION: NASCAR throws the yellow to give teams the opportunity to check their car. The top five: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick. • Lap 20 -- Jimmie Johnson is holding off a hard-charging Matt Kenseth. Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Casey Mears are running 3-5. The rest of the top 10: Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers, Scott Riggs, Mike Bliss and Carl Edwards. • Lap 14 -- Travis Kvapil has dropped a cylinder and is off the pace. • Lap 12 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Ryan Newman to regain the lead. • Lap 10 -- Ryan Newman continues to lead, with Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Casey Mears and Greg Biffle rounding out the top five. • Lap 7 -- Tony Stewart has moved from 43rd place to 33rd. • Greg Biffle has an oil temp gauge that may be bad. • Lap 3 -- Ryan Newman passes Jimmie Johnson for the lead. • 3:48 p.m. -- Green-flag racing begins with Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman brining the field to the stripe. • A'ight, strap in for 267 laps in the USG Sheetrock 400. ... Well, actually it's 400.5 miles, but who's counting. (Elliott Sadler says NASCAR may throw the caution about Lap 25 to give teams the chance to check out their cars.) Pre-race TV coverage ... • 3:39 p.m. -- Grand marshal and Cubs great Ryne Sandberg gives the command: "Here's to a World Series in Chicago. ... Gentlemen, start your engines." • 3:34 p.m. -- Bill Weber mentions Bears, Bulls, White Sox and Cubs fans. ... What, no Blackhawks fans? Yeah, hockey is that irrelevant. • 3:32 p.m. -- Toni Braxton sings the national anthem. • 3:31 p.m. -- Kenny Crosswhite delivers the prayer. • Allen Bestwick chasing Jamie McMurray, who walked away to talk with crew members before the interview began ... folks, that's live TV! • Is anyone looking forward to the Dukes of Hazzard movie? C'mon, wasn't there a better script in the pile, like a sequel to Howard the Duck or Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot? • Greg Biffle on Kevin Harvick: "It's all behind us." ... Well, there's another burgeoning rivalry. • Hey, did you hear? Benny Parsons recommended that Jack Roush take a chance on Greg Biffle. File it away; you'll hear it at least once more before Homestead. • Kevin Harvick on Greg Biffle: "Hope he can come to his senses on what he said." ... If you missed it, Biffle called Harvick a "punk" after Saturday's Busch Series race. • Six minutes -- that's how long it took to get the first plug, from Tony Stewart, for Home Depot helping Hurricane Dennis victims. ... One minute later, Jimmie Johnson got in a sponsor mention for Lowe's. Hope the on-track racing is as enthralling. • Who dressed Bill Weber today, some guy named Guido? • Stop the presses! Bill Weber's "Countdown to Green" intro did not include a rhyme. ... What's next? Greg Biffle inviting Kevin Harvick to dinner? • Jeff Gordon welcomes everyone to "Chicagoland Raceway." Junior digging into Chicagoland With nine races to go before the Chase for the Nextel Cup and more than 100 points to make up, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has acknowledged his tomorrows were two days ago. It's time for the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet to get it done, and that means running well at Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Junior knows the third place he scored at Daytona last weekend isn't cause for great celebration, but it's a lot better than he's done lately -- and it's a start. "It's hard to get excited about third place, but it was nice to get a podium finish," Earnhardt said. "I was real happy with the car my guys gave me, and just as much credit goes to the 15 team (DEI teammate Michael Waltrip) and Tony (Eury) Jr. "They helped us a lot on the set-up. Michael would've been right up there with us without the cut tire. That was unfortunate for him, but we'll all keep digging. It's the way it ought to be." Earnhardt qualified only 22nd at Chicagoland last year and finished 27th. He knows they need to do better. "The biggest challenge at Chicago is getting good track position, because it's really hard to pass there -- the further back you are, the more aero push becomes a factor," Earnhardt said. "We could do ourselves a favor by qualifying well." With the cutoff for the Chase field determined after September's race at Richmond, Earnhardt knows the drill. "We have to dig pretty deep here to see if we can't make some gains in the next couple of races," Earnhardt said. "You never know. Before the Chase was around, there were a couple years I was racing in the Cup Series where you didn't think that anybody wanted to win the thing, because it seemed that whoever got the lead would have a couple of weeks of trouble. It kept racing pretty tight." Junior hoping top-three will swing his momentum Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Saturday night began an inch-by-inch journey back into the Chase for the Nextel Cup in the Pepsi 400. Earnhardt took advantage of a third-place finish -- his best since he opened the season in the same position in the Daytona 500 and his first top-five since May 1 at Talladega -- to pick up two spots in the standings and 37 points on leader Jimmie Johnson. It about mirrored the effort by defending Pepsi 400 champion Jeff Gordon's team, which rallied for a seventh-place finish that bumped Gordon up a spot in the standings to 13th, and within a locked-into-the-Chase 396 points of first. "Jeff's not out of it by any means; they are a strong race team," Earnhardt said. "Us, on the other hand, we're on the bottom of the rope, just hanging on, and we don't have much further to slide before it's over with. "We have to dig pretty deep here to see if we can't make some gains in the next couple of races. You never know [so] we'll just have to see. We'll just have to keep trying until numerically we're not in it anymore." Even though his run was at Daytona, a track at which he's won at twice, Earnhardt acknowledged its importance. "That was a good run by the team," Earnhardt said. "I don't need it. I mean, I'm ready to go. My team's working hard. "It's not like they needed a kick in the butt. They were going hard all year, even during some of the harder times." For the 15th time this season, Earnhardt failed to lead a lap. But his No. 8 Chevrolet was competitive enough that he raced into the top-10 from his 39th starting position by just after halfway and remained there for the rest of the race. "Yeah, we had a pretty good car," Earnhardt said. "The racetrack was real, real tight with all the rain. And, we were working on the car to improve it, and it got a lot better as we went. "We fought real hard all night and got better track position as the night went on. We got a lot of help from all our friends [and] some unexpected help from one of my most fierce competitors right there at the end. "I was telling everybody before that restart, that I don't think Rusty's [Wallace] ever bump-drafted me in my career; he's always trying to pass me because we were such competitors, corporately. "He decided to tell me, from spotter to spotter, that he would help me. So, that was awesome at the end. We both gained spots there, working together [and] ended up with a good finish." In the past six races, Earnhardt had finished no better than 14th, and in the process he'd fallen from ninth to 18th in the standings. He entered Daytona 543 points out of the lead and said his hopes of making the Chase had about reached rock bottom. He didn't claim Daytona was a panacea, but he was pleased nonetheless. Now, the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated team hopes to keep the run going, even though Earnhardt claimed the concept of momentum was lost on him. "Hopefully, if anything, they say you carry momentum," Earnhardt said. "I don't know if that's a possibility or not." Earnhardt is 158 points out of 10th with nine races to the cutoff to the Chase for the Cup, so knows his chances are slimming. "We'll see what we can rack here in the next couple of weeks and try to close the gap on 10th place," Earnhardt said. "This obviously helps and more runs like this would help. "But, I understand this is Daytona and there aren't any more Daytonas and Talladegas before the Chase. We have to work really hard to gain ground on these other tracks we haven't had success yet this year." That starts with Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. Earnhardt said his memory was not that his 22nd place start and 27th place finish a year ago was totally horrendous. But still, he said his team had made enough changes and adjustments to run better this time around at Chicagoland. "I thought we were running good and we got into some trouble -- I can't remember exactly because it's been so long ago," Earnhardt said. "But I'm looking forward to it. "We've improved on our cars the last couple weeks and have had good-driving cars the last couple weeks and hopefully we'll get them to maintain. "We've found some things in the front ends to help our cars to get them good and fast and that was very evident to me, especially as a driver at Michigan and I think we'll be able to take some of that stuff to Chicago, fine-tune it and get it even better." Junior no longer the man to beat at Daytona Dale Earnhardt Jr. wearily climbed from his car, trudged down pit road and reluctantly stopped to answer a few questions. He didn't look, sound or act anything like himself -- especially at Daytona International Speedway, a place he has typically been the driver to beat. Not only has Earnhardt been unseated by Jeff Gordon as the master of restrictor-plate racing, his recent slump has made him an also-ran this season. Making matters worse, Earnhardt hasn't been able to shake flu-like symptoms that had him retreating to his motorhome between Friday's on-track activities for the Pepsi 400. "We've struggled a lot this year, you know?'' he said. He definitely struggled in qualifying for Saturday's race -- Earnhardt will start 39th. Everybody knows about Earnhardt's struggles this season. His team is in the dumps, ranked 18th in the points and in danger of not making the Chase for the Championship. He hasn't won a race, has led just five laps all season and been plagued by infighting between team members at Dale Earnhardt Inc. And on the eve of the 200th start of his career, he found himself in the most unusual of circumstances: For the first time in five years, he's not the overwhelming favorite to win at Daytona. But Junior, who has nine Daytona victories in various series, said he's still got a chance in Saturday night's race. "We've got good cars, we can win races here. I think we can get it done,'' Earnhardt said. "It's just harder. We were real dominating here a couple of years ago. We lost a little bit of that edge, but we've still got great cars.'' Then he paused and backtracked a moment: "Still got good enough cars to win. That's all that matters.'' But does he really? Aside from his third-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Junior has shown very little muscle this year. He's got just five top 10s this season and hasn't contended for a win since the May race at Talladega, the only other restrictor-plate track in the series. For five years, Earnhardt owned those races. But the field has caught him -- Gordon has won four of the past five plate races, including two straight at Daytona. At Talladega, he led just three laps and knew all day the No. 8 Chevrolet needed a whole lot of luck to win the race. Even worse, the field knew it, too. Tony Stewart, a common drafting partner of Earnhardt's at plate races, admitted that when the two teamed together "we weren't as potent a combination as we were in the past.' Asked after the race if Gordon had bypassed him as NASCAR's best plate racer, Earnhardt winced. "It's pretty obvious to me,'' he muttered. "Do I even need to answer that question?'' Two months later, there's little reason to believe things have changed. His performance has gotten noticeably worse in the seven races since, with three finishes of 33rd or worse. He fired his crew chief midway through May, and after wrecking teammate Michael Waltrip during the Coca-Cola 600, his uncle publicly criticized him. It painted a picture of a chaotic inner-circle at Dale Earnhardt Inc., where everyone was fighting and the cars had no chance of winning. Although the DEI insiders insist it isn't that bad, director of competition Tony Eury Sr. (also Junior's uncle) said Friday that the offseason decision to swap Earnhardt's crew with Waltrip's was probably a mistake. The move sent Eury --the only crew chief Earnhardt has ever had -- into management and sent car chief Tony Eury Jr. (his cousin) over to Waltrip's team. Weary of discussing the swap, Earnhardt ended his short interview session Friday when asked about it. "That's history. It's all in the past,'' he said as he pushed through the throng of reporters. Yes, it's all about the future now for Earnhardt. Only nobody knows where he, or his team, is headed. Recent comments he made revealed a desire to someday drive the black No. 3 for Richard Childress, who fielded that car for late Dale Earnhardt. Eury Sr. doesn't see it happened under the Childress roof. "He's always said, ever since his daddy got killed, one of these days he's gonna drive a 3 car,'' Eury said of Junior. "Just a remark he made a long time ago. Someday Richard might give us the number and we'll run it out of DEI.'' Not feeling well, and worn out by the constant public scrutiny he's under, Earnhardt was in no mood to discuss his future Friday. But good friend Martin Truex Jr., a rising star at DEI, said everything will work out for NASCAR's biggest star. "He's a pretty tough guy,'' Truex said. "He's not having the season he wants. But he's keeping his chin up and he's working hard and he's going to get back up where he needs to be.'' DEI chief blames struggles on crew swap The former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. acknowledges that the team made a costly mistake by swapping crews and cars with teammate Michael Waltrip during the offseason. Tony Eury Sr., now the director of competition at Dale Earnhardt Inc., said Thursday that the somewhat-surprising move turned out to be detrimental for both teams in Nextel Cup competition. He was the first team member to call the changes an error. Earnhardt, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet, has no wins, just one top-10 finish in the last eight races and sits 18th in the points. Waltrip rebounded from a rough start and has three top-10 finishes in the last six races, but is 15th in the standings. ``I guess we made a bad move over the winter, and our cars down there in the 8 shop weren't as good as we thought they were,'' Eury said. ``When you got something good I guess you should leave it alone. We won six races with him (Earnhardt) last year.'' Some might believe Saturday night's Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway would offer DEI a perfect chance to turn around its disappointing season. But after winning 11 of 16 restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega between 2001 and 2004, Earnhardt and Waltrip haven't been nearly as dominant this year. Earnhardt finished third at Daytona in February and 15th at Talladega in May. Waltrip was 37th at Daytona and third at Talladega. The crew swaps might have prompted the slide. Earnhardt's crew, including car chief Tony Eury Jr., took all of his cars and moved to Waltrip's shop, while Pete Rondeau, who finished 2004 as Waltrip's crew chief, took his crew and cars and went to Earnhardt's shop. Rondeau was fired in May and replaced on an interim basis by Steve Hmiel, the longtime technical director at DEI. The idea was to raise everyone's game. Instead, it backfired. ``We know we have problems we have to fix,'' Eury Sr. said. ``We don't want to make problems somewhere else trying to fix one problem. ``We don't need to make quick decisions. We made a quick decision and we paid for it. We're not going to make that mistake again.'' Dale Jr.'s bad luck continues at Sonoma It's tough to dismiss Dale Earnhardt Jr. from Chase contention, but his road just got a whole lot tougher. Earnhardt crashed on Lap 3 of the Dodge/Save Mart 350, severely damaging his No. 8 Chevrolet. Earnhardt Jr. said that his car has transmission problems from the start of the race, and it didn't take long for the entire set of gears to explode. Earnhardt slowed down immediately, and he finally made contact with Mike Bliss, which sent him hard into the outside wall. Bliss was able to continue. "I couldn't get out of (Bliss') way," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I am sorry I got into Mike. My car wasn't in gear at the time it got hit. "The transmission was a new, trick transmission and it didn't work. So, last year's transmission was pretty good." Earnhardt's team cut off the rear of his car and replaced his transmission, and he reentered the race 14 laps down. The transmission troubles end what was a promising weekend for Earnhardt Jr., who had surprised many in the garage with a fine qualifying run (10th) and by posting the fourth-best speed in Happy Hour. He entered Sonoma 17th in the points, 129 points out of third, and he needed a top-10 finish to build momentum for next week's event at Daytona. "I'm just frustrated that we put ourselves in this position. We are in control of this," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We need to not make these mistakes." A Junior moment Dale Earnhardt Jr. on being booed: "I never wanted to piss anybody off. I learned early that some people are going to like what you do whether you're a writer or a racecar driver. There's going to be some people that disagree with you, who don't like what you stand for or like what you said. There's really nothing you can do about it; you just have to roll with the punches. ... When I looked back at the times when I was booing, knowing what I know now, I would have never done that. It's no fun. I felt for Jeff (Gordon) all those years when they picked on him for being too polished and stuff. And now getting to know him as a racecar driver and a competitor, I realize he got a bad rap, too. There was a time after Dad died that everybody ... I never really got booed after that because they were like, 'We can't boo him now.' But now it's kind of eased off." Junior satisfied with team's progress Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s slide in the Nextel Cup standings hasn't been totally arrested, but he saw some sunshine in his 17th place finish at Michigan. "It's like (crew chief) Steve Hmiel said after the race, we'll never be happy with a 17th-place finish, but we did learn a lot," Earnhardt said last Sunday. "Everybody earned their pay today. We had a car that was really fast during several segments of the race -- and we were able to run with the leaders when we restarted as the first lapped car. "We started the day so far back, we were never able to gain the track position we needed. I told the guys on my team, even when things suck, it's fun driving with these guys. "If we keep bringin' stuff like this to the track, we'll get it sooner or later." Earnhardt also had some good news as the series heads to its first road course. "I did hear my buddies at the Corvette team finished one-two in their class at Le Mans," Earnhardt said. "That's pretty cool." Eury Jr.: Junior a long shot for Chase Tony Eury's public criticism of nephew Dale Earnhardt Jr. following an accident in the Coca-Cola 600 seemed to signal that morale at DEI was approaching rock bottom. Turns out it might just be the wakeup call the whole company needed. In the aftermath of Eury's outburst, the line communication between the Nos. 8 and 15 teams that had been slammed shut all season was re-opened. Right now it's just a crack. But compared to a month ago it's the Grand Canyon. "It took a blowup like that for everybody to sit down and sort it out," Tony Eury Jr. said. "After the Charlotte deal we all sat down and let everybody know how everybody feels, just kind of opened the lines up a little bit. "We just mainly wanted to find out who wants to stay and who's not wanting to be there. We didn't have that train of thought earlier in the season. Earlier in the season it was [about] who could get an edge on the other." Eury's No. 15 team currently has that edge. Driver Michael Waltrip is enjoying a career-best season. Earnhardt, a career-worst. Waltrip has posted three top-five and six top-10 finishes in the past nine races, including a fifth-place run at Pocono last week and a seventh-place effort Sunday at Michigan. Meanwhile, following a 17th-place finish at Michigan, Earnhardt dropped a position to 17th in the overall standings, 503 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. It is not for lack of effort. Earnhardt maintains his team is capable. But Eury Jr. said if Earnhardt is to make the Chase, the No. 8 team must improve dramatically, and in short order. "I know the 15 can [qualify]. The 8? They've got a lot of work to do," Eury Jr. said. "The 15, we've shown all year we can be in that Chase. We just had those two blown motors at the start of the year, and it's hard to dig yourself out of a hole in the first 10 races. "We just can't have any more screw-ups or be caught up in accidents or things like that. If that happens we can make this Chase without a doubt. Junior? It's gonna take a little bit more work on their part to get there. Hopefully he makes it, but it's going to be hard." Eury Jr. admits his team entered the season with a weighty chip on its shoulder following the offseason decision to swap crews between Earnhardt and Waltrip. "The biggest thing about the whole year was we wanted the world to know that that team wasn't riding Dale Jr.'s coattails," Eury Jr. said. "We're a legitimate team. We're one of the best out here. We can be in this Chase with Michael Waltrip or Dale Jr., either one. "I think when the change come a lot of people thought, 'Well, those guys are done. We won't see them no more.' That was a point we wanted to prove, and it got real tense around the shop. I'll be the first one to admit that. It was." Earnhardt said replacing Rondeau with Hmiel has been an important step in mending emotional wounds and righting a wayward ship. "When we put Steve in control of my team, him and Tony Jr. work together really well," Earnhardt said. "We've started to have meetings after practices and Tony Jr.'s been a huge help to me over the last couple weeks with some of the stuff they do to their cars. It's been awesome." Eury Jr. said his cousin is deflated by the way his season has unfolded, and often needs a reminder that he can't go it alone. "He's real down, but he's done a good job keeping his head up," Eury Jr. said. "He knows the deal, knows what's happening, and he knows he's still got the confidence he's always had. "That's the one thing I've been preaching to him the last couple weeks -- just keep your head up. You know what kind of driver you are. Don't think you're the problem. He's not going to be able to fix it. One guy ain't gonna make a race team. "I didn't make Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior didn't make me. We, together, made that 8 team. If he keeps his head up and gets the right people around him he'll be good." Junior is trying to remain positive, take it in stride. "It's racing, ya know? It's not always going to be Victory Lane," Earnhardt said. "We're working hard. I would be ashamed if I wasn't giving a good effort, but we're giving the best effort we can give. "So we can't be ashamed. There's some verbal punches out there that get thrown, but those don't really bother you that bad. You just kind of remember who said what and go on down the line." If nothing else, Earnhardt knows his blood has his back again, and is once again focused on helping him succeed. "Me and Dale Jr., we're as tight as ever," Eury Jr. said. "I'm 100 percent behind him and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him where he needs to be. I just want to make sure everybody's here and everybody's pulling the same rope. "All that's behind us now, and I kind of feel bad for him. I really do. To be the competitor he is and knowing how good of ability he's got, to see him going through this -- he's not going to pull it out on his own. "He's got to have help. And we can't help him, but we can. We're throwing some stuff at them just trying to get them in the ballpark. They've got a number of small issues and once they get that worked out they'll come around." Junior: It all adds up to making run at the Chase It's easy to point to tire problems as the reason Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 33rd at Pocono on Sunday, but his car didn't run well during the rare moments when all four of his tires were inflated. With 12 races to go for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, it's looking more and more evident that Earnhardt will have to pull off a healthy rally just to make NASCAR's 10-race shootout for the championship. His finish Sunday was his third in a row outside the top 20 and dropped him to 16th in the standings, 504 behind leader Jimmie Johnson. He's 124 points behind 10th-place Tony Stewart. Even so -- and despite Dale Jr.-unfriendly tracks like Michigan and Sonoma coming up -- Earnhardt swears he is not hitting the panic button. "We ain't doing nothing different that we can change and say this is why we ain't running good," Earnhardt said. "We are not doing anything crazy. Just got to keep working hard." Earnhardt has another two races to endure before the tour hits Daytona on July 2. And he's never been very good at Michigan or Sonoma, having never scored a top-five at either of the tracks. And a top-five, it seems, is exactly what Earnhardt will need to get back in the points race. "Should have been running better. We need to make the move now," he said. "We had a bad day [Sunday]. As long as it's mathematically possible, we'll keep working. We still got to show up and try to win races." Earnhardt never had a chance to win at Pocono, where he finished second in 2001. He started 35th and only got as high as 22nd before he endured his first flat tire on Lap 56. Even with the frustrating run, Earnhardt flashed his sense of humor. "Hopefully there ain't no driver changes," said Earnhardt, whose team went through a crew chief change two weeks ago. "That is all I am worried about." Earnhardt Jr. extends support for Hmiel Dale Earnhardt Jr. was busy preparing for Sunday's MBNA RacePoints 400, but his mind was still on Shane Hmiel, the son of his crew chief. NASCAR suspended Hmiel indefinitely on Friday after he failed his second drug test in less than two years. Hmiel is the son of DEI Technical Director Steve Hmiel, and many expected the younger Hmiel to eventually wind up with DEI. The elder Hmiel was just hired last week to be Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief. "I know that is a mistake you hate to see someone make twice, you know, he can still turn his life around," said Earnhardt Jr., who has been close friends with Hmiel for years. "I am just thinking about him, this weekend, I know he is probably down. But you know, that is a tough one." Earnhardt Jr. said he would continue to support Hmiel's career. "Whatever I can do to help him," Earnhardt Jr. said. "It's disappointing, but I won't turn my back on my friend. I'll help him however he needs to be helped." DEI responds to incident in Coca-Cola 600 Dale Earnhardt Inc. officials said on Saturday that last weekend's crash between teammates Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip was "definitely not intentional." Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip tangled on Lap 246 at Lowe's Motor Speedway last week, ruining both cars and triggering an angry response from the Waltrip camp. Earnhardt Jr. went into DEI on Monday and apologized to Waltrip's crew. Richie Gilmore, Director of Motorsports for DEI, said that the wreck was caused -- in part -- because Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet was so fast. "That was probably the best that car has been all year," Gilmore said. "Just a mistake. He caught him faster than he thought he was. DEI crew chief rumors Days after DEI announced that Pete Rondeau would not continue as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr, the rumors have started to fly, with Jimmy Elledge and Robbie Reiser's names bandied about. Eury Sr. has stern words Dale Jr. after wreck Tony Eury, Dale Earnhardt, Jr's uncle and former crew chief, was none too pleased with his nephew Sunday night after Earnhardt wrecked teammate Michael Waltrip in the Coca-Cola 600. "I don't know what his problem is with Michael, but it'll be fixed tomorrow I'll guarantee it," an irate Eury said. "He acts like he's friends with (Waltrip), but every time he gets around him on the racetrack he ends up wrecking him." Waltrip was running in seventh position and Earnhardt eighth when Earnhardt got into Waltrip's Chevrolet exiting the tri-oval on lap-247, sending the No. 15 Chevy hard into the wall and collecting Matt Kenseth and Terry Labonte in the process. "I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Kenseth said. "The 8 car just ran over the 15 in the straightaway. "I had Michael passed two or three times, I had him passed in (Turns) 3 and 4, but I couldn't quite finish the pass. He'd go back by me in (Turns) 1 and 2, which there's nothing wrong with that because that's his job. I just couldn't get by him. "Dale Jr. got by while I was trying to pass Michael. He tried going outside of Michael a little bit and then he just turned under him and just hit him in the straightaway." Labonte was sore following the crash and was taken by ground to Carolinas Medical Center for precautionary reasons. He was treated and released. Kenseth and Waltrip were uninjured, though Waltrip did have the wind knocked out of him. Eury said any issue between Earnhardt and Waltrip would be addressed in short order. "I don't know what the problem is, but DEI's got enough problems that we don't need that," Eury said. Hmiel named interim crew chief of No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. announced Tuesday, effective immediately, that Steve Hmiel will serve as interim crew chief on the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hmiel, who is the technical director at DEI, replaces Pete Rondeau after only 11 races. "We are capable of consistently winning and are focused on that as a company. We are going to concentrate our efforts on improved results with the No. 8 car," said Richie Gilmore, vice president of motorsports for DEI. "Pete is a valuable asset and has brought a number of innovations to our organization. He will continue to do that in a different capacity and we're happy that Pete is so strongly dedicated to Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and its success," Gilmore said. Earnhardt has struggled this season, posting five top-10 finishes. He is currently 11th in the point standings, 229 behind leader Jimmie Johnson. After finishing third in the season-opening Daytona 500, Earnhardt scored three consecutive finishes outside the top 20. However, in the past seven races he hasn't finished worse than 15th. "We have high expectations of how our teams are to perform and we will utilize every resource we have to win races," Gilmore said. "Our primary objective is to get the 8 and the 15 [Michael Waltrip] solidly into the Chase for the Championship and as a company, we're focusing everything we have at that goal." Rondeau started with Jasper Motorsports, serving as car chief for the No. 77 team before moving to DEI in 2002 to work as Waltrip's car chief. Last October, in a shakeup with Waltrip's team, Rondeau replaced Slugger Labbe as crew chief. But more shakeups were on the way when the No. 8 and No. 15 teams essentially swapped crews. Tony Eury Sr. was promoted from crew chief of the No. 8 to director of competition for DEI, while Hmiel, the previous director of competition, was named the company's technical director. At the same time, Rondeau was named crew chief of the No. 8 team, and Tony Eury Jr. moved over to crew chief for the No. 15. The core members of the Nos. 8 and 15 teams collectively transfered intact with the promotions of Rondeau and Eury Jr. Earnhardt Jr. struggles mightily in All-Star quals Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in a bad mood after practice for the Nextel All-Star Challenge, and after his qualifying run Friday night, it probably didn't get any better. Earnhardt Jr. will start Saturday's All-Star Challenge 20th after qualifying dead last Friday night. That included a 20-second penalty for entering pit road too fast. The 2000 All-Star winner will be behind the eight-ball when the race starts, but that's not when they pay the $1 million-plus. "I was in a real bad mood earlier today," Earnhardt Jr. said. "The car wasn't working. Michael's [teammate Michael Waltrip] was struggling, couldn't get the cars to turn." That explained the bad mood going in, but despite a two-hand wheel grab at the entrance to pit road -- and the resulting penalty-- Earnhardt was a lot happier once he qualified. "The car drove real well," he said. "I made a mistake on the pit road going too fast, just trying to go for it. But I'm real happy about how the car turned and how the car worked, So I'm way more optimistic now than I was two hours ago." On his out lap, everything was fine, but when he hit the apron to get down into pit lane and the 45-mile-per-hour pit road speed, the car jumped right and into the grass. He was way too fast entering, ringing the bell on the penalty. After a fairly uneventful pit stop, he was back on the gas and logged a lap at 2:26.022, which with the penalty was just .457 seconds slower than Dale Jarrett's, who was also docked for speeding. Kevin Harvick also absorbed the 20-second penalty for being too fast on pit road. Junior was unconcerned about starting in the back. "We just want to keep making a few more changes and get the thing a little bit faster," Earnhardt said. "Man, I would even forfeit it and start in the rear because it really doesn't matter. "We've just got to get the car right for the race. We've got a long time to get up to the front and if we get it right, we can do it." Dale Earnhardt Jr. faults Jimmie Johnson for big Talladega wreck Dale Earnhardt Jr. called Jimmie Johnson an "idiot," and blamed the Nextel Cup series points leader for causing a 25-car accident at Talladega Superspeedway. "If there was one idiot out there it was him," Earnhardt said during a break Tuesday in a test session at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "To be honest about it, I think Jimmie Johnson caused about all the wrecks out there." Both Earnhardt and Johnson were at the centre of the massive accident in Sunday's race at Talladega that wiped out half the field and ranked as the second-largest melee in track history. Earnhardt was behind Mike Wallace on the front straightaway when he used his car to push Wallace ahead. The practice is called "bump drafting" and the drivers had been asked by NASCAR in their pre-race meeting to be cautious when doing it. But when Earnhardt used his speed to get Wallace moving faster, Wallace wiggled just a bit. Johnson drifted up the track at the same time and ran into the side of Wallace. The contact sent Wallace careening into the wall, and 24 other cars piled up behind him. Earlier on Tuesday, Greg Biffle blamed Johnson for the six-car accident that knocked Biffle and Earnhardt out of contention in the closing laps. Johnson bounced off the wall, and when he tried to save his car by moving back down the track, the cars piled up around him. "I hate to point fingers, but if (Johnson) hadn't been in the race, we wouldn't have had those wrecks," Biffle said. "I've seen both replays and I don't care what anyone says. I like Jimmie. He's a talented driver. But he caused both wrecks. "Bump drafting had nothing to do with it. Restrictor plates had nothing to do with it. It was orientation to where you are on the racetrack and where the other cars are." Johnson deflected criticism for both accidents, saying the first was a series of events that culminated in the big wreck and the second was "hard racing." "I think that our wreck on Sunday was a racing incident," Johnson said. "If you took one of those components out of what took place to start that big wreck, it wouldn't have happened. It's hard racing. "You're an inch and a half apart from one another, cars bouncing all over. They're hard to drive." Johnson, who leads the Nextel Cup standings by 130 points over Kurt Busch, has been criticized recently by his fellow competitors for his driving style. Jeff Burton was angry with Johnson after Bristol, where Johnson hit him from behind and sent him into the wall. And Tony Stewart has been feuding with him on and off since Daytona, when Johnson blocked him up and down the race track in the closing laps. Then, two weeks ago in Phoenix, Stewart said Johnson hit him to cause a spin that also wrecked Rusty Wallace. "I don't know what he was doing," Stewart said after the race. "He was running guys up and down the racetrack." Both Johnson and Stewart said at Talladega that everything was fine between them. Jeff Gordon, Johnson's car owner and teammate, defended his protege Tuesday and said Johnson is upset about all the criticism. "I talked to him and I know he's feeling really beat up over it," Gordon said. "But he really feels like it wasn't his fault. To blame one person in that accident is very unfortunate because I don't think it was any one person." DEI no longer dominant on restrictor-plate tracks Ever since the 2001 Daytona 500, it has been a virtual certainty that one of the cars from Dale Earnhardt Inc. would win NASCAR's restrictor-plate races. After all, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had won five races at Talladega Superspeedway and two at Daytona International Speedway. Teammate Michael Waltrip had won three times at Daytona including two Daytona 500s and once at Talladega. But the title of "King of the Restrictor-Plate Tracks" now belongs to Jeff Gordon. He had the dominant car in Sunday's Aaron's 499 for his fourth win in his last five restrictor-plate races and second in succession in this event. It was the second straight year he has won this race. The only time in that span that Gordon has not won on a restrictor-plate track was last October, when Earnhardt won here and uttered his infamous "It don't mean (bleep)" on national television in victory lane. For the record, Waltrip did finish third Sunday and Earnhardt was charging through the field until he was part of the last crash on the backstretch that forced the race into overtime. But DEI appears to have lost the edge it enjoyed from 2001 to last April's race at Talladega, when Gordon was able to win a controversial race that ended under the yellow flag. Even young Earnhardt admitted his car is no longer the best in the field on the big tracks. "We didn't have a good car. That was it," Earnhardt said. "It ain't 'Push Dale to victory.' They'll push you if you're fast, but we weren't fast." Earnhardt was talking about how the other drivers in the field did not draft with him. In the past, those drivers knew the only chance they had in getting to the front was to hook up on Earnhardt's draft. When Earnhardt was asked if he could tell Gordon's car was that fast, he gave a quick and revealing answer. "To be honest, I never could get up there to see it," Earnhardt said. "I finally did after a while, but we didn't have that good a car at all. Jeff's car was awesome, from what I could tell. When you get those kinds of cars, you need to get the wins, and they did." Because he was involved in the crash that set up the "green-white-checkered flag" finish, Earnhardt dropped to 15th his worst showing at Talladega since a 14th during his rookie 2000 season. He had been in the top 10 ever since. At least his teammate scored a top-three finish. Waltrip warned not to write off the team's ability on the restrictor-plate tracks so soon. "Obviously, Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports are on top of things," Waltrip said. "They won four of the last five. But one of the ones he won, Dale Jr. was ahead of him and the caution came out and all that crap went down. So, would that have been a DEI win instead of a Hendrick? Would that have looked a little bit better? Sure." Waltrip is driving the same cars and using the same crew that Earnhardt had last year after the drivers changed cars and crews in the offseason. "Jeff Gordon is a great race car driver, as is Dale Jr.," Waltrip said. "If there cars are a little bit better, he's going to exploit that. It isn't as lopsided as four wins out of the last five makes it sound. Circumstantially, it could have been quite different in a hurry." Earnhardt's car was not bad, but it also wasn't the leader of the pack. That has allowed Gordon to replace him as the driver to beat on the big tracks. So, what is wrong with Earnhardt's car? "Nothing's wrong; it just ain't the best," he said. "It's good, but it ain't the best. We used to have the best." The Big One strikes again at Talladega A 25-car accident on Lap 132 of the Aaron's 499 brought out a 43-minute red flag and raised the ire of drivers who had hoped to make it through Talladega unscathed. The incident happened heading into Turn 1. Mike Wallace, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. got together, setting off a chain-reaction accident that involved over half the field. The incident sent 10 drivers to the infield medical center, but all were treated and released. Most drivers were in the garage trying to get back out onto the track to get points, including Scott Riggs, who had spent 93 laps in the top 10. "That's superspeedway racing," Riggs said. "I'm not really sure what happened there. We were on the outside of the 4 (Mike Wallace) and I don't know-something happened. For a time, it appeared that the 188-lap race would finish without a multi-car accident, as the race had featured just four brief caution flags. "It was definitely a good race going on," said Kyle Busch, who was eliminated by the accident. "I kind of hung back." Busch thought that Johnson drifted too high the track, but like most drivers, he had to watch the wreck via a TV replay. No one could see through the smoke generated by the spinning cars. "It looked like the 48 (Johnson) squeezed the 4 (Mike Wallace) up into towards the fence," Busch said. "The 8 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was behind him, nowhere to go." "All I saw was smoke. All of a sudden I saw smoke pouring up front," said Rusty Wallace. "Just got collected. I couldn't see what happened at all." Wallace owns a Busch Series car that was involved in a 17-car accident on Saturday, and he says he was trying to avoid meeting the same fate. "Watching the race yesterday, I was being extra careful not to screw up," Wallace said. Speed eludes Junior on disappointing Friday Dale Earnhardt Jr. came into the race weekend in Talladega with some much-needed momentum, but a poor qualifying lap on Friday put that momentum in jeopardy. His lap of 185.935 mph was over a second slower than Kevin Harvick's Bud Pole-winning speed. Earnhardt has gotten hot in April after a slow start -- he's scored three top-10s in the last four races -- but he qualified just 36th for Sunday's Aaron's 499. The teams qualified in windy, cloudy conditions, but he said that wasn't why he ran a slow lap. "I don't even know which way the wind is blowing today," Earnhardt said. "Everybody has got to deal with it." He conceded that he had hoped to qualify better, saying, "It would be nice to have a little bit better racecar." It's hard to tell if the slow qualifying lap will indeed hurt his bid for a sixth win at Talladega. Earnhardt has finished first or second in each of the last seven races here, including a 38th-to-second run in October 2003. "I don't mind starting in the back and cutting my way through there," Earnhardt said. "It comes down to who has the right help at the right time." Junior is going to have plenty of drafting help in his bid to go to the front, because his teammates also struggled in qualifying. Martin Truex Jr., driving in just his second Nextel Cup race of the year, qualified 32nd. Michael Waltrip was 38th. The trio also was slow in the opening practice, with Earnhardt running only 29th-best. "I got a lot of friends out there we are all good buddies," Junior said. "It seems like I get one behind me in the last few laps and get the race done but it is going to be tough. "Your buddies want to win too." DEI will have two practices on Saturday to find some speed, but at Talladega, it's incredibly tough to improve if the cars are slow off the bat. That leaves Sunday, when Dale Jr. will have to hope his Chevrolet works well in the draft. "We'll see, I don't know, it's all about having someone to push you in the end," he said. Q&A: Dale Earnhardt Jr. After a rough start to the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is currently in 12th place, in part because of his fourth-place finish in Saturday's Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix. The No. 8 Chevrolet has finished first or second in the past seven races at Talladega Superspeedway, the next stop on the Nextel Cup circuit. Q: Junior, it looks like your team is shaping up for quite a battle this weekend. You've had some tough races so far, so how is your team coming together as you head to Talladega, where you've had such great runs? A: We're just real confident, obviously. Our plate program has been real good over the last several years, and it's still one of best ones out there I think. We battled some hailing problems in Daytona for most of the race, but were able to get the car right the last little run there and it went right up to the front. So if we are on our game, I feel like we can run real good this weekend, this is a great opportunity for us to get us a good finish and gain a whole lot more points. This is a track where we really expect to do good at, and hopefully we can break into the top ten after this weekend. Q. Was the transfer or the transition of the two teams, switching, more difficult than you thought it would be? A.: No, not really. I expected it to be kind of tough for several reasons. You know, it has been it has been a struggle at times, and we've just fortunately, you know, we're able to keep positive and you know get a couple good runs here in the last couple of weeks. It's really, really boosted everybody's morale and boosted everybody's confidence in our ability to do well this season. We were getting a lot of questions about our are we still going to be able to get into the top ten; do we still think our season was going downhill. But I feel like over the last couple of weeks, we've been able to show everybody that we're still capable of making the chase this season. We just keep getting a little bit stronger each week. We keep getting a little bit more, you know, we're more able to adapt to each track with the cars. Basically every time we go to the racetrack, me and Pete (Rondeau), you know, it's kind of like starting from scratch. I mean, we've got a lot of help from Tony (Eury) Jr. about talking to Pete about what kind of things I like to run at certain tracks and how I like the cars to handle. So he has a lot of people that he can do talk to; Dan Stillman, who was my shock specialist, or my McCarthy shock specialist when we were in the other shop with Tony Jr. So Pete has a lot of people he can go talk to about each race weekend, each car, each track and my characteristics and how I like the cars to handle. I think if we just utilize all of that information, it will make it a lot easier each weekend for Pete. And, you know, as we continue to learn each other, I think this past weekend was a good example of us getting more comfortable with each other. That was one of the races where Pete was able to improve the car substantially throughout the race, where we kind of struggled a little bit doing that earlier in the season. So I think that we're both getting a lot more comfortable. We've been real confident in each other, and, you know, it's just a matter of time. Things don't happen overnight. Wish they did. We would have love to have had success, but we knew it was going to take a little bit of time, so we're just being patient. Q. I was hoping to ask you quickly about Richmond, if you don't mind looking ahead a little bit, or behind. I'm wondering if you can put into words what it takes for a driver to do well at that particular racetrack, and whether that has anything to do with the kind of experience and skills you developed on the late model circuit. A.: I think absolutely. Any time you race at a short track, you fall back on that experience from the late models, at least I do. Short track racing takes a certain type of mentality. Each time you go to the racetrack every weekend, you have a different approach, slightly different approach to determine by the track you're at. For example, Phoenix, I think Phoenix is a lot like Richmond, and I think that's why I have a little bit of success at both of those racetracks. And they both Phoenix even being a little bit larger has a short track mentality to it and you race you race kind of urgently, but yet, you know, you've got to be careful even on the short tracks these days not to mess the aero up on the car by banging up the fenders. Richmond reminds me a lot of Myrtle Beach and that's where I spent about four weeks racing every year, the entrance on the track and the exits on the corners; it's all kind of similar in shape and how you drive the line. Obviously, the two surfaces are quite different, but I seem to really enjoy how at Richmond, they fill the track every year instead of paving it. Often they re seal it, and as the race weekend goes on with the trucks and the Busch cars and the Cup cars practicing, you remove the sealer off the bottom line and the groove moves up the race tack. So by the first 150 miles or 200 miles into the Cup race, you're already moving up the racetrack and using a lot of the racetrack. It's, I think, one of the top three racetracks on the circuit as far as racing goes, side by side racing. There's a lot of different ways you can get around the corner and you're not just you're not limited to just one groove. So I really enjoy racing there. I think the racing for the fans is a lot of fun. They obviously have been on the circuit for a long time and been able to survive I think due in part to how the racing is, how exciting and competitive the racing is there. Q. A little bit of a different topic, your dad was a guy who never was afraid to mix it up with different drivers and got into a lot of quote, unquote, feuds with a few guys, Geoff Bodine, Bill Elliott, whoever, but he didn't seem to mind being the bad guy. Is that something that NASCAR could use now, or is there just too many drivers out there who are competitive week in, week out? A.: Well, I don't know, I think that when I look back and I remember, I remember when dad was into those feuds, and especially the one most memorable to me was with Geoff Bodine, and I always looked at it as, you know, he was either racing in the Cup races, Busch race at Charlotte, for example, and they would have both of them would have great race cars, and halfway through the races they are beating on each other and spinning each other out. I could just never get it out of my mind that it was it was kind of it kind of botched any opportunity at a win or a good finish because them two would get so occupied with each other and trying to knock each other out of the race. So I've always, I mean, I've had problems with other drivers, whether it be in the late models of Busch or whatever or Cup even, but I try not to allow it to. I try not to allow it to be a setback, and that way when I'm on the racetrack and I've got a problem with somebody, I try to just keep my cool. And if I get an opportunity to talk to them after the race or somehow get a message to them verbally, it's a lot better to do it that way than to be on each other at the racetrack. I think that there are villains out there. Every sport's got their villains. I don't know if I'm going to name any of them, but I think everybody's got their favorite and their least favorite as far as the fans goes. But I always thought that was kind of a waste of time and took you out of your kind of took you out of the race or took you out of the game while you were in their beating on somebody. Q. Pete Rondeau on the radio at the end the race always thanks you and says, "We'll keep working our guts out," and he reminded you you had one of your worst weeks, and afterwards you talked about the hard work, what hard work this has been. And I'm wondering as you talked about that and overdriving, what you were referring to in that hard work, what was the hard work? A.: It's basically taken a lot of commitment, OK, when you told both those teams and all of those guys working in the shop, and even the guys in the fab and the engine shop that we were going to make this change; everybody had to jump on board, you know, and everybody had to get committed to it. It was not something that was very easy to persuade everybody. It was not very easy to sell as to why we would do that. I mean, it's still, you know, still sort of a struggle for me leading up to the first race of the season as trying to make heads or tails, making sense of it and trying to commit my mind and myself in that direction. And once, you know, so you've got all of these guys in there in each shop and each department working at the same level and working really hard as they had been; yet knowing that we had maybe taken a step back to move forward, you know the old saying, a drop back and punt. So we just needed everybody at DEI to do well, my main concern was that everybody at DEI was not going to understand and not going to go along with what we decided to do. But it seems like, you know, they all were on board and everything seems to be heading in the direction that we had planned. So it was hard to, you know, keep everybody motivated, keep everybody positive. We had some terrible finishes early in the season. I never saw one guy, whether it be on the 18 team, 15 team or anywhere in the whole place, I never saw anybody take a break or ask any questions. Everybody just stayed with their head down to what their job was and kept working. We went and tested a little bit more. I really don't like to test at all, to be honest with you. I think it's just one of the most boring things we do is get out and run around by yourself somewhere in the middle of Kentucky, or anywhere for that matter; just by yourself it's really boring. But they drug me to a couple tests and get some things figured out and try to learn some things. It just takes a lot of dedication. If you're going to go to Kentucky, and spend a whole day working on aero, the driver has to have you have to sit there and pay attention to what they are doing. You can't just go out there and make laps and expect the engineer to read the computers and see how it has to be fixed. You have to have a lot of input and kind of help steer everything in a certain direction. Then when you get to the racetrack on the race weekend, I think Pete would agree and all of the guys would agree, that we have not got to the track and really had a dominant race car yet. We show up and seem to be missing just a half a tenth or a tenth to where we want to be or need to be, and we always find ourselves after the last practice sort of saying, well, we can we're competitive, yet we just need a little bit more. And so throughout the race, you're just driving every lap as hard as you can drive it trying to maintain track position, trying to you know, trying not to lose spots on the racetrack that my pit crew can gain on the pit road. I knew those guys are really, really good at pits stops, so we always gain a few spots and try to maintain that track position they give me and an opportunity to gain more on the next stop. You know, there's been some times where the car has been really fast and we've been able to gain on people and pass people. But for the most part, we've shown up every weekend and just really had to hustle to get what we've gotten and get the finishes we've gotten. We've had to hustle either behind the wheel or in the pits and it's been it's been frustrating, but rewarding, when you put that effort into it and you get that fourth place finish. To come out of Martinsville out of beating and banging all day with a 13th place finish, I was really happy with that personally, with as much effort as I put into it to have got what I got I was really satisfied. Those are the type of feelings that I rarely got in the past. I think it's been four or five years since I've enjoyed the actual driving side of it as much. It's always been fun, but I'm starting to really, really get into it and enjoy it, you know. When I was working with Tony Jr. in the past, we had put so much there's still pressure. But we just put so much negative pressure on ourselves that you weren't... even when, you know, you've got a decent finish, you still felt shorted or slighted. You know, you just wondered whether you could have done more or gotten more or if there's something you could have changed to have won instead of finishing second or third. Now I feel like even though we're not finishing second or third, I feel like I'm getting everything I can get every day out of that car. I think it motivates my team and they motivate me. When I work hard and they see it, they work harder. It just continues to motivate ourselves and hopefully by the end the season, we'll be finishing first and second and getting those finishes that we want. Q. How has Pete been through this whole thing? A.: He's been good. I mean, there's one thing that I really like about Pete is that he keeps everything he keeps everything calm and attitude wise the way it needs to be during the race. I have a real I don't know how the other drivers are, I've never really paid much attention, but I get really kind of wired up and hyper when I'm in the car during the race. And a lot of times I'll just be talking normally and I assume it sounds like I might be yelling across the speaker to those guys in their headsets, but that's just how I just get really in a frenzy there inside that car and get so pumped up. I always thought when I was younger that the crew chief or your spotter was like a cheerleader in a way, and that that was your that was sort of that extra motivation that you needed. As I became a driver and started driving myself, you never I never really I found out that that's not the case really. You've got to really be your own motivator and your own cheerleader. So, you know, you have to sort of pump yourself up throughout the race to get that extra adrenaline and to get that extra ten percent out of yourself that you didn't think you had. And so a lot of times I'll get pretty colorful on the radio and whatever, and Pete's been really good, where Tony Jr. and me, we would both kind of get wired up and bang off each other a little bit. Pete's been pretty good about staying calm. I don't know how long he can keep his cool, but I'm sure every once in awhile I might push him to the snapping point. But so far to the point he's been he has not he has not said a cross word or anything like that. It's always been real cool and calm on the radio and he's really good at that, and I think that's really key when it comes down to keeping the driver under keeping the driver cool and keeping him calm; yet at the same time, you know, keeping him positive and looking forward to the change they are going to make on the next stop. You know, when the driver starts to think that the crew chief or the team itself can't improve the car on the next stop, it's very difficult to stay to stay positive about the effort and the rest and the rest of the day. We were sitting there running about 15th through 18th in the race with the car struggling a little bit, yet Pete was able to keep me positive about improving the car; and it did, it did improve, and we got it a lot better to where we were able to get a good finish. You know, there was times, too, when I was getting so fired up, I was overdriving the car way too much and actually running slower. So once I calmed down a little bit and started rolling through the center of the corner a little better, I was able to be a lot faster and able to get the car around the corner the way I had been doing it the last two years there. But I think that, you know, he has a lot of things about him that I've talked and talked and talked about in the past as far as his attitude and his personality being real low key, and that's been positive. That's been good. That's come in handy at times. There's other times where I wish that team and the guys in the shop and stuff were more animated, maybe expressed their opinions and feelings a little bit more. They are all they are all very quiet and they don't really say much about what they are thinking at the racetrack or in the garage when we are just standing around. And I'm trying to check everybody's temperature, see what I'm saying and see what the mood is, they are they are hard to read a little bit, but they were always that way. Even before I was driving their cars they were that way in the past ever since they have worked there at DEI. But there's times like when we finished in the top 10 at Bristol and this past weekend, you know, I just think that they should really enjoy those type of runs. At the same time, you know, you want to win, but fourth is good, fourth is a good effort and I think that, you know, sometimes they should take a second and pat themselves on the back a little bit. Q. You were talking about you don't like to test. Do you just feel like there are things that are better suited to the conditions going on that weekend? Would you prefer to see perhaps eliminating testing all together and giving the guys an extra day, say maybe on Thursday to get accustomed or acclimated to the track better or more current and accurate to how the race is going to wind up? A.: I'm not sure. I think that I mean, for me to be totally honest, just this is merely my opinion, but testing is difficult because you go to the racetrack that doesn't have a lot of rubber down on it and run under conditions that are out of season or out of characteristics weather wise with what you'll see when you go back to that place. I mean, there's a lot of drivers, if I don't like it, I can come up with enough reasons to convince myself and maybe some other people that it's not worth it. There are a lot of positives, too, to going, obviously. I think that what I would wish what I wish to see happen is I would like to think that they should eliminate testing, which I don't know if that's possible to really know where people are at all of the time and that they are not sneaking off somewhere to get something done. But eliminate testing and eliminate the impound and allow us to have, because basically we are spending about the same time at the racetrack. It was probably good for a lot of those guys that run Busch and Cup, for example, like Clint Moore this past weekend, it was probably very good for them to have the impound. It's a lot easier on those two teams and the crew chief and whatnot. Still spending the same amount of time at the track, and I do like getting that extra practice in while there's rubber on the track and the track is closer to what it will be like at race time. I do like getting that extra practice in to try to dial our stuff in. Q. I'm really not making light of this, I was just wondering a couple races ago, you were on the radio saying, "Come on guys, talk to me, say something." What are you looking for, are you looking for jokes or cheerleading or what do you want? A.: Well, I enjoy not really jokes. I just want everybody to be enjoying themselves. It's a serious business, but at the same time, all of us are doing this because we didn't want to work for a living. That's basically everybody at the racetrack is there because they didn't want a real job. I've always just done it because it was fun and it is fun and there's a lot at stake. I understand that there's a lot at stake, there's a lot of money involved, and so I can go and have this good time every weekend. And this team that I'm working with, they are all a bunch of really good guys. They should I think they should just be a little bit more animated, you know, is all. I think they know this. I think that they are all just kind of, I don't know whether they are just kind of all standing back and taking it all in or what, but, you know, this is this ain't a dress rehearsal. You get one life, so you might as well enjoy it while you can and when you do good, you know, enjoy it, pat each other on the back. But they have done good. They have told me when I've done a good job and I've been honest with them about my mistakes. But at times, you know, sometimes I do not like it when things get too serious. I do not like it when things get too quiet and people are either too nervous or too upset to talk about how things are going at that moment. I like things to kind of be upbeat and I like the conversation to be light. Yet I want to get the job done if that's even possible to have it all. I don't like it when things get too quiet and too serious. I like stuff to kind of you know, when you go out there and you work your hardest, if it didn't work out, it didn't work out. There's a guy right now in the garage area who finished sixth the past weekend, Bobby Labonte, I don't know many people that could have dealt with the luck he's been through, but he's been able to not change his pace, not do anything rash, fire his crew chief or change crews. He's kind of stuck with his game and, you know, I think that's an example for all of us, when you hit a rut, you know, you've just got to keep cool. You can't be, you can't make things worse by kind of withdrawing yourself from the whole deal. That's all. I just think that, you know, we were sometimes I get a little loud on the radio, but I'm just trying to get everybody in there and get everybody pumped up and get everybody hyped up and ready to go. I want to see people I want to see sparks flying come in there for my pit stops I want to see guys going and things happening and everybody pumped up about it. Q. It seems like your turnaround has coincided with tracks you've been good on in the past like Martinsville and Phoenix. Excluding Darlington, you've got Talladega and Richmond in a couple of weeks, has the schedule fallen perfectly for this comeback, knowing you'll be in a groove in terms of going to a racetrack you feel comfortable every week? A.: Absolutely. If you look back over, like you said, if you look back over the last couple years, we struggled at California, we struggled at Vegas. I wasn't really too bent out of shape when I didn't get the finishes I wanted there. It's not like I went to Phoenix and ran 36 just lousy. That would have been confusing because we've been so good there in the past. So, yeah, it is kind of good that the tracks we're coming up to I look at it as opportunities, you know, if we're still if we're still a little bit behind and we're still not quite up to par. Yet this is an opportunity now with these tracks coming up to maintain, if not move forward a little bit in the points standings in preparation for the tracks that we're going to come to and struggle at again. Question marks come up about Sonoma and Pocono, places that I still seem to have a little bit of a struggle with. We're kind of hit and miss with the Pocono. That's not been a track I've always that's not been a track I've really been comfortable at yet. Dover is another track where we're either on top or at the bottom. So, you know, we've got to be prepared and hopefully use these race weekends where we feel like we can go in and get a good run, use them, be smart and not make any mistakes and get the finish we need to get. So if we do struggle somewhere else, it's not detrimental to where we are in the points. It doesn't take us out of the race. Q. At the Martinsville test session a month ago, you were critical of the entire DEI organization for not being able to adapt to the changes in the sport quickly enough. What have you done or what's been done to try to speed up that process? A.: Well, I will say this. I mean, I will admit to being overly critical about how things are run at Dale Earnhardt Junior, Incorporated, and I can't pretend to understand what it must be like to be Richie Gilmore every day or any of the guys working in the Indy shop or the fab shop when they have to read a comment I make or hear a comment I make about our position in the sport or how we are competitive wise to the rest of the teams. But I want things to be better. I want better stuff. I want better cars. If I feel like I'm behind here or behind there, I want it fixed. All I can say is when I asked... when I said anything about us being behind on the bodies on the cars, and within two weeks, they had an answer, they had an improved body. They worked in that direction to see if they couldn't fix it and make it better, this is what we'll try to do to gain this or gain that. We went to Kentucky and ran around there for two days working on nothing but body stuff. It's been Tony Sr. has got in there and helped a lot as far as, you know, trying to learn and improve and be another facet with that deal, trying to get the bodies right on his cars. The fabrication department has stepped up and build another great car; Martin has drove one of them. We have a few cars that are revamped and improved that I like. I ran one of the first cars at Texas and it was I mean, it was night and day compared to how I could drive the car through the center of the corner as to what I drove at the very beginning of the season. And that's only what I mean, they are telling me they are only halfway there, so, I mean, it's amazing if that's the case. As far as the engines on the car, I think that there's still some power to be gained, there's some things to be learned, understood, figured out. I don't claim to have any answers or know the answers. We pay good money for good people to come in and build those things, but I can tell you when it don't run and I can tell when you it does run, and that's my job and I've tried to do it. Click here to vist the Dale Earnhardt Jr New Archive Part 3