Dale Earnhardt Jr
News Archive Part 4

Earnhardt assumes place as No. 1 in NASCAR

Now Dale Earnhardt Jr., the son of a stock-car racing icon, is becoming as notable for what he does on the racetrack as for who he hangs with in his spare time. Jeff Gordon saw it coming a year ago.

"If he wins the championship, game over for everybody else," the four-time NASCAR champion said. "We're not even going to exist out there."

Earnhardt has a season-high three victories in 11 races and the points lead, leaving everyone else battling to be No. 2. But his newfound dominance may be a threat to his far-reaching fan base.

"I'm very curious myself about what the future holds as far as my appeal to the fans when I contend for the championship, if and when I win the championship, what kind of pros and cons is that going to be on the other side of the fence," he said after winning last week at Richmond.

"The more I contend, I see the grey area is less visible. It's a little more black and white as far as who likes me and who don't in the grandstand."

When he arrived in NASCAR, Earnhardt already had a following because of his name. He showed he belonged by winning Busch Series titles in 1998 and 1999, then moved to stock car racing's premier series in 2000.

Before he did, Budweiser signed on with a $10-million sponsorship.

When the elder Earnhardt was killed in the season-opening Daytona 500 in 2001, his son's fan base grew again because of the tragedy.

"They might be a Mark Martin fan, but they cheered me just because of what we've been through and all this and that," the 29-year-old Earnhardt said. "Now you're starting to see it's a little more black and white."

It has long been a phenomenon in NASCAR that the guy dominating is the one most cheered - and the one most jeered. It was that way for Darrell Waltrip in the mid-1980s, for Rusty Wallace in the late '80s, for the elder Earnhardt in the early- to mid-1990s and for Gordon after that.

Call it the New York Yankees syndrome.

"You get the New York Yankees winning all the games and winning the World Series year after year - there's a good number of people who love 'em, but there's a whole bunch that absolutely hate them," Wallace said.

"Their feelings are so strong that they'd pull for any other team when they play the Yankees. It's a deal where they're not really pulling for the other team in as much as they're pulling totally against the Yankees."

Dealing with the adulation, and the other side, is all just part of the game, and Earnhardt learned from his father how best to handle it.

"You've just kind of got to roll with the punches," he said. "You've just got to be tough, be your own man and people will appreciate that."

Pit Move of the Race: Richmond

And for good reason. The dominant car of Tony Stewart elected to take on four tires – and over 50 laps remained.

But the call was really a no-brainer, especially since the car of Jimmie Johnson (who eventually finished second) was sure to retain track position.

In contrast, the man who battled Earnhardt Jr. for much of the second half – Tony Stewart – did elect to pit during the final round of stops. But Stewart finished right where he restarted – fourth.

"When the (final) caution came out, we thought about pitting with Tony, but I was just so loose on new tires that I knew I wouldn't be able to catch them," Earnhardt Jr. said.

Earnhardt Jr.'s car was loose early in the runs, but the car tightened up as the laps clicked off. With the new pavement at Richmond, Earnhardt Jr. was able to run well on tires that had 50 more laps on them.

When your car handles that well, old tires are not a problem.

"It just came down to a gut decision on whether to pit with everyone else or stay out," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We live by the sword and die by the sword. We knew Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) weren't going to pit, and they had really strong cars.

"We stayed out, and it ended up being the right thing to do."

Earnhardt Jr. stays out, wins easily at Richmond

Gambling that he could win on tires and fuel with 54 laps to go, Earnhardt made it happen Saturday night, outrunning Jimmie Johnson and Bobby Labonte over the last 45 laps for his third victory of the season.

"It was a great race car, just had a great long-run setup on it," Earnhardt said after his 12th career victory and second at Richmond International Raceway. "I passed (Johnson) on the outside. I don't know where that came from. I told him I felt like my daddy for five minutes."

Earnhardt took the lead when Tony Stewart and most of the other contenders pitted for tires and fuel during the ninth and final caution on the 344th lap. Johnson and Jeff Gordon also stayed out.

Earnhardt made the move look brilliant, gradually building a lead of more than 3 seconds and finally beating Johnson by 1.481 seconds.

"It was real loose on new tires, so pitting wasn't really an option. Staying out was the thing to do," he said. "Man what a great race track."

Earnhardt also padded his lead over Johnson in the Nextel Cup championship race. He came in leading by 25, and now leads by 40.

At the end, thousands of fans of NASCAR's biggest star stood with a triumphant No. 1 wagging in the air, a tribute to his dominant victory. He answered with a smokey spinout on the frontstretch to more roars.

"I don't know if we had the best car tonight. Being out front at the end was where you needed to be," Earnhardt said. "So that's what we did."

Earnhardt led five times for a race-high 115 laps.

Labonte was third and Stewart fourth, giving Chevrolet the top four spots in the Chevy American Revolution 400. Matt Kenseth was fifth in a Ford, followed by Gordon, Mark Martin and pole-sitter Brian Vickers.

Johnson was expecting at least a two-car battle at the end.

"I really felt like I had something for Junior the way the lap times were at the end," he said of arriving at his decision to stay out. "Once we went under caution and then went back out, Junior just took off."

Earnhardt, Johnson and Gordon assumed the top spots when Stewart, as the leader, and the rest of the contenders surprisingly headed for the pits when Scott Riggs' blown engine brought out the ninth caution.

Earnhardt quickly showed it was a good call when he took off on the restart with 45 laps to go with Johnson following, Gordon third, Stewart fourth and Bobby Labonte fifth -- all having broken from the field.

Gordon was the first to falter, sliding up the track in the fourth turn just four laps into the green flag run, but he lost just one spot while Labonte sneaked inside Stewart for third at about the same time.

Earnhardt's lead was nearly two seconds over Johnson and Labonte with 25 laps to go on, while Stewart's car gradually began fading from contention.

It never mattered as Earnhardt steadily pulled away.

Earlier, Michael Waltrip and Stewart engaged in one of the longest, closest duels, with Stewart keeping his Chevrolet on Waltrip's tail for more than 20 laps, unable to get by until Waltrip wiggled on lap 250.

Stewart sailed by and quickly built a lead of more than three seconds as Waltrip eventually yielded second to Earnhardt. Once Earnhardt took the spot, he started reeling in the leader in lapped traffic until a series of green-flag pit stop jumbled the field to set up the finish.

The first half of the race was messy, but not because of the track as the drivers found two racing grooves and passed in either one.

The lead changed hands 11 times, with Earnhardt leading three times for 55 laps. There also were seven cautions flags lasting 45 laps.

The last one, only a few laps before the midpoint, came as Virginia native Jeff Burton challenged Jeremy Mayfield for the lead coming out of the fourth turn.

But as Burton pulled alongside, the rear of his car lost its grip and he spun backward into the frontstretch infield grass.

Burton finished 14th, his 87th consecutive race without a victory.

Earnhardt wins at Richmond

The Nextel Cup points leader took the lead when Tony Stewart and most of the other contenders pitted for tires and fuel with 54 laps to go in the Chevy American Revolution 400.

Earnhardt made the move look brilliant, gradually building a lead of more than 3 seconds and beating Johnson by 1.481 seconds.

``It was a great race car, just had a great long-run setup on it,'' Earnhardt said.

The victory was his second at Richmond International Raceway and the 12th overall for the five-year veteran.

At the end, thousands of fans of NASCAR's megastar stood with a triumphant No. 1 wagging in the air, a tribute to his dominant victory. He answered with a smokey spinout on the frontstretch to more roars.

Earnhardt led five times for 115 laps and also extended his Nextel Cup championship points lead from 25 points to 40 over Johnson in 11 races.

Labonte finished third and Stewart was fourth, giving Chevrolet the top four spots. Matt Kenseth was fifth in a Ford.

Earnhardt, Johnson and Jeff Gordon stayed out when Stewart, as the leader, and the rest of the contenders surprisingly headed for the pits when Scott Riggs blown engine brought out the ninth caution on lap 345.

``It was loose on new tires, so pitting wasn't even an option,'' Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt quickly showed it was a good call when he took off on the restart with 45 laps to go with Johnson second, Gordon third, Stewart fourth and Bobby Labonte fifth -- all having broken from the field.

Gordon was the first to falter, sliding up the track in the fourth turn just four laps into the green flag run, but he lost just one spot while Labonte sneaked inside Stewart for third at about the same time.

Earnhardt's lead was 1 1/2 seconds over Johnson and Labonte with 25 laps to go on, while Stewart seemed to be slowly fading from contention.

It never mattered as Earnhardt pulled away and never slowed down.

Earlier, Michael Waltrip and Stewart engaged in one of the longest, closest duels, with Stewart keeping his Chevrolet on Waltrip's tail for more than 20 laps, unable to get by until Waltrip wiggled on lap 250.

Stewart sailed by and quickly built a lead of more than three seconds as Waltrip eventually yielded second to Earnhardt. Once Earnhardt took the spot, he started reeling in the leader in lapped traffic until a series of green-flag pit stop jumbled the field to set up the finish.

The first half of the race was messy, but not because of the track as the drivers found two racing grooves and passed in either one.

The lead changed hands 11 times, with Earnhardt leading three times for 55 laps. There also were seven cautions flags lasting 45 laps.

The last one, only a few laps before the midpoint, came as Virginia native Jeff Burton challenged Jeremy Mayfield for the lead coming out of the fourth turn. But as Burton pulled alongside, the rear of his car lost its grip and he spun backward into the frontstretch infield grass.

Burton finished 14th, his 87th consecutive race without a victory.

Lap by Lap: Chevy 400

Lap 400: Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins the Chevy American Revolution 400

Lap 356: Green flag; Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads

Lap 346: Tony Stewart pits, gives up lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 343: Caution out for Scott Riggs' blown engine

Lap 325: Jeff Gordon pits, gives up lead to Tony Stewart

Lap 324: Jimmie Johnson pits, gives up lead to Jeff Gordon

Lap 300: Ricky Rudd pits, gives up lead to Jimmie Johnson

Lap 298: Matt Kenseth pits, gives lead to Ricky Rud

Lap 294: Dale Earnhardt Jr. pits, gives up lead to Matt Kenseth

Lap 290: Tony Stewart pits, gives up lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 278: Green flag stops begin

Lap 252: Tony Stewart takes lead from Michael Waltrip

Lap 212: Green flag; Michael Waltrip leads

Lap 202: Caution out for multi-car crash; Jamie McMurray, Joe Nemechek, Jimmie Johnson involved

Lap 200: Green flag; Michael Waltrip leads

Lap 196: Jeremy Mayfield pits, gives up lead to Michael Waltrip

Lap 194: Caution out for Jeff Burton crash

Lap 176: Green flag; Jeremy Mayfield leads

Lap 172: Pit stops begin, Jeremy Mayfield stays out, takes lead

Lap 169: Caution out for Kevin Harvick crash

Lap 164: Ryan Newman takes lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 158: Green flag; Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads

Lap 151: Caution out for Brendan Gaughan crash

Lap 142: Green flag; Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads

Lap 137: Caution out for Robby Gordon crash

Lap 131: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes lead from Jimmie Johnson

Lap 130: Green flag; Jimmie Johnson leads

Lap 122: Caution out for Jimmy Spencer crash

Lap 111: Busch makes unscheduled stop, Johnson takes lead

Lap 108: Green flag; Kurt Busch leads

Lap 105: Pit stops begin. Dale Jarrett stays out, takes lead

Lap 101: Caution out for Jeff Green crash

Lap 88: 23 cars still on the lead lap

Lap 73: Scott Wimmer makes unscheduled stop

Lap 56: Jimmie Johnson takes lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 46: 35 cars still on the lead lap

Lap 33: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes lead from Brian Vickers

Lap 13: Green flag; Vickers leads

Lap 4: Caution out for debris

Lap 3: Robby Gordon makes unscheduled stop

Lap 1: Brian Vickers leads from the Bud Pole

Junior, Waltrip test Nextel cars at Kentucky

Earnhardt Jr. who has led the series standings for five weeks this season, enters Saturday's night race at Richmond with a 25-point lead over Jimmie Johnson and a 27-point lead over the third-place Jeff Gordon.

Earnhardt Jr. owns superspeedway wins at Daytona and Atlanta and a total of six top-five and seven top-10 finishes, but his team has misfired at lower-banked tracks similar to Kentucky Speedway. His No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet finished 35th at Las Vegas and 19th at California Speedway.

"We missed something on the one-and-a-half-mile low-banked tracks for a year-and-a- half now," Earnhardt's Crew Chief Tony Eury said. "Our fab shop came up here a couple of weeks ago and said the track was real smooth. We decided to come and try some things we didn't get to try last time we were here to see if we can improve this part of our program.

"We have Michigan, Chicago and Kansas City coming up and those are places we struggled last year. We're struggling again. We went to Vegas and California and struggled.

"We thought we had the problem fixed after Vegas and we got to California and found out we didn't. Something in this new tire is throwing us a curve on these flat racetracks and we just have to keep working at it until we can figure it out."

Based his 2003 experience, Eury knows that if the No. 8's intermediate program doesn't produce better results soon, his team's chances of maintaining the series lead are slim.

"Last year we did the same thing, we took off at the beginning of the year. We didn't lead, but we were in second and third," Eury said. "Then we went to Charlotte, had a brake problem and fell back a hundred and some points. We never got it back.

"We're getting to that same point where we failed last year. With the new points deal that we have, we can't wait until the end of the year to test if we want to be in that final 10. We have to find places we can learn stuff and not waste (official) tests. This is a good place to do it."

He added that the team's fabricators and engine builders will most likely provide the answers to his intermediate track questions.

"The fab shop has been working real hard. We have some new body stuff we've been trying here and a couple other places," Eury said. "The engine shop has tried a couple different engine combinations here and we're actually going to try to run one of those at Richmond this week. We're really not secure enough with it to run it in the 500-mile races on one-and-a-half-mile tracks yet. We're working real hard to try to step the motor program up a little bit. We feel like we've been a little bit behind and we're working hard to get back."

Waltrip, who enters the week 30th in the series standings and 190 points away from eligibility for the "Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup," predicted both DEI teams will benefit from today's test.

"We've had a good day," he said. "We've been down some roads that didn't go so well today with our set up and we've discovered some things that have been beneficial. I've enjoyed today and I think this test will pay off as we go forward."

Other drivers testing at Kentucky Speedway Wednesday included Kentucky Motorsports NASCAR Busch Series driver Stuart Kirby and Paul Menard, who drove with Evernham Motorsports.

Nextel Cup driver Scott Riggs will join Kirby and Holigan Racing Thursday and testing continues May 19 with NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Brendan Gaughan, Ricky Craven, Brian Vickers, Jamie McMurray and Sterling Marlin.

Kentucky Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Mark F. Cassis, on hand for today's test, said consistently strong test activity may help in his track's pursuit of a future NASCAR Nextel Cup date.

"There has been a lot of discussion lately concerning facilities, market place and commitment to gain a Nextel Cup Series event," he said. "Simply put, Kentucky Speedway is the largest non-Cup facility in the United States, is located in one of the top-five television marketing areas in the country and hosts, without question, more Nextel Cup testing than any other facility. We have proven ourselves through performance with three straight 70,000 plus crowds for stand-alone NASCAR Busch Series events. I feel stronger than ever we should go to the next level, and deservedly so. If it doesn't happen in 2005, our team will keep digging for 2006."

Racing continues at Kentucky Speedway June 18-19 with the NASCAR Busch Series "Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo" featuring Waltrip, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne and other NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stars.

Fast Friends

But from the inside, nothing could be further from the truth.

Sure, compared with Earnhardt, NASCAR's resident rock star -- shooting a music video one day and photographing the Dahm triplets for Playboy the next -- Kenseth does seem like the mild-mannered guy next door.

That's only if your next-door neighbor has a gorgeous wife; a custom-built Harley, a gift from the factory, in the garage; Metallica blaring from the speakers, and a Winston Cup championship trophy sitting on the mantel.

It's enough to make a lot of guys jealous, even Earnhardt, stock car racing's It Boy.

Like most friends, neither Kenseth nor Earnhardt is above a little one-upmanship. After clinching the title in the fall race at Rockingham, Kenseth was granting yet another interview at Homestead, site of the season finale, when Earnhardt popped his head into the trailer. Initially, the conversation was about the reconfiguration of the track. Then the drivers sized each other up according to the lap times they'd laid down.

Earnhardt won that exchange, but Kenseth raised the ante by bragging about his upper hand in their Madden 2004 video game rivalry.

For good measure, he recalled how two nights earlier he'd enjoyed the football fantasy of a lifetime back in his native Wisconsin: a tour of Lambeau Field guided by Brett Favre, which included watching the Eagles-Packers Monday night game from the sideline and a helmet exchange with Favre.

"Man, I wish I could have gone," said Earnhardt, a Redskins fan. "That must have been cool."

It was. But what makes Kenseth's NASCAR journey even cooler is having his wife, Katie, and his son, Ross, accompany him. Earnhardt often mentions his dream of starting a family and having the opportunity to raise "Ralph Dale" -- his given name; his grandfather was Ralph, and his father was Ralph Dale -- in racing. Sometimes he seems to hear the pendulum swinging.

"I'm turning 30 in October," Earnhardt says. "My buddy Little Hank (Parker, a Craftsman truck driver) got married, and we're only three days apart. And I was like 'Man, he's way ahead of me.' So I envy him. I envy Matt. They have great marriages, and that's what everybody wants."

Another benefit Kenseth enjoys is traveling in relative anonymity. Sure, as the defending champion, it's not as easy as it once was, but there are no life-size cutouts of Kenseth next to seemingly every beer display in America.

"I'm not really jealous of anything he does," Kenseth says. "I don't really envy anything he does or has. I'm just happy to be me and do what we do.

"I do enjoy hanging out with him. I get along well with him. I'm sure there are days when it's really cool to be Dale Jr., and I'm sure there are days where he wishes he could be left alone and kind of be in the background without everybody noticing him."

Nextel Cup driver Jeff Green and his wife, Michelle, became good friends with the Kenseths when he and Matt were in the Busch Series. He says the primary tie that binds Kenseth, 32, and Earnhardt is age, but he adds that many people gravitate to Kenseth because of the caliber of driver and person he is.

"He doesn't want anything from anyone other than to race people fairly," Green says. "If more of the competitors were like that, NASCAR would be a lot better."

Earnhardt's car chief, cousin Tony Eury Jr., agrees with Green's assessment. He says that like the late Dale Sr., Dale Jr. believes he'll be a better driver if he surrounds himself with stronger challengers.

"They're both great racers," Eury says. "When you're out there racing, you respect someone for the way that they drive. They can race, but they can also have fun. ... It's like playing basketball, and you enjoy it because you're playing against someone good. He knows that Matt is at his level.

"When Junior started, he wanted to beat Jeff Gordon. Why? Because Jeff Gordon is the best. They've gained respect for each other, and you don't want to race against someone who doesn't have respect for you."

The Earnhardt-Kenseth connection started in the Busch Series.

"He admired my father," Earnhardt says. "That's the man that he really appreciated, and I find something comfortable in that fact. That's the reason we became friends. ... I thought, well, maybe he and I could become good buddies because there really wasn't anybody I knew other than Tony (Eury Jr.) and the guys that I was racing with."

The two drivers followed different paths to stardom. Before reaching the Busch Series, they raced late models and built their own cars. But once Earnhardt climbed into the No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet for the 1998 Busch season, it was advantage Earnhardt. He won the 1998 and '99 titles. Kenseth drove for Reiser Racing, which had limited resources, but he finished second in '98 and third in '99.

"I think Matt has always wanted kind of what Dale Jr. had ... very good equipment in the Busch Series and a name to go off of," Katie Kenseth says. "Matt came from a totally different background. Not that Dale didn't have to work for it, but from Matt's perspective, I think it looked a little easier."

The tables turned quickly when Kenseth and Earnhardt graduated to Cup full time in 2000. Each driver retained his Busch crew chief, Robbie Reiser for Kenseth and Tony Eury Sr. for Earnhardt. DEI had to expand to a second team to accommodate Earnhardt, but Kenseth's owner, Jack Roush, had a five-car stable.

Earnhardt got his first Cup win in the seventh race of the year, at Texas. Kenseth got his first victory five races later, at Charlotte. He finished the season 14th in points, two places ahead of Earnhardt, and captured Rookie of the Year honors.

Earnhardt says his Busch ride "was already a ready-made championship team through the efforts of Steve Park, Jeff Green and my father." And beyond the success that brought him in Busch, it also had implications at the next level.

"Our first year in Winston Cup, we never listened to anybody," Earnhardt says. "It was that pride and ignorance that cost us at times. There was a lot of hard work that we weren't expecting, and there are a lot of things we needed to know that we didn't, and we're just getting to a point where we're starting to figure it out."

Kenseth adapted to Cup cars at a rapid pace. He and Reiser have similar racing backgrounds, which is a big boost to communication. Although Kenseth is not good at qualifying, his knowledge of cars enables him to make calls throughout a race that improve the ride. One of his top resources is his pit crew, one of the best in NASCAR. His team grew stronger each season, culminating in the championship last season.

Earnhardt had the same crew that raced in the Busch Series, but the pressure of Cup racing quickly caught up with it, and its infighting was well publicized. Pit performance was erratic during Earnhardt's first three years in Cup. It improved last season, helping him finish third in points.

By observing Kenseth, Earnhardt has become more consistent.

"We keep running well," Earnhardt says. "We keep putting up good finishes even when we don't have a great car, like at Texas. We struggled all day to get the car running well, and we ended up with a top five. Those are the things we saw Matt do last year and couldn't figure out how.

"We've been really lucky a lot of times with a mistake here and a mistake there and caught a break, and those are the kind of seasons you need to win a championship. We just keep getting better."

Other titles await the class of 2000's star students. As Kenseth and Earnhardt continue to grow, so too, will their rivalry -- and their friendship. Chances are good that Kenseth and Earnhardt will have each other to rely on.

"When I look at Matt and he looks at me, it's just dude to dude," Earnhardt says. "Matt's one of the few people who doesn't see that (superstar) side of it. He doesn't care. It doesn't matter to him. It's been a great friendship."

Earnhardt family says ESPN movie inaccurate

Dale Earnhardt Inc., the Mooresville-based company run by Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, hasn't endorsed the film, claiming the movie is inaccurate.

"Our job at Dale Earnhardt Inc. is to perpetuate what Dale was all about,'' said DEI spokesman Steve Crisp, adding that the company is reviewing a second copy of the script. "To accurately do that, you have to stick with the facts.''

TV moviemakers since mid-April have spent time in the Cabarrus County neighborhood where Earnhardt grew up. They've filmed at local red-clay race tracks. They have held open casting calls in Concord to add local flavor.

Thousands of fans -- and an ESPN film crew -- were expected to be in Mooresville on Thursday for what would have been the Intimidator's 53rd birthday. Gov. Mike Easley declared the date was declared "Dale Earnhardt Day'' in North Carolina.

Cathy Watkins, one of Dale Earnhardt's sisters, said the script she's seen gives the wrong message about her father and her childhood. For example, the movie portrays Earnhardt's childhood home in Kannapolis as a mill house.

But Watkins said her father, Ralph Earnhardt, never worked at Cannon Mills after his children were born, and her family never lived in a mill house.

"That's a blatant disregard for my daddy's accomplishments and career,'' she said. "My whole family is so disturbed about it, and we don't know what to do.

"ESPN is very credible. We respect ESPN. But I'm very concerned about this movie because the facts they have written are not accurate.''

Producers of the movie say they're being true to Earnhardt and his legacy.

"This isn't a documentary. It instead is a movie that is a dramatic presentation telling the story of Dale Earnhardt,'' said Will Staeger, executive producer of ESPN Original Entertainment. "We feel we have a pretty good grasp of the essence of the man.''

Dale Earnhardt, a Kannapolis native, has long been a hero to people who admired his grit, determination, competitiveness and loyalty to his small-town roots.

But since he died at Daytona in February 2001, the quest to protect his legacy has taken some rough turns.

In spring 2003, the city of Kannapolis tried to figure out whether it could promote a statue of its native son without Teresa Earnhardt's permission. Before the issue was resolved, the city and DEI were speaking to each other only through lawyers.

The city was raising money from NASCAR teams and corporations, and Teresa Earnhardt worried that the statue would become commercialized.

ESPN is midway through filming the movie, scheduled to air Dec. 11. Although they've taken some dramatic license, producers say they've paid special attention to staying true to the gist of Earnhardt's story.

"The crew is emotionally motivated. This is a story they know. Many of them knew Dale, or knew Ralph,'' said producer Lynn Raynor. "Many are still involved in racing cars. Emotionally, they're putting out 110 percent because the movie means something to them.''

The movie stars Barry Pepper, who played baseball great Roger Maris in HBO's "61,'' as Dale Earnhardt. To prepare, Raynor said, Pepper spent two days at Lowe's Motor Speedway learning how to drive race cars.

Elizabeth Mitchell ("The Santa Clause 2'') plays Teresa Earnhardt, and J.K. Simmons ("The Ladykillers'') plays Ralph Earnhardt.

The father-son relationships portrayed in the movie push the film's appeal beyond just racing fans, Raynor said.

"I think the story touches everyone, because it's really about a father and son, Ralph and Dale, and a father and son, Dale and Dale Junior. It's a common denominator for everyone,'' Raynor said.

Aniston, Pitt Lead 'Most Beautiful' List

"I was an unfortunate looking teenager," Aniston tells the magazine in an interview. "I never felt beautiful, ever."

She also says she and Pitt are "absolutely in the process" of trying to have a baby, which includes taking folic acid and setting aside a room in their new house for a possible nursery.

Husband-and-wife pop and reality TV stars Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey — who are everywhere else these days — also made the list.

So did Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen — though technically they're not a couple — but they are twins, and they co-star in the upcoming movie "New York Minute."

Another set of sisters — models Alexandra and Theodora Richards, the daughters of Rolling Stone Keith Richard — also made the list.

Halle Berry is among the magazine's beauties for the eighth time, tying Julia Roberts for the most appearances.

Nicole Kidman makes her sixth appearance, and fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman is on the list for the fourth year in a row.

The sports world is represented by New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and U.S. Olympic softball pitcher Jennie Finch.

And Kwame Jackson, who was fired by Donald Trump on "The Apprentice," is workin' it in People.

The 15th annual "Most Beautiful People" issue hits newsstands Friday.

Caution: Beware angry Earnhardt fans

When NASCAR declared Gordon the winner in Sunday's Aaron's 499 -- finished under caution rather than with any last-lap drama -- it proved the fan favorite doesn't get all the calls, after all.

``I'm real glad that one of these calls finally went against me,'' Earnhardt said. ``It's going to shut up a lot of people.''

And his fans voiced their opinion by tossing beer, soda cans and whatever else was handy onto the Talladega track.

The normally straight-laced Gordon had his fun with the scene, easing around the track and spinning his wheels in a victory celebration.

``I know it's going to be controversial, but I don't care,'' he declared in the winner's circle.

He seized the lead from Earnhardt with six laps remaining, setting the stage for a scintillating finish. It didn't happen.

Earnhardt was making a strong bid for the lead coming off turn four of lap 184 in the 188-lap race when rookie Brian Vickers and Casey Mears collided. That brought out the 11th caution flag of the race.

Just like that, Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s string of five straight Cup wins -- four by Earnhardt and one last fall by Michael Waltrip -- at Talladega was over.

Earnhardt questioned NASCAR's ruling that Gordon held the lead when the caution started, but last fall's rule change means the field is frozen when the yellow comes out rather than letting the competitors race to the flagstand.

``I just feel like I was ahead of him, that's my only argument,'' Earnhardt said. ``Other than that, I thought it was a great race.''

It was Gordon's third win on Talladega's 2.66-mile oval and the 65th of his NASCAR career, and just as satisfying even with the anticlimactic finale.

``It seems like a long time since I've won any race,'' said Gordon, whose last win came at Atlanta in October 2003, a 12-race drought. ``I can't think of a better one to win.''

The first ruling had Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet ahead. Gordon said he knew he had a slight lead.

``When I got to turn 2 they said the No. 24 was ahead of the No. 8,'' Gordon said. ``And I said, 'Really? OK.'

``He rode next to me because obviously he wanted to fight the call. Neither one of us really knew.''

Earnhardt had another brush with controversy at Talladega in the 2003 spring race, getting the benefit of the decision that time. His No. 8 Chevrolet was clearly below the yellow out-of-bounds line when he passed Matt Kenseth for the lead with five laps to go, but NASCAR let the win stand despite the rules violation.

``I've been on both ends of this, getting the call to go for you, getting the call to go against you,'' said Earnhardt, who expanded his series lead to 94 over Jimmie Johnson. ``I was racing below the yellow line last year, and they called it fair.

``This one didn't go my way. It's not a big deal.''

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said a videotape review clearly showed Gordon ahead when the caution lights came on.

``We turned the lights on when the wreck was in progress,'' Hunter said. ``We had a great piece of footage that showed the two cars, so it was really clear-cut that Gordon was in the lead.''

Hunter said Tony Eury, Earnhardt's crew chief, looked at the video and said, ``I understand.''

Gordon, a four-time Cup champion, led four times for a total of 15 laps. Earnhardt led 11 times for a race-high 57 laps.

Kevin Harvick was third, and Gordon's teammate Johnson was fourth.

``I still feel the DEI cars are more dominant than the rest of us, but I think we've closed the gap,'' Johnson said.

NASCAR didn't get the green flag back out for a race to the finish, keeping it under caution to the end and igniting the fans' anger when they realized Gordon was going to win.

``Here and at Daytona, we're not going to have a one-lap shootout just because of safety,'' Hunter said. ``We're just not going to do that.''

There had already been enough bumping and banging at speeds above 190 mph in a race typical of the recent Cup events at both Talladega and Daytona, the tracks where NASCAR requires horsepower-dampening carburetor restrictor plates to slow the cars.

The big wreck came on lap 84 when Tony Stewart tapped the rear of Kurt Busch's car near the bottom of the banked track, sending Busch sliding sideways up the banking right in front of a huge pack of cars.

The crash left 10 cars scattered around the fourth turn. The cars driven by Busch, Derrike Cope and Kenny Wallace had to be hauled off on flatbed trucks. There were no injuries.

Earnhardt and Waltrip had combined to win 10 of the previous 13 races at the two big tracks.

Waltrip ran near the front most of the day but faded at the end to finish 12th.

``Beating the DEI cars,'' Gordon said, ``is difficult to do.''

Fans partially to blame for caution finish

"Earnhardt Nation" wasn't happy -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and said on TV he had passed Gordon before the caution froze the field, though NASCAR ruled otherwise. Junior's fans showed their dissatisfaction by littering the speedway with beer cans -- and anything else that was handy -- when the lineup showed the No. 8 car in second place. With trash on the track, NASCAR officials had no choice but to finish the race under yellow. Gordon scored his 65th career victory. ...

With all the discussion surrounding the construction of a NASCAR track in the Pacific Northwest, Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Roush Racing Ford and a native of Vancouver, Wash., just across the state line from Portland, has an opinion of where the venue should be located.

"I think the best place would be in between Seattle and Portland," Biffle says. "They want to capture both of those markets -- they're both huge markets -- and we could access both airports. The spot that they're looking at is way north of Seattle, and it's not easy to get to. It would make more sense to offer access to everyone."

Biffle says the race at the track should be in mid-summer: "When we don't want to race back East because it's 900 degrees, that would be the perfect time to go." And if Biffle got to choose the type of track, it would be 1.25 miles or less. ...

The 2005 schedule dominated discussions in the garage last weekend, but NASCAR vice chairman Bill France refused to comment on specifics because of a pending lawsuit. Several possible scenarios have been suggested, but NASCAR insiders insist the schedule will not expand beyond the current 36 points races. ...

Nextel Cup director John Darby says teams will have to cut one-half inch off of the cars' spoilers before the race at Chicago on July 11. Many teams have reserved tests anticipating the change. "We're all going to be looking for balance," Jamie McMurray says. "But I think the shorter spoiler is going to make it a lot harder for us to pass." ...

Expect Jeremy Mayfield to be stout at California, where he won the race in 2000. The driver of the No. 19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge tested at Michigan last week and says it was his best run ever at the two-mile track. "If you're good at Michigan, you'll be good at California," Mayfield says. Mayfield is optimistic the improvements made to the engines and bodies throughout the season will pay off Sunday.

Angry fans douse Gordon in victory lap

Unfortunately, the spray came from cans heaved onto Talladega Superspeedway's track after Gordon's controversial victory over fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Sunday in the Aaron's 499.

Earnhardt, who tucked his car alongside the wall to shield himself from the cans, wasn't bothered by the display.

``I don't think they really trashed the place,'' he said. ``They were just expressing themselves in the only manner that they saw fit.''

The race was completed under caution after a wreck behind the leaders, with NASCAR ruling Gordon was ahead of Earnhardt at the time. It also was clearly completed under protest -- by Earnhardt's many fans, at least.

Gordon didn't let it dampen his celebration too much, stopping for a moment to give them a better target and spinning his wheels on the track.

``I took a lot of satisfaction from a lot of things in that moment, and that was one of them,'' he said. ``Anytime that Junior doesn't win here and he's got a shot it's going be controversial because he's got so many people pulling for him.

``It's not the same if they just stand up and turn around and leave. You want some action. I don't mind a little controversy either, but when they were throwing all that stuff out there it made me smile. It made me laugh. I wanted to enjoy the moment.''

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter didn't find it quite as humorous, but said the unHappy Hour came courtesy of a ``small minority'' of the fans. He said they were aiming at the wrong target.

``They were showing their disappointment to the wrong people, to the drivers,'' Hunter said. ``It's not their decision. It's NASCAR's decision.''

Driver Ryan Newman had stronger words for the bombarding of cans, calling it ``pretty embarrassing to the sport.''

WILD RACE

Defending series champion Matt Kenseth called it ``crazy.'' Kurt Busch only wanted to move on to a ``real'' race and even veteran Rusty Wallace was taken aback by the aggressive driving.

Yes, the Aaron's 499 was a wild one, packed bumper-to-bumper with caution flags, frustrated drivers and dented cars.

``I'm looking forward to the next race,'' said Busch, whose day was ended by a 10-car crash on the 83rd lap. ``We go to a real race track where we can race side by side and not have a draft that ruins it. We just got ruined by the draft today.''

The restrictor-plate race at Talladega Superspeedway had everything except sustained periods of uninterrupted racing, with a track record 11 cautions and more than a quarter of the 43-man field (13 drivers) forced to bow out early for accidents or engine problems. The previous record for cautions was nine, set four times, the latest in 1987.

``It was crazy. It was a lot worse than I've seen it for a while,'' said Kenseth, who spun out early in the race then had an engine failure relegate him to 42nd place.

``I couldn't believe how forceful everybody was getting,'' said Wallace, who got caught up in a 10-car crash and wound up 33rd. ``There were a lot of people running into each other. Cars would come by me and their right sides were torn up, noses were bashed in and they were still running into people.

``It's an exciting race for the fans, but it's not too much fun for the drivers.''

The biggest wreck occurred when Stewart nudged Busch's car from behind, causing Busch to spin out. Rookie Kasey Kahne was also among those who got caught up in the crash, and he wasn't shy about pointing fingers at a possible culprit.

``I'm not sure what caused it, but Tony Stewart has been running into everything all year, so I wouldn't be surprised if he did it here, too,'' Kahne said. ``I get sick of getting knocked around, but it's part of racing, I guess.

``At these tracks, you can't really do anything about it,'' added Kahne, who finished 30th.

FAMILY MATTERS

Dale Jr. wasn't the only Earnhardt who had an unpleasant finish. His older half-brother, Kerry, was racing in the top 10 until he was knocked out by Michael Waltrip on lap 115.

Kerry Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, finished 35th in only his second start on NASCAR's top circuit. He was 30th at Michigan in 2000.

``Aside from a couple of races in the mid-90s, we hardly race against each other too much,'' Dale Jr. said. ``That was a blast.

``He put on a great run for his team. They really accomplished everything they set out to.''

In another family affair, Eric McClure made his Nextel Cup debut, driving a car owned by his father and four uncles. McClure finished 26th and led one lap under caution.

SPARK PLUGS

The 54 lead changes was the most in a Cup race since there were 68 at Talladega in July 1984. ... Bobby Allison, an original member of the Alabama Gang, was warmly greeted by fans when he served as grand marshal for the race. He also got a standing ovation when he was introduced to drivers and crew chiefs at the prerace meeting. ... The new SAFER barriers served their purpose in the big crash, helping protect the drivers. Three drivers were evaluated and released from the infield care center, but there were no serious injuries.

Earnhardt first quarter Driver of the Year winner

After winning the Daytona 500 and at Atlanta and leading the NASCAR Nextel Cup points following the first eight races, Earnhardt is the winner of the first quarter voting for the Driver of the Year Award.

Earnhardt drew 11 first-place votes and was no lower than fourth on any of the 18 ballots submitted by a national panel of motorsports writers and broadcasters and one ballot from a fan vote compiled on Speedtv.com.

"Winning the Daytona 500 was something I'll never forget, and we've followed it up with a good season so far," said Earnhardt, who will start third in Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

"My team has stepped up and we're really getting stronger each week," he added. "But I can't look past the words 'first quarter.' The race is just starting and we're a team that is pointing toward a championship - the big trophy at the end of the fourth quarter."

Earnhardt's father, a seven-time Cup champion, was the Driver of the Year in 1987 and 1994. This is the first time Junior has won a quarter vote.

Jr's 135 points easily outdistanced the four first-place votes and 97 points given runner-up Steve Kinser, a longtime star in the World of Outlaws sprint car series. Kinser has four victories this year, including the 500th of his career.

NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Tony Schumacher, with three wins in the first four events of the year, finished third in the voting with one first-place vote and 51 points.

A total of 15 drivers received votes, including IRL points leader Dan Wheldon, NASCAR's defending Cup champion Matt Kenseth and rookie Kasey Kahne and NHRA Pro Stock driver Gary Anderson.

The panel picks a winner in each of the four quarters of the year, then selects the overall winner in a separate vote.

Junior class rules Talladega

With a few helpful shoves from Earnhardt, co-owner of Chance 2 Motorsports, Truex won his second NASCAR Busch series race, taking the checkered flag just ahead of his mentor on Saturday in the Aaron's 312.

The last 31 laps of the 117-lap event on the 2.66-mile oval. were marred by four of the six caution flags in the race. One, brought out by a wild, 10-car crash sent Tim Fedewa to a nearby hospital for a precautionary examination.

With Truex and Earnhardt just ahead of a long line of contenders and a great finish shaping up, rookie Clint Bowyer, who started from the pole in his first Talladega race, spun on lap 116. That started a chain reaction crash that involved five other cars, forcing the race to finish under yellow.

"What a crazy race. You never knew where you were going to be from one lap to the next," Truex said. "We were just in the right place at the right time, out front with Junior giving me a push from behind.

"It was really cool having him push me. He could have got out of line and tried to push by me, but he's a real class act."

Truex led four times for 29 laps, including the final 23. He averaged 136.783 mph.

Earnhardt, the defending race winner here and also of the season-opener in Daytona in his only other Busch start of 2004, gave Truex instructions by radio late in the race.

"At one time, there was a whole line of them coming up on the outside and I turned to his channel and told Martin to get up in front of them or he'd probably wind up getting kicked all the way to the back," Earnhardt said. "I'm sure he was thinking he had to stay in front of Earnhardt, but he listened and got up in front of them and stayed in the lead.

"I told him, 'Don't worry about me. I'll get back up front.' "

Earnhardt did fall back a bit but, following the last restart with eight laps remaining, the two-time Busch Series champion quickly moved from fourth to second and bumped the rear of Truex's Chevrolet several times to give him extra momentum to pull ahead.

"I decided to stay behind him and take what we could get as a team," said Earnhardt, who will go into Sunday's Aaron's 499 Nextel Cup race as co-favorite with DEI teammate Michael Waltrip. "I figured if I pull out, they're going to do to me what I did to the two guys who were between Martin and me on the last restart."

Earnhardt acknowledged playing computer games with Truex was a big help in getting the rookie ready for his first Talladega race.

"We spent a lot of time on a computer running simulations," Earnhardt said. "It's real close to real life and ... when you learn patience and self-discipline on that video game, it works in real life. And Martin's real good at that game."

As for Saturday's race, Earnhardt appeared to be as happy as if he had won.

"I'm real happy with Martin," Earnhardt said. "He really did what he had to do."

Ron Hornaday Jr. finished third, followed by rookie Kyle Busch, Jason Leffler, Robby Gordon, Kenny Wallace, Waltrip and David Green.

Waltrip, who came into the race with an eight-point lead over Green in the championship, now leads by 17. Truex moved to third, 27 behind.

DEI duo steps up to the plate question

Why, exactly, are they so dominant at Daytona and Talladega?

After qualifying second and third, respectively, for Sunday's Aaron's 499, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were posed that very question. Oddly enough, their explanations were completely different.

"Dale (Earnhardt) was the best at racing these plate races, and he understood that to be successful you had to have a fast car," Waltrip said. "That's what he left us with at DEI. Everybody works so hard to be sure they provide Dale Jr. and I with the fastest cars.

"We prepare and look to these races knowing what is expected of us. (Earnhardt's) presence is an intangible other people don't have. In sports, when intangibles line up on your side, it generally makes you a more successful operation."

While Waltrip waxed philosophical, Earnhardt took a more nonchalant approach.

His answer? People.

"It's having every single piece at one time, and over the years there's teams that have had that," Junior said. "The (Morgan McClure) car was strong ever time they went to Daytona and Talladega.

"Robert Yates had a period where he was unbeatable at Daytona. We're just in a stage. I don't know that that will always be the case, but right now we're just enjoying the opportunity to drive such good cars."

Good isn't necessarily accurate. In the past five races here, either Waltrip or Earnhardt have gone to Victory Lane. The duo has combined to win four of the past six races at Daytona, as well. That breeds confidence -- company wide.

"I come here expecting to win," Waltrip said. "That's my main goal. I'm sure Junior feels same way."

True.

"We come here knowing we're the favorites," Earnhardt added. "Eventually you start to believe it. One of us should win the race. With as competitive as our cars are in this day and time, we should both go out there with the attitude we'll win the race."

Nine of the past 12 races at Talladega Superspeedway were won either by Earnhardt Jr. or his late father.

Earnhardt swept both races in 1999, then won the final race of his career in 2000. Not to be outdone, Junior won four in a row from October 2001 to April 2003.

"Everybody calls this the house Earnhardt built," Junior said. "I'd like to keep it that way."

Junior misses his car

"I go in there with a cautious optimism," Junior said of Talladega. "We don't have the car we'd like to have since it's in the museum in Daytona. I won't be surprised if we struggle in qualifying, but we should be OK when it comes to the race."

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., third place was bittersweet

Should he be happy because he'd just earned his fifth consecutive top-five at a racetrack that only four years ago absolutely baffled him? Or should he be upset that he'd yet again been in position to earn a victory only to have it slip away?

Well. Both.

"I was real disappointed today, to be honest with you," Earnhardt said after finishing third in the Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway. "There's a lot of disappointment down inside me, because I was sitting where Rusty (race winner Wallace) ended up.

"I was right behind (Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson) thinking, 'Man, I hold the boys behind me off and get by them, and I'm gone. But it wouldn't turn at the end.

"I was frustrated because five times I've been in the top five here. Two times for sure, maybe three, I was in the catbird seat in a position to win.

"It's right there in front of me and gets away somehow. But then again, the first time I raced here I caused three or four cautions, ran into a wall, ran into infield pickup trucks ... it was a bad, bad day.

"When you look back at that, and personally experience it, you enjoy coming out of here with a good finish."

Record at Martinsville greatly improved

Earnhardt's first four starts at the half-mile bullring produced three finishes of 26th or worse, including a DNF.

He's fared no worse than fifth since.

"This track's real difficult to learn. It's much like growing up," Earnhardt lamented. "It's all about self-discipline. It's like trying to get good grades in school and doing what you have to do but don't want to do.

"You want to use more brakes here, and fly into the corner, but you can't. You must be consistent and save your tires. You have to brake earlier than you want to. It takes a lot of discipline lap after lap after lap to be real good here."

And a bit of good fortune. Earnhardt was leading the race when a 12-inch wide, two-inch deep hole appeared in the racetrack.

As he sped by it on Lap 290, he looked in his rearview mirror to see Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet, arguably the best car on the track Sunday, strike the chunk of concrete.

Otherwise, Earnhardt said, it may have been Gordon's race.

"It's unfortunate Jeff hit it," Earnhardt said. "He still got a decent finish, probably still had the best car on track, but before he hit that debris he had the best car, as he usually does here. Freak deal.

"It almost goes along the lines of Mother Nature. It's not in your control. It's not in anybody's control."

Many assume it's a foregone conclusion that Junior will be in control all weekend next week at Talladega. He says different.

"I'll go in there with cautious optimism," he said. "We don't have car we'd like. It's in the museum at Daytona. We'll have to see how good it is. I won't be surprised if we struggle in qualifying, but we should be okay when it comes to the race."

He started fine Sunday, leading several laps before he suddenly began to fade. Drastically. He cites two pit stops as crucial to Sunday's outcome.

"Wore the rear tires off of it, burnt 'em up," he said. "We had to adjust it so it wouldn't do that the rest of the day. We definitely weren't the best car. But two stops -- the first I came in eighth and went out fourth, the other I came in fourth and went out first. That was the key today."

The result, a fifth consecutive top-five. So should he be happy or not?

"I like racing at Martinsville an awful lot," Junior said. "Now that we're getting better at getting our cars to handle, it seems to be coming together. We anticipate running well here. That's five top-fives in a row. That feels good."

Dale Jr. docked points, fined for Bristol spin

The Dale Earnhardt Inc. team, which fields the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Earnhardt Jr., was also penalized 25 owner points for the actions of its driver.

Earnhardt Jr. was traveling in Florida when NASCAR notified him of the penalties and was unable for comment.

"We regret what this has cost us in our pursuit of the Nextel Cup championship," team owner Teresa Earnhardt said. "In the heat of battle, a lot of things can happen and decisions can be made that come at a high cost.

"It was a mistake we've all learned from and we have to move past it. Our goal is regaining the ground we've lost and continuing our focus on winning."

Earnhardt Jr. was penalized for intentionally causing a caution condition during the race, and as a result was in violation of Section 12-4-A (Actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4-N (Any driver who, in the judgment of NASCAR officials, intentionally causes or attempts to cause a caution condition by stopping or spinning out or any other action) of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Rule Book.

After a pit stop, Earnhardt's car had loose lug nuts on a rear wheel that caused its handling to deteriorate. Earnhardt fell back from leader Kurt Busch until he was only a few seconds from losing a lap.

Earnhardt spun in Turn 2 and radioed his crew that he had intentionally spun out to keep from losing a lap. In numerous post-race media interviews Earnhardt continued to say he had intentionally spun his car to create a caution that prevented him from losing a lap.

"The driver of the No. 8 car was quite vocal in admitting he intentionally spun out his car to cause a caution condition on the track, which is clearly prohibited in the NASCAR Rule Book," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "We have several rules in our rule book that have been in place for quite some time to prevent someone from altering the outcome of an event.

"This was a clear-cut case of that. Actions such as this will not be tolerated. We will always react to protect the integrity of our sport."

In the 2002 running of The Winston NASCAR all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch spun out Robby Gordon and later said he did it intentionally because he needed a caution period.

NASCAR fined him $10,000.

Earnhardt's adjusted point total of 832 points allows him to maintain third position in the standings, 66 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. Teresa Earnhardt maintains the same differential in the owner standings to Kenseth's owner, Mark Martin.

NASCAR reviewing Earnhardt Jr. caution

"We're still in the process of reviewing what took place," NASCAR spokesman Herb Branham said early Tuesday evening. "We're gathering all the information and examining all the details, including what was said, post-race."

The incident, which was almost comical at the time, looms as the sport's latest budding controversy.

With 69 laps remaining and leader and eventual race winner Kurt Busch coming up behind him to put him a lap down, Earnhardt spun his car out in Turn 2, bringing out the event's eighth caution.

Earnhardt reportedly told his crew on his in-car radio that he had intentionally spun his car -- which was handling poorly due to loose lug nuts -- to prevent himself from losing a lap.

While his in-car comments indicated he wasn't sure he didn't have a tire deflating to cause the ill handling, Earnhardt repeated the contention that he'd purposely spun in post-race media interviews and bristled when asked about the decision to actually reveal the tactic as opposed to keeping his mouth shut.

"What was I supposed to do -- go a lap down?" Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt ended up finishing the race 11th. With 21 cars finishing on the lead lap, if Earnhardt had either pitted under green or continued to slide back through the field, he would have taken an even worse hit in the points.

Going to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, Earnhardt is third in the standings, 41 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

Labonte: 'There probably should be something done'

Two days after the event, some of Earnhardt's closest competitors said they hardly knew what to make of his act -- or his decision to broadcast it.

Bobby Labonte: "I kind of had to laugh because I thought, 'I'd never admit that.'"

A decision on whether or even how to punish is expected Wednesday, sources said, amidst public speculation that the popular Earnhardt's deed would go unpunished.

Bobby Labonte, 2000 NASCAR champion, said that was a mistake.

"There probably should be something done," Labonte said. "I don't know what the penalty should be or could be, but it definitely needs to be where it doesn't matter who you are (if a penalty is or isn't issued)."

Incidents of drivers being penalized for artificially causing cautions in a NASCAR race have been few and far between. In a recent edition of The Winston NASCAR all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway Kurt Busch was penalized after he admitted to spinning Robby Gordon because Busch "needed a caution."

In a couple instances, drivers were caught tossing pieces of roll bar padding out of their cars in an attempt to cause a caution.

Everyone has a short track story about a competitor that does something with his car to create a caution and Labonte is no different. His disgust was registered in a race, however.

"I was leading a race a couple of years ago when Ricky Craven stopped on the race track between (Turns) 1 and 2 at Martinsville," Labonte said. "He had some tire thing and kind of wrecked up there anyway. He didn't have to stop, but he stopped in the corner and caused a caution.

"I don't know whether I ended up winning or losing, but it was one of those deals where it was a deliberate deal (and) that kind of ticks you off as a competitor when it doesn't go in your favor."

Labonte said he was leaving the speedway Sunday when he heard Earnhardt's remarks.

"I kind of had to laugh because I thought, 'I'd never admit that,'" Labonte said. "But that's too late."

Labonte did not take a strong stance on whether a driver deliberately spinning his car could inadvertently involve other competitors and damage their cars -- but was unequivocal in his belief that cautions should be avoided if at all possible.

"On a restart, if you listen to the announcers, cautions breed cautions (and) if you believe that, then obviously having a caution that wasn't really necessary breeds another caution," Labonte said. "You don't want to see it happen if it doesn't have to happen -- let's put it that way."

Ryan Newman, who has put himself into the forefront of the Nextel Cup scene thanks to winning 11 poles and eight races last season and three Bud Poles already in 2004, said a definitive rule is needed, along with equal enforcement.

"I think Junior opened the door for that potential as far as creating your own caution and spinning a guy out because you're getting ready to get lapped or vice versa," Newman said. "The potential has always been there.

"Take for instance a track like Pocono and a plug wire falls off five laps into the race. You could come off Turn 1 and spin and it's so wide you don't hit anything. You've caused your own yellow. (and) you can get that position back, get your lap back all for spinning out and not hitting anything.

"As long as there's not a rule against spinning yourself out or spinning someone else out, which there is a judgment call on, there should be no penalty for it."

Both Newman and his crew chief, Matt Borland, agreed the current rules package made the situation a lot more enticing for a driver willing to bend an already vague concept.

"I think the biggest rule is freezing the field under caution," Borland said. "Basically if the field is frozen you can create your own caution and you don't get penalized for it because the field is frozen as soon as the caution happens.

"If you're in a situation where you might go a lap down, you can wreck yourself (or) you can wreck someone else so you won't go a lap down.

"Before, you knew you had the option that if you went a lap down and could get the car right (we could) race our way back up front. Now, if you get a lap down or two laps down, your day is pretty much over at that point.

"I think you're getting guys more desperate not to get in that situation, so they're using the rules to get themselves out of that boat."

Newman appeared to be torn between the obvious potential benefit of pulling off the same deal and supporting a fellow driver and the need to have well-written rules.

"No. 1, I don't think he should be penalized because there is no rule against it as we speak (and) for that reason, if there is no rule against it, then you can't penalize a person," Newman said of penalizing Earnhardt. "It'd have to be a judgment call."

Newman admitted that Junior's comments throw the biggest curve into understanding, or administering, to the situation.

"They'll have to be listening to Junior's radio and find out if he has a tire going down or a loose lug or some reason he'd spin himself out to make that judgment call," Newman said. "They've been trying to do that (get inside a driver's head) for 50 years, but I think there's a different perspective to it with what Junior did."

Earnhardt Jr. confident as Darlington looms

Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr., has yet to win at Darlington, but he starts second in Sunday's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 and sounds like a confident driver.

"You've just got to have the right things fall into place," Earnhardt Jr. said. "It's one of those races -- kind of like last week -- where the winner sometimes emerges at the last minute with the last pit stop and who comes out in front ad all that kind of stuff. Hopefully we'll put ourselves in position."

Earnhardt Jr. was 16th in Happy Hour and ninth in Saturday's other practice. Junior won last weekend at Atlanta and also won the Daytona 500.

"We've got basically the same set-up in the car we normally run here," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I feel pretty good about it. We were really fast right off the bat. But it's real important to me and to our success that we have long runs that are good.

"I've got to be real careful with the car and take it easy with the car when it's time to get out there and run. I've got to save the car and be real consistent. But I think we'll have a good car. It's felt pretty good the last couple of times."

Earnhardt Jr. said the team made a lot of changes to the car this weekend, trying to improve on a sixth-place finish in this race a year ago.

"It's got a set-up that works good and that has run good here," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We're just that much off from winning the race. We were a fifth-or-sixth-place car the last couple of times we've been here. So we're just trying to improve on that"

Earnhardt Jr. is Trackside's guest Friday night at Darlington

Hosted by Steve Byrnes along with regular panelists Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds, Trackside travels to every NASCAR Nextel Cup event in 2004.

The show is done in front of a live audience and is shot on SPEED's new 53-foot traveling stage truck. The stage for Friday's broadcast will be located in Darlington's display area behind the Tyler Tower frontstretch grandstand. The public is welcome.

Junior to share Corvette with Said at Sonoma

A two-time winner already in the 2004 NASCAR season in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, including the most recent event at Atlanta, Earnhardt will make a rare foray outside of stock car racing when he joins the General Motors Chevrolet Corvette racing team in the Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma, presented by the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, July 16-18. He will co-drive with veteran road-racer Boris Said in a third Chevrolet Corvette C5-R fielded by Corvette Racing, the car carrying Earnhardt's No. 8.

"Dale Jr. may be the strongest name in our sport today and he has a tremendous following in Northern California," said Steve Page, president and general manager at Infineon Raceway. "We're looking forward to seeing him back here in July and mixing it up in a sports car. It should make for a terrific weekend of racing."

The three-car team for the event will reunite Earnhardt with the Corvette team, a bond that began at the 2001 running of the 24 Hours of Daytona where Earnhardt Jr., and his father, the late Dale Earnhardt, finished fourth overall in their first-ever sports car race.

"I am really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the Corvette C5-R because it is such a great race car," said Earnhardt Jr. "I'm happy that Chevy has given me the chance to cross over and take part in its sports car program, which has been a huge success. Boris Said has a lot of experience at Infineon Raceway, and I'm getting better there, so it should be a fun weekend."

Earnhardt Jr. posted a career-best 11th-place at last year's Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR event at Infineon Raceway, while Said captured his first-ever NASCAR pole. The weekend of July 16-18 is a rare weekend off for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

"It will be great to have Dale Jr. back into the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R and Boris will be an excellent partner for him," said Gary Claudio, GM Racing Marketing Manager. "The relationship we have with Dale Jr. highlights the depth and breadth of Chevrolet's racing program. This commitment to compete across the entire spectrum of major league motorsports is why Chevy is the most successful manufacturer in racing."

"We greatly appreciate this demonstration of the commitment that GM and Corvette Racing have to the American Le Mans Series and we thank Dale Jr. for his enthusiasm," said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series. "Having one of the most popular drivers in the world as part of our event at Infineon Raceway is a spectacular opportunity and we look forward to it. Dale Jr., like his father, is known to have always had an attraction to state-of-the-art, world-class sports car racing - in particular Le Mans. We look forward to his debut with the American Le Mans Series and are confident this is only the start of his participation in the ALMS."

Earnhardt Jr., four others take a test at Texas

A trio of NASCAR Nextel Cup and two NASCAR Busch Series teams tested a total of eight different vehicles on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Nextel Cup teams taking to the speedway included Dale Earnhardt Jr. in two Budweiser Chevrolets, Bill Elliott in a Dodge Dealers Dodge and Larry Foyt in the A.J. Foyt Racing Dodge. Busch Series drivers testing two cars apiece were Martin Truex Jr. in the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet and J.J. Yeley in the Vigoro Chevrolet.

Earnhardt continued on a roll following his triumph in the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Sunday with a solid day in the Bud machines. Elliott prepared for the April 4 Samsung/RadioShack 500 in Ray Evernham's creation while Foyt sought extra speed at his homestate speedway.

Truex followed the lead of his boss Earnhardt and swapped test drives throughout the day in the two Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolets. Yeley also tested both of Joe Gibbs Racing's Chevrolets following a morning scrape of the turn two wall.

"We were just as fast off the trailer as we were at the end of the day," observed Earnhardt, winner of a Nextel Cup and a Busch race at Texas. "We're happy with our car. Most of the day we were working on carburetors and intakes, trying to see what was the best for the car.

"We changed some setup things and learned a little bit. But overall, the car was real comfortable. The track is in great shape.

"There is a little more grip with this year's tire which I like," continued Earnhardt. "Last year, I thought the tire that was brought here was a little hard for the track, but this is really good, very comfortable."

"We are just throwing a bunch of things at the car to see what happens today," commented Elliott, who will be racing in the April 4 headliner during his part-time schedule this year. "We are going to look at the data in the morning, see what works best on the car and try to improve."

Foyt was also seeking speed from his machine. The former student at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth will have many friends and family at the speedway for the upcoming weekend.

"We are working on a lot of things," said Foyt. "I haven't been in a car for a couple of weeks and it is the first time on a mile and a half this year on this new Goodyear tire. We went out earlier and tried to get a feeling for that. The car feels pretty decent and I think we're OK.

"I didn't notice a difference in tires from last year here at Texas as I did at Daytona and Rockingham. The car feels pretty stable here where I noticed more of a difference at Daytona."

Truex and Yeley were busy putting in laps and gathering information for their first NASCAR Busch Series starts at Texas.

"We tried a lot of different things today, front end changes, different springs and shocks," said Truex. "We unloaded pretty good, were pretty good before lunch and kind of lost it a little after lunch. We are trying to get it back but the track got a little slicker in the afternoon.

"I feel good about us being ready for the race. I'm not sure what kind of times everybody else is running, but we're not much slower than Dale Jr. That's a pretty good gauge to go off of."

"This place is very tricky," commented Yeley who became only the second driver to win the USAC Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget championships in one season during 2003. "The track actually started taking rubber with just five cars out on it. We fought the car being too tight all day long. We got better but we still have a lot of progress to go.

"You have to watch out for the walls here," continued Yeley about his first Texas test. "We are trying to get our entries into the corners right. I had to concentrate on taking my time, giving it up a little on entry to make sure that I could get to a wide-open throttle a little quicker and get off the exit faster.

"For the first day, it's definitely a lot different than I expected. We have some ideas, are going to think about it tonight and come back tomorrow with some changes and hopefully go quicker."

Test sessions will continue Wednesday for the quintet of teams. All tests at the speedway are private and closed to the general public.

Atlanta rebound proves growth of No. 8 team

Junior said his team's dogged attempt to better its putrid racecar last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- followed by the victory one week later -- was a prime example of how much his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team has matured.

The payoff Sunday was a move from seventh in the standings back to third, 90 points behind Matt Kenseth.

"All I know is that it wasn't too long ago that a showing like that would've done us in," Earnhardt said of their pathetic 35th place effort last week. "If that was two years ago, me and Tony (Eury) Jr. (Budweiser Chevrolet car chief) would have got into a hellacious argument.

"Wait a minute. I don't know if hellacious is OK with you -- you don't have to print that if you don't want to."

Earnhardt's reference to NASCAR's recent crackdown on foul language brought a ripple of laughter from a packed infield media center where his post-race briefing was held.

He went on to explain how two years ago, the comeback would probably have not been possible.

"I would've got fed up and quit and parked it -- Tony Jr. probably would have come and punched me in the face -- that's his first line of defense. It would've been nasty.

"I knew the first lap (at Vegas) I was driving a ticking time bomb -- that thing was going to be awful all day (but) this Budweiser team never gives up.

"Two years ago, maybe even last year, we would've self-destructed -- we probably wouldn't have come out of that for some time. Just goes to show you never give up, and never give up on your team."

That attitude got Earnhardt to persevere through some handling vagaries Sunday and delivered him one of the most cherished of his 11 career victories.

"This track has been on my want-list for a long time," he said. "I've wanted to win here pretty bad (because) I'd seen my daddy come in here and win so many times. It really means a lot to win here.

"It's great to put your name on the list to win The Winston and the Daytona 500, but this was a personal victory for me today."

Earnhardt also caused a stir when he referred to his role as best man Saturday in the wedding of a couple he met only last week at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla.

"He'd just asked her, right there to marry him -- that was pretty crazy," Earnhardt said. "He asked me where I would get married if I did it at the track and I told him Victory Lane -- everybody does it there."

The ceremony was scheduled and Earnhardt agreed to participate.

"All I had to do was walk out of my bus, and he was going to drive all the way from Orlando to be here," Junior said. "I thought it was the least I could do, but that was a one shot deal.

"Don't anyone go calling Jade's (Earnhardt's publicist) office or my sister or J.R. Rhodes or DEI. It ain't gonna happen.

"I wish them well, though. It was cool and I learned a lot."

What Earnhardt already knew is his team is a championship threat.

"We can win anywhere, we've just got to have the right setup under the car," Earnhardt said of next weekend's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington. "I've run in the top-five at Darlington (and) it's a good track. It's a track I like."

Sunoco Pit Move of the Week: Atlanta

As it turns out, he didn't need it.

With only three caution flags spread out over 500 grueling miles, it came down to a pit crew contest.

And it wasn't even close.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s pit crew averaged a 13-second stop in each of the final two stops, and each time, they got their man out in plenty of time to stay with the leaders.

They also kept adjusting on the car -- and by the time the 450-mile mark came around, the car was the best it had been all day.

"I credit the team for making great pit stops, and all those guys for the adjustments they made," said Earnhardt Jr. "They really helped the car a lot from where it was at the beginning of the race to the end. It was just a different race car.

On the final stop, Earnhardt Jr. waited three laps so he could pit after most of the other front-runners had pitted, but it didn't matter. Earnhardt Jr.'s car kept getting better as the race wore on, and he had no problem dispatching Jeremy Mayfield with 14 laps to go.

By contrast, Ryan Newman was the last of the front-runners to pit, and a mediocre stop left him no chance to catch back up to the leaders. He finished fifth.

What made the race more painful for Mayfield is the fact that his own pit crew gave him its best stop of the day during the final pit, but Earnhardt Jr.'s crew was a full second faster.

Mayfield seemed surprised that Earnhardt Jr. rallied in the closing laps.

"I guess Junior and them made more aggressive adjustments," Mayfield said.

Junior marches into Georgia

A week after he nearly was parked for running too slow, Junior zoomed by Jeremy Mayfield with 15 laps to go and sprinted to an easy victory Sunday in the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

He also won the season-opening Daytona 500.

"Last week was as bad as it ever gets," Earnhardt said. "But we didn't get on each other too bad, and we stayed pretty focused."

Rookie Kasey Kahne was third -- his third straight finish in the top three -- and Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman followed him across the finish line.

Defending series champ Matt Kenseth, who had won the past two races, rallied from a lap down to finish sixth.

At Las Vegas last Sunday, Earnhardt started 26th and quickly drifted to the rear of the field at the start. His Chevrolet was so far off the pace that NASCAR warned his crew he was right at the minimum speed.

After eventually finishing 35th, Earnhardt and the team spent Thursday testing at Kentucky Speedway. Just as their session was ending, they hit on a setup that worked, and Earnhardt was fast all weekend at Atlanta.

"We went testing, and we're going testing this week," Earnhardt said. "We're going to test, test, test, until we lap the field.

"I'm determined and devoted to running like this every week, no matter what it costs."

He qualified seventh and stayed near the front, then dominated the latter stages. He passed Mayfield's Dodge for the lead with 60 laps to go and held the top spot until the leaders made their final pit stops under green.

Mayfield came in with 26 to go and his crew changed four tires in 14.3 seconds, then Earnhardt followed three laps later. His stop was nearly a second faster, but he came back on the track in third, behind Mayfield and Johnson.

With 20 laps left, Earnhardt drove by Johnson on the inside and set his sights on Mayfield. He didn't take long.

Junior ran up high in Turns 1 and 2 to get momentum, then swooped underneath Mayfield down the backstretch, moving into the lead with hardly a struggle.

"We had a great car to start with, but it just seemed as the race went on, the tighter we got," Mayfield said of his car's handling. "Dale Jr. and those guys got ahead of the track and we didn't."

Kenseth started 30th and was up to 13th after 15 laps, and eventually got to sixth before the first pit stops. But he made a rare mistake, spinning his Ford as he came into the pits, and dropped a lap down after a drive-through penalty.

He made up the ground during the second caution for oil on the track, because he was the first lapped car behind the leader, and got his fourth straight top-10 finish to start the season.

Kenseth leads Tony Stewart by 82 points, with Earnhardt another eight points back.

JUNIOR THE BEST MAN

Earnhardt served as best man in the ceremony, which was held in Victory Lane before the truck series race.

"I just asked her to marry me Monday night," Zeuli said. "We saw Dale Jr. that night and he thought this would be a good idea."

The happy couple is from Orlando, Fla.

Junior: Vegas was a wake-up call

But that idea went out the window with a difficult day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where an ill-handling car led to numerous pit stops and trips to the garage -- and a 35th-place finish.

"Last week was, I don't know, a reality check or a wake-up call," Earnhardt Jr. said Tuesday.

His Dale Earnhardt Inc. team decided to opt out of a Vegas test, he said, to save a test for later in the year. The idea has merits, as the final 10 races will decide the championship in 2004.

But you have to be in the top 10 in points with 10 races to go, Earnhardt Jr. said.

"Obviously, we're pretty concerned with how we ran last week," Earnhardt Jr. said. "In the last 48 hours, we've placed a lot of emphasis on using the next several weeks to test at tracks like Kentucky over and over, lap after lap after lap to try to learn what we need to learn."

Junior said the team will test at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday and at Texas Motor Speedway in two weeks.

"We're going to be on the racetrack as much as we can, every day that we have the opportunity to be there," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Obviously, we're going to Atlanta where we've run real good at. I feel we can go in and out of there with a great deal of confidence and do well and hopefully learn some of the things we need to learn to go to places like Kansas and Homestead, where we struggled at the end of last year."

Not much good came out of Las Vegas, other than "we got home safe," Earnhardt Jr. said.

"Somebody asked me the other day if I've had a race like that before," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I've had maybe one or two like that before where you start the race with a car that's not even in the ballpark. Nine times out of 10, you can work it out. We just weren't able to work it out."

The team has put the poor outing behind them and are focused on the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

But there was one good thing that happened last week, Earnhardt Jr. said. The "volatile relationship" between he and car chief Tony Eury Jr. didn't erupt.

"Throughout that entire day, not one cross word was said from one guy to another," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I felt that was a huge improvement from the past. Any time we've had a day that went sour or a car that wasn't working like we expected -- we didn't begin to point fingers like we would've in the past. Each of us carried that responsibility of that poor finish."

And they intend to make up for it.

Earnhardt Jr., Budweiser extend deal

"Budweiser's sponsorship of Dale Jr. gives us a proven winner on and off the track with a celebrity who is easily connected to Budweiser and highly recognizable among adult beer drinkers," said Tony Ponturo, vice president, Global Media & Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

"Dale Jr.'s popularity reaches a great number of racing fans -- including many of our wholesalers, brewery workers and retailers – through his winning record, contemporary appeal and confidence as a driver."

Earnhardt Jr., the winner of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, has driven the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet since 1999. That season, he appeared in a limited schedule of five NASCAR Winston Cup Series events while racing full-time in the NASCAR Busch Series.

"It's really cool to be sponsored by Budweiser because of the great history they have in motorsports," said Earnhardt Jr. "Anheuser-Busch has supported my career since I drove in the Busch Series where I won a couple of titles, and they've been with me every step of the way since then."

Earnhardt Jr., who has 10 wins in 150 career starts, finished a personal best third in the season points race last year behind series champion Matt Kenseth and runner-up Jimmie Johnson. He finished 2003 with two victories -- at Talladega, Ala. on April 6 and at Phoenix on Nov. 2 -- in 36 races.

He began racing a full schedule in NASCAR's top circuit in 2000 and finished as runner-up for the series rookie of the year award.

Budweiser first sponsored a team in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1983, and seven years ago, Budweiser became the "Official Beer of NASCAR," cementing the brand's place among stock car racing's elite sponsors.

Budweiser also sponsors the Bud Pole Award in 11 NASCAR racing divisions, as well as the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona for top NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers.

Bad day blemishes Junior's strong start

Yes, test session. Ultimately, that's what the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 was for Junior and his Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates.

"We were a second off the pace no matter what we did," Earnhardt said.

After opening the season with career-best finishes at Daytona and Rockingham, including a rousing victory in the Daytona 500, Earnhardt & Co. were never in contention at Las Vegas. They qualified 26th and never placed better than 29th in practice.

And it only got worse Sunday. So bad, in fact, that 106 laps into the 267-lap event Junior, four laps down to the leaders, pulled down pit road and into the garage, where his team made wholesale changes to the Budweiser Chevrolet.

Ten minutes later, he reentered the fray 22 laps down.

The changes didn't help, prompting Earnhardt to make several subsequent visits to the garage before parking his car before the checkers flew.

As race winner Matt Kenseth sped under across the finish line, the Budweiser team's transporter was already loaded up and prepared to roll.

All said, he finished 71 laps down in 35th position, dropping him from first to seventh in the championship point standings. Three races into the season, he trails Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR champion, by 125 points.

"It was disappointing. We probably should have tested, but it's too late now," Earnhardt said. "It will be a 'Black Monday' around the shop. We're going to bounce back and we're going do a heck of a lot of laps testing at Kentucky this week and figure out what we can."

Earnhardt finished second to Kenseth here in 2003 after leading 97 laps. Sunday's effort was the worst of his career in five Vegas starts.

Tony Stewart ranks second in the standings, 88 points behind Kenseth. Elliott Sadler is third, Jeff Gordon fourth and Kurt Busch fifth.

We Hear...

Junior Rocks on

"We got real lucky all day long, catching everybody a lap down on the yellow (flags) and stuff," said Earnhardt, who finished fifth. "I had a pretty decent car, we were real bad at the beginning and we kept working on it and kept getting better and better, and I knew all I had to do was get on the lead lap and we'd get a good finish.

"I about drove it into the fence in Turn 2 on the last lap watching Kasey (Kahne) about win his first race, so that was pretty exciting.

"Just glad to get a top-five, it's my first top-five here. It was just great pit strategy. We didn't have that kind of car."

Earnhardt, who by winning the Daytona 500 last week claimed the points lead for the first time in his career, heads into the coming off-weekend seven points ahead of 2003 series champion and Sunday's race winner, Matt Kenseth.

"This has been, admittedly, my worst track on the schedule," Junior said. "This is awesome. My fans are probably sighing a big sigh of relief, anyway."

Entering Sunday's race, Earnhardt had never finished better than 13th at Rockingham, and in eight career starts here had finished 33rd or worse four times.

Earnhardt Jr. growing weary of questions about his father

If nothing else, it allowed him to finally stop answering questions about his late father.

"The only difficult part is everybody associated it ... every interview, they related my dad's death to the win," he said at North Carolina Speedway. "When is the day going to come when I don't have to reflect back?

"I don't know what's right and what's wrong, because I want to honor my old man. I know what he meant to me. But I don't want to bank on it, either."

Although he's always been in Dale Earnhardt's shadow, it intensified the past week because Junior's Daytona victory came six years to the day his father won his only Daytona title and three years after he was killed in an accident on the final lap.

The comparisons don't bother the son, but Junior said he'd just like a break from the constant inquiries.

"The biggest compliment you could tell me is that I remind you of my dad," he said. "But I don't want to talk about what affects his death had on me the next 10 years."

Although he doesn't want to distance himself from his father, Junior said he would like to stand on his own merits someday.

"I just hate having to talk about it ... I can't talk about it all my life," he said. "But I don't feel like I have to get out from under his shadow. If I can accomplish half of what he did, I'll be happy."

Fans vote Eury 'crew chief of the week'

Eury heads the crew on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Daytona 500-winning car, which also won one of the twin 125-mile qualifying races and was third fastest in time trials. Eury also stuck around until Monday to help oversee Earnhardt's victory in the rain-delayed Busch Series race at Daytona.

"This was a total team effort," Eury said. "This crew has been working their guts out since last November to get ready for this race. They poured their heart and soul into this weekend."

The award, sponsored by Wypall Wipers, is presented after each race to the crew chief getting the most votes by fans logging onto www.wypall.com/crewchiefchallenge.

Robby Reiser, crew chief on the car driven by defending series champion Matt Kenseth, was the fans' second choice.

"I voted for Tony, too," Reiser said. "He dominated this weekend.

"Crew chiefs dream of putting together a car as good as his team created. He made all the right decisions, from the car setup to the pit strategy, and that's what it takes to win. He deserves this award."

Among the members of Eury's crew is his son, Tony Eury Jr., who is Earnhardt's car chief.

Q&A: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The 500 victory was the 10th of his Cup career and the 300 win was his 19th career win in the Busch Series. Atop the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series top 10 for the first time, Dale Jr. will look to improve his career best 13th place finish last fall at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.

WITH ALL THAT'S OCCURRED IN THE LAST 72 HOURS FOR YOU, HOW HAVE YOU AND THE NO. 8 BUD TEAM EVEN BEEN ABLE TO PREPARE FOR THE ROCKINGHAM RACE?

"Well, it's still a couple of days away. I'll be able to go home and get a couple of days rest and relax. I think Tony Stewart is going to give me a ride in the helicopter, so I'll get part of Thursday off too."

HAVE YOU AND TONY STEWART BECOME CLOSER FRIENDS BECAUSE OF BEING TEAMMATES AT THE 24 HOURS OF DAYTONA?

"Yeah. We got to be real good friends over the last year or so. When he was catching all that stuff in the press about being crazy and wild, I just knew that wasn't the truth. I tried to stick up for him a couple of time. He appreciated that. We just got to be good friends and began hanging out a little bit."

AS A FOLLOW UP ON THAT, WHEN DID YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TONY STEWART BEGIN?

"I'm not real sure. I was trying to think back. We ran into each other in the Busch Series a couple of times. We had some pretty colorful arguments. At Pikes Peak, we got to beating and banging on each other. And I ran into him about six or seven times trying to get by him. He sent me into the fence on the restart. We ended up in the Busch hauler trying to get at each other and hollering and cussing and carrying on. And then the next week, we were in Milwaukee. He walked up to me and said he just wanted thing to be cool with each other. He said, 'I think you're cool and your dad is a good man and he's raised you well. I do have a lot of respect for you and I just want you to know that if you want to be friend, we can be friends'. I just thought that was cool. That's kind of when it started. That was back in '98 or '99. Ever since then, we've just gotten to be better friends year after year."

DO YOU HAVE TO DO WELL AT ROCKINGHAM TO PROVE YOU'RE A CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDING TEAM?

"I don't know if anything we do at Rockingham will prove that. The season is so dang long. But I'd like to go in there and get a top 10 finish if we could. That would be great. I feel like we're definitely geared up for that and can make it happen. We had a top five car last time we were there and ended up 13th. We got a lap down due to something that happened on pit road. But I feel pretty good about going there."

ON DALE EARNHARDT LEARNING A LOT ABOUT RESTRICTOR PLATE RACING FROM RICHARD CHILDRESS, AND HIS ABILITY TO PICK THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THE RIGHT JOB AT DEI

"It isn't any secret about Richie Gilmore's success at Daytona. He's won five Daytona 500's now with different people. He's just always been able to go to Daytona and make a good motor. He builds good motors everywhere, but Daytona is really where he shines. That was important to Dad and so that was his number one choice. Richie agreed to come on. We got into that RAD program with Richard Childress years ago that was a big beneficiary to DEI because we gained instant knowledge that Richard and his team had developed for years. We incorporated so many fabricators into our program. One year we'd have five fabricators. The next year we'd have 10. And now they have their own department. It's just a madhouse over there. It just keeps growing. Every year you need more fabricators. You can't just plug anybody into that department. They have to have knowledge and understanding. Every guy's has got to know that every piece that he makes is critical and how to make it the best you can. Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. have always built fast speedway cars. Tony won five in a row with Dad in the Busch Series at Daytona. They learned as they went and applied what they learned every chance they got. That car we built when we were rookies and went down there (Daytona) really wasn't that great. But Michael took that same car and won with it last year at Talladega. It just takes time to build on something and improve it and keep working on it. Eventually, when you have all the right people, you'll figure it out."

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DEVELOP A LITTLE CHEMISTRY WITH YOUR SPOTTER AT DAYTONA?

"They're all a little bit different. You've just got to take what you get when it comes to a spotter. I haven't really had to tell Stevie to do too many things different at all. There was one thing. When I was clear, he could continue to tell me I was clear. Clear. Clear. All clear. And then when a car would get there, he would just say, 'Clear, clear, car low. Now you're clear, you're clear.' I'm not particularly listening to every word he's saying. Basically it all runs together and I don't understand that there's a difference or that anything has changed. So I told him what he could do for me when there is something different - being clear from traffic vs. having a car around me - that maybe he could not say it louder, but pick the pace up. Maybe just say it more quickly so I would know and recognize to pick-up on what he's saying. Normally you're concentrating so hard, you're really not listening to every word your spotter is saying. But if he changes his tone or how quickly he's saying something, you start paying attention to that. That's really all we had to adjust on. One of the things I'm enjoying the most is having him up there with his racing background. It's almost like it's a disadvantage to those guys who haven't driven race cars who are spotting. It's like I've got a little edge."

CAN YOU PUT INTO WORDS THE EMOTIONS OF WINNING THIS PAST WEEKEND?

"It was pretty crazy. Those last five laps, I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat under a rocking chair. And then finally when you cross the finish line and know you've got the win, it's kind of a relief. I wanted to pull down there and enjoy the fans and get to see my team and just thank everybody. It's so much work. I want everybody to enjoy it. It's not just something I did. There is a lot of motivation from my fans and a lot of work done behind the scenes by a lot of guys who never get the credit. They'd done great pit stops all day long and they're just as much a part of it as I was. Ever since then, it's been pretty much of a blur. I got in the Busch car and finished it up and winning it too. It's just kind of been one thing after another."

WHEN YOU WERE ON TV THIS MORNING WITH REGIS AND KELLY, THE GUYS FROM 'QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY' WERE ON. HOW STRANGE WAS THAT?

"How strange was it? I don't know. They're just normal people. I met a couple of them and they seemed pretty nice. One of them has a brother who races and he was telling me that he'd been to something like 10 Daytona 500's. They didn't give me any advice to try and hook me up with any girls, which I could've used. I should have thought about it when we were there. I'd have liked to have heard what they would have told me that I could do better. But anyway, they were cool. They seemed like nice people."

AFTER RACING BOTH THE CUP AND BUSCH AERO PACKAGES AT DAYTONA, WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE BEST PACKAGE FOR NASCAR TO ADOPT FOR THE UPCOMING APRIL RACE AT TALLADEGA?

"I like the package that's under the Cup car right now. The blade is a little tall. I'd like it if they would take a little bit of it off. I don't know. It's just so tough. If they took the blade off, the cars might turn a little bit better at Talladega. I don't know if it would even matter because it is such a bit track. But I really liked the racing at Daytona and how the pack stretched out across the track like it did. I know everybody wants to see us running nose to tail, but it really showed you who had the best car. It showed whose car were good and whose cars were okay, and whose cars weren't running good at all. I don't know if you'll ever get that at Talladega no matter what you do unless you just totally took the plates off and let the drivers drive the cars hard enough that they had to lift. That's what we were doing at Daytona.

"As far as the Busch cars go, they need to get that package off those cars as fast as they can before somebody gets hurt. With those blades on the roof and on the spoilers, it keeps us all three-wide. There were times that you'd be driving your car and be comfortable, and the next lap you'd go in the corner and you'd be about to spin out. It was just because there was so much air being moved around by those blades. A lot of those guys go in there - basically mortgaging their entire career and house and family on making that race - and they go down there and tear everything up they've got because they get involved in some crash because we're just out there running into each other. But that package is just terrible. I think they need to really seriously take what I'm telling them and make a change."

CAN YOU TELL IS WHAT YOUR SCHEDULE HAS BEEN SINCE WINNING THE RACE, AND DO YOU LIKE THE MEDIA OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH EXPOSURE?

"I've always been pretty satisfied with the exposure I've gotten. And yeah, maybe there is a point where there's too much and we're overdoing it. But I did win the Daytona 500. I know people want to hear what I think about that. So I'm cool with it all the things we're doing.

"This morning we got up at 6:45 am to do the Today Show. After that we did Regis and Kelly. And they we did two deals with CNN. Now we're at the teleconference with you guys. After this, we're going to have a quick lunch and maybe take a couple hour nap and do the Late Show with David Letterman from 5:30 pm on and then we can head to the house about eight o'clock tonight. We had a satellite news conference two hours long yesterday after the Busch race. Before the Busch race we were in Daytona 500. It's been pretty busy. I haven't had a whole lot of sleep. That's probably been the main thing. If I had been a little bit more aware of how much rest I would have needed, I probably would have taken a little more care in getting it. But it's been fun."

NOW THAT YOU'VE SWEPT THE CUP RACE AND BUSCH RACE AT DAYTONA, ARE YOU GOING FOR THE CRAFTSMAN TRUCK RACE NEXT YEAR?

"My friend Shane Hmiel told me that it something I need to look at (laughs). They're kind of wild looking out there. You have to ask yourself it it's worth it or not every time you do anything that's extra-curricular outside of the Cup car, if anything. Right now, I kind of like having a little time off during Speedweeks. And so I'm not sure if I just want to tackle every single thing I can tackle. But I would like to drive a truck sometime before I retire."

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO YOUR FANS WHO ARE NOW HEARING THE SAME THING THEY DID AFTER YOU WON THE PEPSI 400 IN 2001, THAT THE RACE WAS FIXED?

"My fans? I think they know better. I think it's a shame that people don't have anything better to do. But I guess you'll have that with anything anytime somebody succeeds with anything. There are going to be some doubters and some people that criticize it no matter what. Some people just can't leave well enough alone and enjoy their own life. They've got to try to mess and screw with somebody else's. I get upset about it, but there isn't much I can do about it except to keep on winning and keep on enjoying my own life."

Earnhardt Jr. hoping to conquer Rockingham

That was before he drove the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet to a win in Sunday's Daytona 500, which, after spending 11 days away from home, guaranteed him another two to fulfill media obligations.

Junior flew directly from Daytona Beach, to New York late Monday night, and spent all day Tuesday hammering through a media checklist that included stops at 'The Today Show' on NBC, 'Live with Regis and Kelly' on ABC, and 'Late Show with David Letterman' on CBS, just to name a few.

"It's been fun, but hopefully I'll have Wednesday to kinda chill out," said Dale Jr., who admits he hasn't had much sleep since winning the Daytona 500. "I feel like the man at the gas station who has an empty tank of gas and only $1 in his pocket. He's got just enough to get him wherever he needs to go, but that's about it."

Looking ahead to Rockingham, he added: "I feel we can be pretty competitive at Rockingham. In the past it was a track we struggled at, but we tested there at the end of last year, and we feel pretty good about going back. It may be the only place we haven't really conquered yet. We've had strong runs there but the results haven't been nothing to brag about.

"Even though we devote a lot of effort and time to restrictor-plate tracks, Rockingham is a track we've emphasizsd as a place where we need to improve if we are gonna win a championship. We made a big commitment, as a team, to work hard on improving our weak spots.

"I used to come here with a bad attitude, and it seemed to set the tone for the whole team. I think it's different now. If anything, winning the Daytona 500 gave us more confidence than we already had as a team, and that's probably the one thing we lacked heading into Rockingham in the past."

Earnhardt has a special connection with his fans

He drove slowly back around the 2½-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway, waving to fans out the window of his car, then stopped at the finish line to celebrate instead of driving straight to Victory Circle. "I just wanted to shout at the fans, wave at them, hear what they had to say," Earnhardt said.

The fans, many of them clad in red and white, the colours on Junior's No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, waved and roared back at their hero after his Daytona 500 win last Sunday.

And there were plenty of them. He has so many fans, in fact, they've been dubbed by some as Earnhardt's Army.

"When I walk around with Junior, I feel like I'm with Elvis," said Martin Truex, whom Earnhardt hired to drive the Busch Series car he co-owns with stepmother Teresa Earnhardt.

As Earnhardt wins more races and becomes a legitimate star on the track, his popularity is soaring - even outside racing circles.

He's showing up in lots of commercials, on billboards, in MTV videos and documentaries about his life, at rock concerts and in numerous television interviews.

This week alone, he went from NBC's Today show and ABC's Regis and Kelly, to sitting down with David Letterman.

Earnhardt inherited a lot of fans from his father when the Intimidator - easily the most popular driver of his era in stock car racing - was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500.

"I was his daddy's fan and now I'm his fan," said William Donovan, a carpenter from Indianapolis who was among more than 1,000 fans waiting to get into the building where Earnhardt's No. 8 car would be put on display.

In most years, perhaps 200 fans show up for the post-Daytona 500 ceremony. This time, five times that many were in line Monday morning to buy tickets and get the chance to see their hero and maybe get an autograph or even a couple of words with Junior.

"He's a lot like his daddy," Donovan said. "He's tough and he's a winner."

The 29-year-old Earnhardt, who projects the image of a quietly confident, hip and happy-go-lucky young man, admits he is a bit overwhelmed by the attention.

"What's most amazing to me today is seeing a grown man cry at Daytona USA, talking about how happy he was to be here," Earnhardt said after the ceremony. "He's from Canada and come down to watch the race, and he's just glad that I was able to win because he travelled so far and put so much money and effort into coming here to watch the race.

"That just shows you how big an effect and how much impact you can have on one person. And, when you multiply that by so many people, it's really overwhelming."

Earnhardt, a third-generation NASCAR star, considers the adulation a huge responsibility.

"When people pull for you, you can't go out there and do something foolish and make a fool out of them next to their buddy when they go to work on Monday and they got to hear how you done," he said. "I just try to do right and make them people proud, even outside the race car."

And he doesn't want to take the fans for granted.

"It don't last forever," Earnhardt said. "We'll just have a good old time as long as we can. Our part is just not screwing up and doing something stupid and getting everybody mad. I worry about doing something the fans will never forgive me for."

Earnhardt hits talk-show circuit after Daytona win

It must have felt like his first in three days.

Swept up in a whirlwind of celebration and publicity following his Daytona 500 victory, Earnhardt took time Tuesday to reflect: His biggest triumph came at the track where his father was killed.

``All the wins are special in a way. It's always been kind of hard to match one against the other, but I know now that this one here is way far beyond any of them,'' Earnhardt said.

Not that he's had much time to think about it.

After celebrating his win Sunday night, Earnhardt climbed back into his car Monday morning and won a rain-delayed Busch Series race. Then it was off to New York and the talk-show circuit.

After appearing Tuesday on NBC's ``Today'' and ABC's ``Regis and Kelly,'' he met with a group of New York reporters. He was hoping for a few hours of sleep before sitting down with David Letterman.

All Junior really wanted was to get back home to Mooresville, N.C., and visit with his mother, sister and the employees working in his garage.

``It's kind of been real busy, but it gets like this sometimes, even when you don't win,'' he said.

Especially with his last name.

Earnhardt has long walked in the shadow of his father, a seven-time NASCAR champion and one of the sport's most popular drivers, who died in a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500.

When he was a teenager racing at local tracks, Earnhardt would spurn the cheers he received for his name instead of his performance. But with each victory, especially one in NASCAR's biggest race, Junior is trying to live up to his father's legacy -- one that has intensified since the elder Earnhardt's death.

``I've always resented how that has made me more popular in some ways, you know, because that's a terrible sacrifice for any kind of attention,'' Earnhardt said.

``I would be real disappointed and depressed if I couldn't match the reaction with the success someday,'' Earnhardt added. ``I'm driving to win championships and to win races so that it all balances itself out.''

He's well on his way. It took him just five tries to win the Daytona 500, while his father needed 20 attempts.

The victory Monday was Junior's ninth at the track. The elder Earnhardt holds the record with 34 Daytona victories, a mark his son plans to challenge.

``It's one thing that I feel like I can accomplish. It's an obtainable goal, it's realistic,'' Earnhardt said. ``Every race I win is good for both of us because the Earnhardt name is somewhat synonymous with Daytona.''

And he enjoys racing at the track, despite the bad memories that Daytona conjures. Earnhardt said visits there now make him feel closer to his father.

``I like it regardless of what's happened there over the last three years,'' he said. ``It's just become more important to me because of that.''

He's also hoping that his win, and the publicity that comes with it, will keep increasing NASCAR's profile around the country, most notably in the Northeast. In New York, Earnhardt's victory was an afterthought compared with the Yankees' trade for Alex Rodriguez -- a development Earnhardt said doesn't bother him since the baseball swap was ``a pretty big deal.''

Still, Earnhardt figures his big victory at Daytona is plenty of cause for rejoicing -- as soon as he has time.

``We'll continue to celebrate it,'' he said. ``I don't think it's like you let out one big yelp and it's over.''

Weary Earnhardt completes sweep

Weary but happy Daytona 500 champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. found enough energy to hold off charge after charge Monday and win the delayed Hershey's Kisses 300 Busch Series race.

The race was postponed Saturday by rain after just 31 of 120 laps at Daytona International Speedway.

Asked how much rest he got Sunday night after winning NASCAR's biggest race, Earnhardt said, "A little, but it's like the guy who goes into a gas station and buys a dollar's worth of gas, just enough to get where he needs to go."

Earnhardt was out front for Monday's restart but fell back as far as 10th before using a fast pit to get back among the leaders.

He regained the lead on lap 85, gave it up twice briefly, then pulled away from everyone but Johnny Sauter at the end while the rest of the contenders got into a series of side-by-side battles and slipped behind.

At the end, Earnhardt's Chance 2 Chevrolet drove across the finish line 0.135 seconds -- about two car-lengths -- ahead of Sauter. Nextel Cup drivers swept the top five spots, with Robby Gordon third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.

It was Earnhardt's ninth victory on Daytona's 2.5-mile oval and his third straight in the Busch race here. His late father set a record by winning the race five times, and Junior said he wants to chase that mark.

"We're going to go for five," Earnhardt said. "Heck, we'll go for six, seven, eight -- as many as we can."

Sauter, Gordon and Harvick all took shots at knocking Earnhardt off the lead, but Junior was able to stay out front or regain the lead each time.

"When somebody got along side of me, I always got somebody else to help me," the winner said. "Johnny helped me a lot."

Sauter combined with Harvick to give Richard Childress the Busch Series owners' championship in 2003.

"I don't think Junior had the best car today, unless he was playing with us," Sauter said. "Harvick probably had the best car, but I kind of hung him out there."

Monday's race was marred by a nine-car crash just 10 laps after the restart. No injuries were reported.

A winning work of art

Earnhardt, racing for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, won his first Daytona 500 in his fifth attempt Sunday.

His No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet was inducted into Gatorade Victory Lane at the interactive motorsports attraction, continuing a tradition begun in 1997.

The car will sit there until Speedweeks 2005.

A subdued Earnhardt, 29, still struggled to put the impact of the victory -- which took his father 20 years to accomplish -- into words Monday morning.

But he was part stand-up comic, part philosopher and mostly a race car driver as he reviewed the events of the last 42 hours.

By Monday afternoon he'd put the lie to any comments he made about being unprepared when he accomplished one thing his father never did at Daytona, sweeping both the Busch Series and Cup events.

DEI director of motorsports Richie Gilmore said he didn't sleep much Sunday night, but Earnhardt and his crew chief, Tony Eury, said they'd had no trouble.

"I went to bed about 2 o'clock and woke up, I don't know, about 7:30 this morning," Earnhardt said. "That was enough for me. I sleep so much during the day, five minutes here, 15 minutes there, that it was no problem.

"That's a pretty good alarm clock, getting your car put into Daytona USA."

Earnhardt had alluded in his remarks Sunday, having to drive in Monday morning's rain-delayed Busch Series Hershey's Kisses 300 -- a race in which Eury also served as his crew chief -- impacted his celebration.

"The best analogy I could give would be like a guy who goes to the gas station and gets a dollar's worth of gas," Earnhardt said. "He just wants to get where he's going -- he's not necessarily worried about where he's going next."

Earnhardt, who said in the morning he'd tried to get someone to take his place in the No. 8 Busch Series Ritz/Oreo Chevrolet, had a pretty good idea where he was going in a 36-hour period jammed with media appearances.

Late Monday afternoon was set up with NASCAR licensed TV shows and a local and national satellite media tour.

Monday night -- which included an appearance on SPEED Channel's Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain that was taped Monday afternoon -- he was scheduled to fly to New York.

said after all the hectic atmosphere the two days, he wasn't worried about "hitting a wall" from exhaustion.

"I wish I could use that as an excuse for me not to go, and just go home, wouldn't it?" Earnhardt said, laughing. "I'll be able to get over to the bus for a couple hours and relax, get my clothes packed and throw a couple MP3s on my player for the trip.

"I might even be able to get a beer tonight, or at least something good to eat."

Earnhardt is tentatively scheduled to appear on the "Today" show, "Live with Regis and Kelly" and CNN on Tuesday morning, as well as "Late Night with David Letterman" on Tuesday night, among other media appearances.

Earnhardt-Stewart duel at Daytona 500 a special one

There may be no more determined drivers in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series than young Earnhardt and Stewart. Both represent the new breed of driver and their names have star power that reaches far outside the track.

So when it became evident Sunday's Daytona 500 was going to be decided between the two, the 200,000 fans at Daytona International Speedway knew they were witnessing a battle for the ages.

This wasn't a Daytona 500 where the race-winning pass was made on the final lap. Nor was it a race where all 43 cars ran nose-to-tail, side-by-side in one giant pack in a drafting exercise that looked like a physics experiment gone awry.

With new rules designed to put real racing back to the superspeedways, this was an old-fashioned race where drivers got a chance to determine the outcome by skill and machinery.

When Earnhardt passed Stewart for the lead with 20 to go, the two cars actually exchanged the lead on the same lap. Once Earnhardt's Chevrolet Monte Carlo was in the lead, Stewart stayed on its bumper, but his Chevy didn't have enough left to retake the lead.

"There wasn't going to be any stopping him," Stewart said. "It was just a matter of time. When he decided he was ready to go, he went.

"I'm not ashamed at all. I mean, I'm just flat tickled to death. Normally I wouldn't be this excited about second."

Finishing second in the Daytona 500 could have left Stewart in an angry mood. But after the fantastic battle, the 1997 Indy Racing League champion was all smiles and went to victory lane to congratulate Earnhardt.

"If I were Dale Earnhardt Jr., I'd be extremely proud because he didn't win this because he got lucky and got in the right line at the right time, he outdrove us and beat us, I mean, plain and simple," Stewart said.

"That's why I'm proud of my second-place finish. That's why I'm sure he's going to be tickled to death to get his first Daytona 500 win."

After brushing the wall in Saturday's practice session following an incident with John Andretti, Stewart stormed out of the garage area at the speedway and figured he'd have a difficult race.

But he had a car that was nearly equal to that of the winner. Stewart led the race seven times for 97 laps - more than any other driver. Earnhardt was next, leading five times for 59 laps.

"Sure enough, everything came our way," Stewart said. "We had a couple things we wanted to try yesterday in `Happy Hour,' but John Andretti tried to wreck us for the second straight day in a row, tore our car up.

"It shows how dedicated this Home Depot team is. They did such a good job, replaced suspension pieces, rear-end hoses. That always makes a driver nervous before the race, knowing they're changing that many things on it, you don't know if everything is going to be exactly the same as it was."

Stewart commended crew chief Greg Zipadelli and his crew for putting together a great car and overcoming adversity.

In the race, the two best cars in the field teamed up and decided it among themselves.

"For some reason, everybody all day tried to separate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and I," Stewart said. "Our plan was to get together and run together. That's what we did.

"We knew if we could get together, people were going to have a hard time with us all day. That was true the whole race. I tried everything I knew to do. There weren't enough cars behind us for me to get a good enough run."

Both drivers are fierce but admire each other's ability and consider themselves friends. That is why Sunday's race was so enjoyable to both.

What they enjoyed the most, however, was the fact that real racing returned to the Daytona 500 for the first time in years. This wasn't about aerodynamics or horsepower, it was about racing.

"It was an incredible sight to see," Earnhardt said. "We were all just driving as hard as we could drive. I just never imagined we'd all be in such control of our own little destiny there.

"Instead of just pushing each other around, we got underneath the 22. Hell, he was doing all he could not to spin it back it into the fence. He was sideways at that point."

Earnhardt recalled Stewart having problems with his car in the second turn.

"I mean, I think we were all like that most of the day, you know, because it was getting pretty hot and heavy up there towards the front," he added. "We were all driving as hard as we could drive."

Earnhardt rarely gets behind the wheel of another type of vehicle. He did team up with Stewart in the 24 Hours of Daytona and nearly won the race with Andy Wallace before the Chevrolet-Crawford broke while leading in the final hour of the event.

Stewart, on the other hand, is a true racer who will drive a wide variety of cars and usually take them to victory. That is why he may have been the most thrilled about the style of racing in Sunday's Daytona 500.

"I enjoyed it," he said. "Today we got to race. We got to race each other, we got to wear each others out, we got to make guys tight, loose. We got to make the difference today as drivers, not as motor programs and aero programs. That's not what made the difference today.

"The teams that made their cars drive well and could find the speed, the drivers that could save their tires, not abuse their equipment too early - those were the guys that had good days today."

What made the loss so easy for Stewart to accept was that he considers Earnhardt a friend.

The 2001 Daytona 500 changed the sport of NASCAR because on the same day young Earnhardt finished second to teammate Michael Waltrip, his father crashed in the fourth turn on the final lap and died.

His father will never be replaced, but at least young Earnhardt was able to join him as a Daytona 500 winner.

"Considering what this kid went through losing his father here at the Daytona 500 and knowing how good he's been here and just something's happened, it's nice to see him get his victory here, too," Stewart said. I think his father's really proud today.

Stewart said he would have loved to win.

"I did everything I could to still win the race," he added.

"If I could have held him off, had him finish second, I would have done in it a heartbeat. But there was no holding that kid back today. Today was his day."

Inside Dish: Earnhardt Jr. is seeing yellow

Daytona Gives Earnhardt Happiness Following Tragedy

It was on the steep banks of the Daytona International Speedway three years ago that his father, seven-times NASCAR series champion Dale Sr, lost his life when he crashed on the last turn of the final lap here.

After that tragedy, Junior experienced the ultimate joy Sunday, powering to his first Daytona 500 victory as he survived a thrilling battle with Tony Stewart.

"Every time we come to Daytona, we feel it," Dale Jr told reporters. "In a way it feels like you're your closer to dad but, at the same time, it feels like a reminder of losing him all over again.

"So I wanted to come down here and win."

The younger Earnhardt, in only his fifth full season in the series, drives for Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), which was started by his late father.

Dale Sr won 34 different events on this 2.5 mile super speedway and was a master of the art of drafting, using the air of the car in front to pull himself along aerodynamically to overtake the vehicle in front.

But he won only one 500, in 1998 on his 20th attempt.

PASSENGER SEAT

A bronze statue of Earnhardt Sr stands in front of the Daytona Speedway, a reminder and incentive to DEI, which has devoted a disproportionate amount of funds and effort to win here.

"I ain't ashamed to say that I put a lot of emphasis on this race because of what I've been through down here," said Dale Jr.

"He (Dale Sr) was over in the passenger seat, riding with me. I'm sure he was having a blast."

Although the younger Earnhardt has yet to reach the domination of his father, who was known as "The Intimidator" for his aggressive driving, he now has 10 wins here and has set himself a new goal of claiming the Nextel Series title.

He leads the standings for the first time in his career.

Junior's performance, witnessed by nearly 200,000 spectators including President Bush, has prompted stock car racing observers to believe he may go on to equal or even surpass his father's accomplishments.

Like his father did in 1998, Junior paid tribute to his fans before facing the media in victory lane, stopping his car at the start-finish line and climbing out to salute them.

"It was simple, I just wanted to have a minute for me to let it come in, let it all sink in," said Earnhardt.

Little E's day in the sun

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first Daytona 500 Sunday, six years to the day after his father, after 20 frustrating attempts, finally won his and three years after Dale Sr. died in a tragic final-lap crash that rocked this sport, this family, this fan base.

Which is why no matter whose colors the 200,000-plus here on this perfect, sun-splashed day were rooting for during the first 199 laps, during the final one it was near unanimous.

Everyone was pulling for Junior.

"I'm Daytona 500 champion. I can't believe it," he shouted.

Believe it Junior. Your day in the sun has finally come.

"I'm happy as hell to win," said Earnhardt, who passed Tony Stewart with 19 laps to go and ran away with the Great American Race. "This has to be the greatest day of my life."

That it would happen three years after the worst day made it that much more special. The death of the beloved Earnhardt, Sr. shook this sport to its core and still affects his son in almost every way possible. While Junior won the very next NASCAR race at the track, that July's Pepsi 400 in an emotional moment, this is the Daytona 500.

This is bigger. This is everything.

It took Dale Sr. 20 attempts before he finally won here 1998, one of the most memorable moments in NASCAR history. It wound up taking Junior just five attempts, and he's certain he wasn't alone in his Chevy.

"He was right in the passenger side right with me, I am sure he was having a blast," Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt, 29, is the sport's most popular driver, in part because of his dad, in part because of his own winning personality. While Senior was The Intimidator, driving a menacing black car, Junior is the poster child of racing cool.

Here at the start of a new era in the sport – new sponsor, new point system, new schedule – NASCAR couldn't have ordered up a better winner. His name and blue-collar driving style link him to the sports' great past. But his Hollywood personality speaks to its future.

If there were one driver who could both sit down with President Bush and party with Ben Affleck – both of whom were here on Sunday – it is Junior. In victory lane he was taking long pulls of Bud but didn't forget to say hello to "mama back home."

You can't look into the infield sky here without seeing multiple No. 8 flags flapping, usually right next to a No. 3 in honor of his dad.

Stewart dominated the middle part of this race, but Earnhardt, who had the strongest car all week, was able to make a run at him on lap 19 and pass his buddy without any help. He chased down glory the rest of the way and won comfortably.

No one better understands how special this race is, how coveted this feeling is. Earnhardt grew up watching his father capture seven Winston Cup titles and winning 34 times in other races on this very track, but falling short in every way imaginable way in the 500.

"I've seen it lost so many times by my dad," Earnhardt said. "I was taught so many lessons about this place before I ever got behind the wheel."

As much as the memory of Dale Sr. still hovers over this place, the emotion Sunday was jubilation. The tears that streaked some crew members' cheeks were of joy. For his part, Earnhardt looked ready to tear it up at some Atlantic Ave. clubs Sunday night, the way drivers used to (before everything got so corporate) celebrate a win here by hitting the beach and hammering down a case or three.

But that's Junior. Old school and new. Like father like son – and now his own man.

AP Column: Junior overcomes father's Daytona legacy

The kid was still polishing his skills in NASCAR's minor leagues in 1998 when his old man finally won, and Junior had seen the elder Earnhardt suffer through close call after close call in the biggest stock car race of them all.

That isn't going to happen to Little E. He's the Daytona 500 champion.

``I've seen it lost so many times by my dad over and over,'' Junior said in the emotional moments after winning the Great American Race on Sunday. ``I was taught so many lessons about this place ... Now I don't have to worry about it any more.''

For 19 years, Dale Sr. charged at Daytona as only the Intimidator could. And for 19 years, the famed Daytona International Speedway oval denied him victory.

He won 33 other events here, dominating year after year in the 500 only to see it wrested away by an accident, a broken part, a car that was just a little faster at the end or something even more frustrating.

Once, the elder Earnhardt was within two miles of winning the 500 in a runaway when he ran over a piece of metal from another car, tore up a tire and went home unhappy -- again.

He rarely showed much emotion, but Junior could see how hard his father took leaving here each February without a victory.

``That ate the man's insides out,'' he said. ``Inside of me, back then, just a little bit of wanting to win this race started up. You know it's been building ever since.

``I'll be honest with you, this is more important to me than anything, any other race I run all year.''

Little E seemed to inherit the legacy of losing this race when his father died in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500.

Since his father's death, Junior had won seven races on the 2 1/2 -mile oval -- but not the big one.

He finished second to Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip in that fateful 2001 race and was favored the next year, but got caught up in a big crash and wound up 29th.

Last year, Earnhardt Jr. was the heavy favorite after winning the Budweiser Shootout, taking the outside of the front row for the 500 in time trials, winning one of the 125-mile qualifying races and taking the checkered flag in the Busch Series race the day before the 500.

But, on the big day, a broken alternator cost him a lap. And when rain ended the race 91 laps short, Waltrip was the winner again with Little E a disheartening 36th.

Only four years into his career, he was already hearing the question his father had to answer for so many years: ``Are you ever going to win the Daytona 500?''

No more.

``Good God, I'm the Daytona 500 champion,'' Junior said Sunday after he passed Tony Stewart for the lead with no drafting help and went on to the most popular NASCAR victory since his father won the big one exactly six years earlier.

Dale Jr. said he felt like his father rode along with him.

``He was over on the passenger side with me,'' he said. ``I'm sure he was having a blast.''

It seemed like everyone was happy for Earnhardt -- even his fiercest competitor.

``I think his father's really proud today,'' said Stewart, who tried every way he knew how to get back past Little E's No. 8 Chevrolet. ``If I could have held him off, had him finish second, I would have done it in a heartbeat.

``But there was no holding that kid back today.''

And NASCAR could hardly have asked for more.

It's just too bad President Bush left halfway through the race. He missed some great racing.

On the day that the Nextel Cup era officially began, real racing returned to Daytona, with drivers able to run side by side and pass and hardly a word about restrictor plate racing or the much-feared tire problems.

Instead, 180,000 people celebrated with the jubilant Dale Jr., roaring their approval as he slowly rolled to a stop at the finish line, popped out of the car, punching the air with his fists, then leaped into the arms of his crew who had dashed across the infield grass to be part of the moment.

Junior has rarely avoided a party in his 29 years and Sunday was going to be a real big one -- until he was reminded he still has some work to do at Daytona.

Rain on Saturday interrupted the Hershey's Kisses 300 Busch Series race with Junior leading. It was scheduled to resume Monday morning.

``That's going to be hard,'' Earnhardt said, grinning. ``I'd like to enjoy this one for a while. They may have to put the whip to me. I'll probably be pretty laid back.''

Daddy's proud: Junior wins first Daytona 500

Just like his old man.

Earnhardt later drove off the track in front of the main grandstand, spinning in the grass to celebrate his first Daytona 500 victory.

Just like his old man.

Earnhardt won NASCAR's biggest event Sunday on the same track that took his father's life three years ago, barreling past Tony Stewart with 20 laps left with a maneuver that would have made Daddy proud.

Junior showed the impatience of youth, needing only five tries to win the race that bedeviled his father for 19 years.

``He was over in the passenger side with me,'' the 29-year-old Earnhardt said during a jubilant celebration in Victory Lane. ``I'm sure he was having a blast.''

The race was attended by President Bush, launched the Nextel Cup era and came six years to the day that the Intimidator won his first -- and only -- Daytona 500 on his 20th try.

It's still one of the sport's most cherished scenes: the black No. 3 car rolling down pit road while the rival crews lined up to congratulate Earnhardt before he pulled into Victory Lane.

Three years later, he was killed on a last-lap crash in the 500, depriving the sport of a seven-time champion and its most popular driver.

``In a way, it feels like I'm closer to my dad,'' Junior said. ``At the same time, this is a reminder of losing him all over again.'

At least the next generation is in good hands.

In a daring move that must have been borrowed from the Intimidator, Earnhardt Jr. dipped to the inside without any drafting help and came within a foot of Stewart's car at nearly 190 mph coming through the trioval.

Then Junior went right on by.

``I can't believe I passed him by myself,'' Earnhardt said. ``I don't know what was going on. It was like a magic trick.''

Stewart tried valiantly to catch up, briefly pulling beside Earnhardt coming out of turn two. But Junior showed his muscle on the backstretch, keeping Stewart in the rearview mirror.

That's where Stewart stayed the rest of the way. Earnhardt pulled away on the final lap, winning by about four car lengths while the crowd of 180,000 -- many of them wearing Junior's red and white colors -- erupted in celebration.

Earnhardt came back around and stopped his car at the checkered finish line. He pumped his fist and jumped into the arms of his crew, who lifted him on their shoulders for all to see. Then he climbed back into the No. 8 Chevrolet and attempted a few doughnuts in the grass -- just like his father after the 1998 race.

``I was taught so many lessons about this place before I ever got behind the wheel,'' Earnhardt said. ``I'm glad I don't have to worry about (winning the 500) anymore.''

The Earnhardts became the third father-son combination to win the Daytona 500, joining Lee and Richard Petty and Bobby and Davey Allison.

Stewart led 97 laps -- nearly half the 200-lap event -- but didn't have enough to hold off Earnhardt, who set the pace for 59.

``I think his father is proud today,'' Stewart said. ``I wanted to win the race. Trust me, if I could have held him off, I would have. But there was no holding that kid back. Today was his day.''

A frightening crash on lap 72 took out defending race winner Michael Waltrip, whose car flipped at least three times and wound up landing on its roof in the backstretch. He wasn't injured.

Rookie Scott Wimmer held on for a surprising third-place finish. He briefly held the lead after gambling on his final pit stop -- taking only two tires -- but he didn't have enough grip to hold on.

Wimmer still faces drunken-driving charges after crashing a team truck last month. NASCAR, which has a zero-tolerance policy on substance abuse, hasn't decided whether to punish the driver.

``I understand what I did was wrong,'' Wimmer said. ``But we'll make it through.''

Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.

Pole-winner Greg Biffle had to start from the back of the 43-car field after changing an engine Saturday. That allowed Earnhardt to take the green flag from the pole.

Biffle made up a lot of ground in an overheating car, running near the front late in the race. But he faded to 12th.

Waltrip was running three-wide when rookie Johnny Sauter got loose coming off turn two and sparked a chain-reaction wreck that took out 12 cars.

Waltrip got smashed in the side by Robby Gordon, a tire shredded and the No. 15 car burrowed into the grass on the inside of the track, softened by rain that washed out Saturday's Busch Series race.

With dirt flying everywhere, Waltrip's car came to a stop upside down. Rescue workers spent nearly 10 minutes making sure he was OK, then flipped the car over to let the 6-foot-4 Waltrip climb out. He waved to the cheering crowd and then went to the infield care center for a quick check.

Waltrip had won two of the last three Daytona 500s, but not one he could truly celebrate. His 2001 victory was overshadowed by the crash that killed Earnhardt. Last year, Waltrip was declared the winner when rain shortened the race.

``When the car stopped, I was pinned real bad,'' he said. ``I couldn't get out.''

Mark Martin was the first driver to go out, his Roush Racing Ford spewing smoke just eight laps into the race. Another Roush driver, Jeff Burton, was doomed by engine problems, too -- not a promising debut for the team that joined up with Robert Yates Racing during the offseason to give Ford a greater edge.

About 45 minutes before the race, while the drivers were being introduced, Air Force One swept over the speedway. Bush's aircraft circled around and landed at the airport just behind the back straightaway.

The president was driven onto pit road, where he peered into the cars and met a group of drivers who have made no secret of their GOP leanings. They crowded around the president near Stewart's No. 20 car, shaking hands and chatting.

Black-clad snipers hovered on the roof of a nearby building, peering through binoculars, as Bush said, ``Gentlemen, start your engines.''

With that, the cars roared to life for the Great American Race.

Bush said he'd like to take a spin around the high-banked oval, but the Secret Service wouldn't let him. ``I like speed,'' he said.

The president watched half the race from a suite above the start-finish line, but left early to beat thousands of revelers pouring out into the Daytona Beach streets. While the cars circled the 2 1/2 -mile track, the 747 lifted off from behind the second turn.

Bush gave the winner a telephone call after the race.

``It was the most exciting race of my life,'' Junior told the president. ``Thank you very much. Take it easy.''

Junior's victory a fitting memorial

Wacky? Absolutely. But I stand by it.

Especially after what happened Sunday.

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. plowed his Daytona 500-winning Chevrolet into Victory Lane under the golden spray of a St. Louis-bred Bud-geyser, a blast of confetti stippled the crystal blue sky with flecks of red and white.

Just then, a billowing gust of wind tore through the Daytona infield, grasped hold of several pieces of confetti and carried them off towards Turn 4, the same slice of legendary real estate that claimed Dale Earnhardt's life nearly three years ago.

Goose bumps? Naw. Goose basketballs.

I'll be honest. I didn't take the time to drive the fan-infested trek from the media area to the Turn 4 tunnel to assure that the confetti made it all the way there. But I have an eerie feeling it did.

Six years ago to the day, Feb. 15, 1998, Dale Earnhardt won his first Daytona 500 after 19 heart-crushing tries. Many consider it the most remarkable day to date in NASCAR's most hallowed hall. Sunday was remarkable, as well.

Junior's victory places him and his father in an elite group. Just three father/son combinations have ever reached Victory Lane in the Daytona 500, Lee and Richard Petty, Bobby and Davey Allison and Big and Little E.

"He was over in the passenger side riding with me," said a jubilant Junior in Victory Lane. "I'm sure he was having a blast."

I'd have to agree. When was the last time you saw a piece of scrap paper fly 2500 feet?

Junior gets call from president

"Yes, sir," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Thank you very much."

A congratulatory call, of course. But it wasn't from a friend or a sponsor rep. No, it was a guy with a higher office.

President George W. Bush.

"Yeah, it was the most exciting race of my life," Earnhardt Jr. said into his phone.

President Bush had flown on Air Force One to see the start of Sunday's race, but left before it ended. Still, the president wanted to offer his best wishes. And Junior handled it as only Junior can.

"Take it easy," Junior said as he hung up.

Someone then joked about the Caller ID on the cell phone, and Earnhardt Jr. was already one step ahead.

"I tried to look, tried to memorize that number," Earnhardt Jr. said.

But there was no number. Perhaps that was the only thing that went wrong Sunday.

Like father, like son

Dale Earnhardt Jr., taking a page from the old man, barreled past Tony Stewart and won the Daytona 500 Sunday on the same track that claimed his father's life three years ago.

Junior showed the impatience of youth, needing only five tries to win the race that bedeviled his later father for 19 years.

"He was over in the passenger side with me," the 29-year-old Earnhardt said during a jubilant celebration in Victory Lane. "I'm sure he was having a blast."

The race was attended by President Bush, launched the Nextel Cup era and came six years to the day that the Intimidator won his first -- and only -- Daytona 500 on his 20th try. It's still one of the sport's most cherished scenes, the Intimidator driving down pit road while every rival crew lined up to congratulate him before he pulled into Victory Lane.

Three years later, Earnhardt was killed on a last-lap crash in the 500, depriving the sport of a seven-time champion and its most famous driver.

Well, the next generation is in good hands.

In a move that must have been borrowed from the Intimidator, Earnhardt Jr. dipped to the inside without any drafting help and went past Stewart in the trioval with 20 laps remaining.

"I can't believe I passed him by myself," Junior said. "I don't know what was going on. It was like a magic trick."

Stewart tried valiantly to catch up, briefly pulling up beside Earnhardt coming out of turn two. But Junior showed his muscle on the backstretch, keeping Stewart in the rearview mirror.

That's where Stewart stayed the rest of the way. Earnhardt pulled away on the final lap, winning by about four car lengths while the crowd of 180,000 -- many of them wearing Junior's colors -- erupted in celebration.

Earnhardt came back around and stopped his car at the checkered finish line. He pumped his fist and jumped into the arms of his crew, who lifted him on their shoulders for all to see. Then he climbed back in the No. 8 Chevrolet, turning three doughnuts in the grass -- just like his father after the 1998 race.

"I was taught so many lessons by this place before I ever got behind the wheel," Earnhardt said. "I'm glad I don't have to worry about (winning the 500) anymore. That's awesome."

Stewart led 97 laps -- nearly half the 200-lap event -- but he didn't have enough to hold off Earnhardt, who set the pace for 59.

"It's nice to see him get his victory, too," Stewart said. "I think his father is proud today. I wanted to win the race. Trust me, if I could have held him off, I would have.

"But there was no holding that kid back. Today was his day."

Rookie Scott Wimmer held on for a surprising third-place finish. He briefly held the lead after gambling on his final pit stop -- taking only two tires -- but he didn't have enough grip to hold on.

Wimmer still faces drunken-driving charges after crashing a team truck last month. NASCAR, which has a zero-tolerance policy on substance abuse, hasn't decided whether to punish the driver.

"I understand I made a major mistake," Wimmer said. "I embarrassed a lot of people."

Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.

Pole-winner Greg Biffle had to start from the back of the 43-car field after changing an engine Saturday. That allowed Earnhardt to take the green flag from the pole.

Biffle made up a lot of ground in an overheating car, running near the front late in the race. But he faded to 12th.

A frightening crash on lap 72 took out defending race winner Michael Waltrip, whose car flipped at least three times and wound up landing on its roof in the backstretch. He wasn't injured.

Stewart 'tickled' after runner-up finish

Brash enough to believe he could help Junior, then maybe beat him, Stewart was one of the very few who went on record this week as stating he was unafraid to team up with Earnhardt in the Daytona 500.

Predictably, though, the guy with the better car won. After using Stewart's help to stay near the front all day Sunday, Earnhardt finally passed him with 20 laps left, then won the race pulling away.

"When he decided to pull the pin, he pulled it," said Stewart, who has now finished second to Earnhardt four times at Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR's two restrictor-plate tracks.

"I'm tickled to finish second," Stewart said.

And why not?

He had a terrible run last weekend in the Budweiser Shootout, finishing seventh, and in practice Saturday, he got wrecked by John Andretti, forcing his team to fix extensive damage.

But the workers from Joe Gibbs Racing kept plugging away, and when the race came, Stewart was one of the very few with a good enough car to run with the best.

"If we were going to get beat, I'd rather get beat by the 8 car," he said. "He's a heck of a competitor on these tracks."

The final back-and-forth between these friends and competitors was dramatic in one way, predictable in another.

With 20 laps left, Earnhardt stopped stalking Stewart and went below him to make his move. They briefly raced side by side, then Earnhardt went ahead for good. Had anyone else pulled off the feat -- passing a strong car without the help of a drafting partner -- it would have seemed unfathomable. Earnhardt, however, makes that stuff look routine.

Stewart attempted to recapture the lead with five laps left, darting high, then diving low. But he got no drafting help, then fell victim to Earnhardt's nimble blocking techniques, and pretty much had nothing left to do but tail Earnhardt to the end -- a vanquished, but clearly encouraged second-place finisher.

"If I were Dale Jr., I'd be extremely proud," Stewart said. "He outdrove us and beat us, plain and simple."

It was Earnhardt's first win in the Daytona 500. It came six years to the day that his father broke an 0-19 spell in NASCAR's premiere event, and three years after the Intimidator died at Daytona in an accident on the final lap.

"Considering what that kid went through, it's good to see him get the victory," Stewart said.

Stewart, whose best Daytona 500 finish had been seventh, remains winless in main events at Daytona and Talladega, the two fast tracks where restrictor plates are used to slow speeds. But at least he has a very good idea of who to hang around with.

"We've got a respect and a trust with each other," Stewart said. "He knows if I'm behind him, I'm going to go with him, whether it's right or wrong. And I know the same about him."

A driver with less confidence might not view things that way.

This was the week, after all, when none other than Earnhardt's teammate, Michael Waltrip, got accused of leaving Earnhardt hanging out to dry during the qualifying race. Asked about that little flap, Jeff Gordon stated the obvious -- that it was folly to willingly offer help to the guy with the best car.

Stewart doesn't buy into that thinking.

"Wouldn't you rather follow the guy who you know is going to go to the front, with or without you?" Stewart said. "In most other cases, you don't know who to trust and who not to trust out there."

And while he didn't have the win to show for his efforts, he did have Earnhardt's appreciation.

"We always try to stay toward the front and help each other when we can," Earnhardt said. "I'm happy as hell to win the Daytona 500, and happy to race against my buddy, Tony Stewart, for the win."

Lap By Lap: Daytona 500

Lap 181: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead

Lap 175: Tony Stewart takes lead

Lap 171: Greg Biffle penalized for speeding on pit road; Scott Wimmer leads as pit cycle completes

Lap 170: Scott Wimmer leads off of pit road after taking just two tires

Lap 169: Leaders begin green-flag pit stops

Lap 142: Cycle complete; Tony Stewart leads

Lap 141: Terry Labonte leads as green-flag pit stops continue

Lap 139: Leaders make green-flag pit stops

Lap 138: Scott Wimmer leads a group to pit road

Lap 111: Leader John Andretti goes to pit road, completing the pit cycle and giving the lead back to Tony Stewart

Lap 110: Leader Matt Kenseth pits, giving the lead to John Andretti

Lap 108: Leader Jimmie Johnson leads a group to pit road, giving the lead to Matt Kenseth

Lap 105: Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. lead a group to pit road, giving Jimmie Johnson the lead

Lap 85: Tony Stewart takes the lead

Lap 84: Johnny Sauter to pit road with possible engine problems

Lap 81: Green flag; Jeff Gordon leads

Lap 71: Yellow flag flies for multi-car accident involving Michael Waltrip, Brian Vickers, Robby Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Johnny Sauter, Scott Riggs, Terry Labonte, John Andretti, Johnny Benson, Kevin Lepage and Sterling Marlin on the backstretch; leaders pit

Lap 65: Green flag; Tony Stewart leads

Lap 61: Tony Stewart wins the race off of pit road

Lap 60: Caution flies for multi-car accident involving Rusty Wallace, Jeff Green, Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader; leaders pit

Lap 53: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead

Lap 48: Jimmie Johnson takes the lead

Lap 46: Kurt Busch to pit road after a tire rub

Lap 43: Kasey Kahne to pit road with possible engine problems

Lap 42: Tony Stewart regains the lead

Lap 41: Jimmie Johnson takes the lead as the leaders fight lapped traffic

Lap 39: Green flag; Tony Stewart leads

Lap 36: Kevin Harvick pits, giving the lead to Tony Stewart

Lap 34: Caution flag flies as Derrike Cope hits the wall

Lap 32: Leaders to pit road; Bobby Labonte skids in the grass en route to pit road; Kevin Harvick leads

Lap 27: Jeff Burton heads to pit road with engine failure

Lap 24: Casey Mears makes unscheduled stop

Lap 14: Greg Biffle taps the wall; no caution

Lap 12: Green flag; Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads

Lap 7: Caution flies for smoke coming out of Mark Martin's car. Martin done for the day after engine failure

Lap 1: Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the opening lap

Lap 1: Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the field to the green flag

Pace laps: Pole-sitter Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Ricky Craven and Derrike Cope go to the rear of the field due to engine changes

Earnhardt seeking first ever Daytona 500 victory Sunday

Will he ever win the Daytona 500? Junior goes into NASCAR's biggest event 0-for-4, even though he has been among the favourites in three of those races and was the overwhelming pick a year ago.

His father, who had a considerably better resume than the kid early in his career, took 20 years to win the Great American Race.

Until then, he was asked the same question every season leading up to the Daytona 500: "Think you'll ever win this race?"

Earnhardt Jr. shudders when he thinks about hearing that same query over and over for years to come.

"I figured that would start up after I didn't win it last year," Little E said, shaking his head.

That one was the biggest disappointment so far.

Junior won the Budweiser Shootout, took the outside pole in time trials, won one of the 125-mile qualifying races and the Busch Series race leading up to the big day.

He was, well, intimidating. No one had ever swept all four races at Daytona, but Junior was the odds-on favourite to be the first.

Even after a failed alternator cost him a lap, Earnhardt expected to get back into the fray. Instead, he sat frustrated and sullen as rain stopped the event 91 laps before its scheduled completion.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip won the race, as he did in 2001, the year Junior finished second - just moments after a last-lap crash on Daytona's 2½-mile oval cost the elder Earnhardt his life.

The 29-year-old driver, a third-generation NASCAR star, will start second in Sunday's 43-car field at the season-opening Daytona 500 (1:30 p.m. EST) , his powerful Chevrolet trailing only the Ford of Elliott Sadler.

Greg Biffle, also in a Ford, was slated to start on the front row after winning the pole, but he will start at the back of the field Sunday after being forced to change engines.

Biffle noticed a loss of power during practice Saturday morning. Back in the garage, a valve defect and leaking cylinder were discovered.

"We had to pull the motor out," crew chief Doug Richert said, standing alongside the No. 16 Ford while the crew made the change. "We can still win from the back.

"The car is still good."

Biffle will roll off pit road in the lead position, but will have to drop to the back of the line before the final pace lap.

Earnhardt, who was scheduled to start on the inside of the second row, will move up to take Biffle's place.

The audience of about 180,000 will include U.S. President George W. Bush, who is seeking re-election, and Whoopi Goldberg, plugging her NBC sitcom while acting as honourary starter.

Earnhardt, who again won his qualifying race this week, remains a favourite. But it's a role he has to share this time with Waltrip, a perennial contender at Daytona and Talladega, the two big tracks where NASCAR requires carburetor restrictor plates to keep the cars under 200 miles an hour.

Between the teammates, they have won nine of the last 11 Cup races on the two tracks. Last year, Waltrip added a victory in the fall race at Talladega, while Earnhardt won the spring race there.

Biffle, then a Cup rookie, broke up the momentum slightly with a victory in July at Daytona.

And Sadler, who won the other qualifying race Thursday, could also be considered a favourite, although he isn't taking the DEI duo lightly.

Those "are the two cars that we're going to have to outrun," Sadler said. "But I don't mind being the underdog.

"Lord knows I haven't been to Victory Lane as many times as those guys have in restrictor plate races, but I think I've got a great car that can do it this year."

Sunday's race is expected to be a typical restrictor plate event, with lots of two- and three-wide racing and the constant chance of a big wreck.

And throw in plenty of concern about tire wear, with Goodyear bringing a new right side tire that has put a premium on chassis set-up.

Add in a rear spoiler shortened by two centimetres since last July, when the cars last race at Daytona, and its a new game.

Some like the changes. Some don't.

"I think we're finally in a situation where guys can race," said 2002 series champion Tony Stewart. "At least for the race, the drivers can actually drive and decide who wins the race by who outdrives whom."

Earnhardt doesn't agree.

"The 500 is just going to be a bunch of guys hanging on to the cords of the tire," Junior said. "I'm complaining because I want it to be a lot easier.

"There are some guys in the field who are having worse problems than you are," he added. "It's just a huge difference from how these cars drove here last year."

The drivers do agree its considerably easier to be out front with these cars. But for someone to get to the front is going to take some help from a friend or teammate in the draft.

Junior and Waltrip chose to try it on their own late in Thursday's 50-lap race and Junior still ran away, beating Stewart to the finish. But, in a 200-lap, 500-mile race, they are expected to work together.

"Michael and Dale Jr. have figured out how to stay together and help each other," said Darrell Waltrip, a Daytona 500 winner and now a TV commentator. "It's just like when Michael won the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale was back there telling them, 'Stay together, stay in line, stay on the bottom of the track.'

"That's been drilled in their heads and they can do it better than anybody. That's what makes them so tough."

And, if Earnhardt comes up short again. Well, there's always next year.

"If I'm sitting here 20 years from now without a Daytona 500 win, that might mean something," Junior said. "Right now, it don't mean anything."

Earnhardt slides into pole position for Daytona 500

Earnhardt moved into the top spot Saturday when pole-sitter Greg Biffle was forced to the back of the 43-car field because of an engine change.

"When I put my car out front, it's a beast," Earnhardt said earlier this week.

It was the latest in a series of good fortunes for Junior. He won the 125-mile qualifying race Thursday at Daytona International Speedway and was leading the Busch series race Saturday when steady rain forced officials to postpone it to Monday.

Earnhardt is definitely the driver to beat - a label his late father often carried - in the Great American Race. The elder Earnhardt finally won in 1998 on his 20th try.

Elliott Sadler will start on the outside of the front row.

Biffle noticed a loss of power during practice Saturday. Back in the garage, crew members discovered a defective valve and a leaking cylinder.

"It was a no-brainer. We had to pull the motor out," crew chief Doug Richert said, standing alongside the No. 16 Ford while the crew made the change.

"We can still win from the back," he added. "The car is still good."

Biffle will roll off pit road in the lead position, but will have to drop to the back of the line before the final pace lap.

Earnhardt, who was scheduled to start on the inside of the second row, will move up to take Biffle's place.

"It's a two-sided coin," Richert said. "We're disappointed he has to start at the back. That opens you up for a melee or some other misfortune."

Also forced to drop to the back of the field after changing engines were Ryan Newman, Ricky Craven and Derrike Cope. Scott Riggs, who wrecked his primary car in the qualifying race Thursday, also must go back after switching to a backup.

300 delayed until Monday

Thirty-one laps are complete in the 120-lap event, which will resume under the red flag procedure, meaning teams may make only minimal changes to the car such as removing grill tape, opening the hood and changing spark plugs. They may not jack up the car or add fuel, among other things.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the race leader, followed by Robby Gordon, Mike Wallace, Kyle Busch nd Ron Hornaday in the top five. Pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. is 13th.

NASCAR impounded all 37 cars still in the event, and decided not to remove the restrictor plates or shocks on the vehicles.

The race, which started at 12:30 p.m., Saturday under threatening skies and quickly turned sour. An eight-car pileup on lap-12 forced six cars out of the event.

Shortly after the restart, the rains came and never relented. NASCAR decided to postpone the event only after a red flag period that lasted more than three hours.

For fans attending the event, gates will open Monday, Feb. 16 and 7 a.m. All stubbed tickets will be honored, as well as tickets to the Paddock Club and Suites.

Earnhardt Jr. won't race the No. 3 -- for now

The number can be seen almost anywhere -- except on the track.

It might be like that for a while longer, too.

Although NASCAR has been reluctant to retire numbers, this one would be difficult to bring back. After all, who wants the burden of following The Intimidator?

"I'd like to see it not get on the track for at least a few more years," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "Eventually, it's got to be on the racetrack. It's just a number. But I'm not ready for it to happen just yet."

Neither is car owner Richard Childress, who first drove the No. 3 car in the 1970s.

"I sometimes catch myself going through the garage and looking for the black No. 3," Childress said. "The race fans got to be thinking the same thing. But I don't ever see bringing a black No. 3 car back unless there's an Earnhardt in the car."

The elder Earnhardt, a seven-time Winston Cup champion, was killed three years ago when his car hit the wall on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

His trademark number has been used in a NASCAR race just twice since -- when Junior drove it in a pair of Busch series events in 2002, including once at Daytona.

Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona race, an emotional return to Victory Lane for the No. 3. Three months later at Lowe's Motor Speedway in his native North Carolina, Junior was back in the No. 3, but he crashed and finished 36th.

"There's a guy somewhere whose daddy raced No. 3 forever on some short track, and it probably means as much to him as it does to me," Earnhardt Jr. said. "You've got to be fair about those type of things. I understand that, and I don't have a problem with it coming back one day."

Earnhardt Jr. won consecutive championships in the Busch Series driving the No. 3 in 1998 and 1999. When he moved up to the Winston Cup circuit the following year, his father was still using that number so Earnhardt Jr. switched to No. 8. That was the number his grandfather, NASCAR pioneer Ralph Earnhardt, raced.

"I know a lot of fans would like to see me in the No. 3 car, but I'm pretty fond of that No. 8," Junior said. "That was my granddaddy's number, and my dad raced it some, so it has a lot of history with my family, too."

He finished third in the points last year and will start third Sunday in the Daytona 500 at the track where his father won 34 overall races.

Childress has the rights to the No. 3. He took the number off his Chevrolets after Earnhardt's death, choosing to run the No. 29 with replacement driver Kevin Harvick.

Childress said he and Earnhardt Sr. often talked about who would move into the No. 3 car after his retirement, and Harvick's name often came up.

Since Earnhardt's death, Harvick has maintained he doesn't want to race the No. 3.

Car owners, drivers and race fans are split over what they would like to see happen to the number. Many believe it should be retired permanently. Others think it should return to the track -- possibly with Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel.

Former Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip insists Earnhardt's number should not be retired.

"I know it's not the most popular thing to say, but we've never retired a number before, so why start now?" he said.

NASCAR legend Richard Petty doesn't believe the No. 3 will be officially retired. But he doesn't expect to see it on the track, either.

"The problem with retiring numbers is what criteria do you use? There would always be an argument about whose number should be retired. Some people would be upset if their favorite driver's number didn't get retired," said Petty, whose team still runs the No. 43 he drove to seven titles. "It's such an emotional thing."

It also has something to do with money.

Childress continues to reap benefits from owning the rights to the number. Every T-shirt, hat, flag and cup adorned with the No. 3 brings in bucks.

"Right now, they're making so dadgum much money from No. 3 and Earnhardt that they aren't about to mess that up," Petty said.

Childress denies his decision has anything to do with money. He said Dale Jr. has an open invitation to join RCR and race the famed black car.

He also knows Junior wants to escape his father's shadow and establish his own identity.

"He's building his own legacy in the No. 8 right now," Childress said.

Earnhardt Jr. won't completely rule out driving No. 3 -- even with the exact paint scheme as his father.

"I would like to run the No. 3," he said, "but I doubt I will do that until later in my career."

Junior looking strong at Daytona -- again

If anyone should know how little it means to win a qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway, it's Junior.

Earnhardt won his second straight 125-miler for the Daytona 500. Impressive, yes, but still 10 fewer qualifying wins than his father had on NASCAR's most famous track.

Then again, the Intimidator didn't win the 500 until his 20th try.

His son wants one now.

``I don't want to have to keep on coming close, coming close and losing it,'' Earnhardt said after his victory Thursday. ``It was hard on my dad. It was even hard on us kids, wanting him to win and not knowing when it would happen.

``I don't want be here 20 years later and coming so close to winning that I can't stand it.''

He's clearly the driver to beat in Sunday's Great American Race -- a label his late father often carried. The elder Earnhardt finally won in 1998.

Junior was just oozing with confidence after beating two-time 500 winner Michael Waltrip in the first of the twin 125-mile qualifying races. The teammates didn't even work together, sparking some spirited good ol' boys-style debate between Waltrip and Earnhardt's crew chief.

Not that it mattered.

``When I put my car out front, it's a beast,'' Earnhardt said.

Elliott Sadler won the second 125, showing the strength of the redesigned Ford that already had claimed the front row for Sunday's race.

Sadler, who will start alongside pole winner Greg Biffle, knows all eyes will be on Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet when the green flag waves.

``Everyone is picking him,'' Sadler said. ``That's OK. I don't mind being the underdog.''

Winning his first race of any kind at Daytona, Sadler gave Robert Yates Racing its second victory in less than a week. Dale Jarrett won the Bud Shootout last Saturday night.

``Everyone keeps forgetting that Robert Yates Racing has been in Victory Lane more than anyone else this week,'' Sadler said.

Earnhardt won without any drafting help from Waltrip, his teammate at Dale Earnhardt Inc. While the drivers often work together at Daytona, Junior took the lead from Waltrip on lap 37, pulled far ahead and stayed out front the rest of the way.

Tony Eury Sr., Earnhardt's crew chief, complained that Waltrip tried to do his own thing before fading to fourth.

``It seems like our teammate don't want to be our teammate no more, so we dumped him,'' Eury said.

But both drivers insisted there won't be any hard feelings in the race, which has been won two of the last three years by Waltrip.

Just to be sure, DEI chief Richie Gilmore stepped in to restore the peace.

``Everyone will go home tonight, get a beer and we'll be all right,'' he said.

Earnhardt won for the seventh time at Daytona, though he's never taken the checkered flag in the biggest race of all. His father won a record 34 times at Daytona but only once in the 500 before being killed in a last-lap crash in the event in 2001.

Junior was a favorite each of the last three years, but finished second to Waltrip in 2001, 29th in 2002 and 36th in last year's rain-shortened race after losing ground to an electrical problem.

So, overconfidence shouldn't be a problem.

``The only thing I'm excited about is that I just got one step closer to winning more races than my daddy ever did here,'' Junior said.

Earnhardt, who earned the third spot on the 43-car grid for the Nextel Cup opener, got a brief challenge from Tony Stewart at the end of the 50-lap race but easily held on to win by 0.245-seconds -- about three car-lengths.

``He was by far the class of the field,'' Stewart said.

Sadler won his race by an even-larger margin, so he won't be intimidated by the Intimidator's son.

``I out-qualified him, and I won my race, too,'' said Sadler, savoring a five-length victory over Sterling Marlin.

But the DEI drivers usually dominate at Daytona and Talladega, where NASCAR requires carburetor restrictor plates to reduce speeds on the big tracks. Waltrip and Earnhardt have won eight of the last 10 plate races, including three of four last year.

The twin 125s determined starting positions 3 through 30, with the rest of the lineup filled from last Sunday's qualifying and last year's car-owner points.

Actually, there wasn't much suspense.

The only yellow flag of the day was brought out when the right front tire on rookie Scott Riggs' car blew, bouncing him off the wall. He was OK.

Only two drivers -- Andy Hillenburg and Kirk Shelmerdine -- were sent home. NASCAR officials put Mike Skinner at the back just to make it a complete field.

Of course, come Sunday, all eyes will be on those starting up front -- especially Earnhardt.

``I just like having a fast car,'' Junior said. ``The easier my job is, the better.''

Earnhardt Jr. wins first Gatorade 125-mile race

Earnhardt's Chevrolet easily won Thursday's first Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

With an estimated crowd of 125,000 fans watching, Earnhardt's Chevrolet was able to pull away from the field after he passed teammate Michael Waltrip for the lead 14 laps from the finish of the 50-lap race.

Tony Stewart, who started 19th, had perhaps the best race of anyone as he passed Jamie McMurray for second place on lap 43. Stewart's Chevrolet did not have enough power, however, to pass Earnhardt, who won this race for the second straight year.

McMurray's Dodge was third followed by Waltrip, who was in a Chevrolet, and Jeff Burton, who was in a Dodge.

John Andretti finished 15th for the final transfer position into Sunday's Daytona 500 from this race.

Many of the drivers were concerned about excessive tire wear after NASCAR decided to use softer tires in an attempt to improve the racing this year. Rookie Scott Riggs smacked the wall on lap 22 after coming out of the second turn in what may have been a tire-related problem.

The field pitted on lap 23 and the leader at the time Daytona 500 pole winner Greg Biffle lost 13 positions after a slow pit stop.

When the race resumed on lap 28, the two DEI cars driven by Michael Waltrip and Earnhardt were in front of the field. It stayed that way until lap 37 when Earnhardt passed Waltrip, who was caught out of the draft and dropped through the field. He was able to recover and battled McMurray for the third position but had to settle for fourth.

Earnhardt Jr. eager to make his own racing legacy

Sure, Junior loves to party with his friends, hang out with Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down, and appear in commercials -- "They ain't too much work," he says. Even he admits he's "all about fun."

But Little E is also a serious competitor, ready to make his own mark on the world conquered by his late father.

Going into the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday, Earnhardt Jr., who drives for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team his father started, isn't yet in his old man's class on the racetrack.

The elder Earnhardt, who died in a last-lap crash in the 2001 run of NASCAR's biggest event, won seven NASCAR championships.

The swaggering, mustachioed Intimidator was a presence in NASCAR from the start to the end of his career. He was Rookie of the Year in 1979, won his first series title the next season and was still a contender when he died.

The last of Earnhardt's 76 victories came in the fall race at Talladega in 2000, when he charged through the field in the waning laps for a seemingly impossible win.

"There was really nobody else like him," Junior said wistfully. "He was awesome."

The younger Earnhardt, beginning his fifth full season in NASCAR's top series, would love to be like his father -- at least on the racetrack, where he has nine victories in his four seasons in NASCAR's top series.

Off the track, the two men are nothing alike. Earnhardt Sr. was a businessman, a family man, a dedicated hunter and fisherman and as likely to spend his rare off days on a tractor pushing dirt around the fields around his sprawling North Carolina home as fishing from his 74-foot boat, "Sunday Money".

Junior, a very eligible 29-year-old bachelor, would rather spend his time with a pretty girl on his arm backstage at a rock concert, surfing the Web, playing computer games or eating late night fast food with his friends.

"I'm still in my 20s and I enjoy my life," he said. "I don't feel I have to prove anything to anybody. I just feel fortunate to have the opportunity to drive race cars and just enjoy it."

But far more is expected of the driver in whom Budweiser invested $10 million before he had driven in a Cup event.

Junior has built a sizable cadre of fans that includes many of the people who idolized his father as well as a hip, younger crowd that loves it when Earnhardt wears his baseball caps backward and sports roguish stubble on his chin.

So, is Junior concerned that he is letting those people down each year he does not win a championship?

"I used to worry about these things," he said. "I guess as I get a little bit older and a little bit smarter, it doesn't worry me as much. I just know I'm trying to get better and be successful."

Junior won Busch Series championships in 1998 and 1999 before moving up to Cup, where Matt Kenseth beat him out in 2000 for Rookie of the Year.

Last year, while the less popular and considerably quieter Kenseth was dominating the season points on the way to his first championship, Earnhardt also had his best season, finishing third in the points.

As far as Junior is concerned, that improvement showed he is ready to become a champion and step into the leadership role that he believes is expected of him.

"Our team has gotten better every year and I just think that's going to continue," he said. "I think we have the equipment and the people to win championships now. Everything just has to come together."

Three-time champion Darrell Waltrip, now a TV analyst for Fox Sports, loved racing against Dale Sr. and he would love to see Junior reach his huge potential.

"There's nobody in the sport right now who has more charisma," Waltrip said. "All Junior needs is maybe a little more concentration and dedication to the job to be a champion.

"His father was very single-minded in whatever he did. I think Junior has other things that sometimes get in the way of his job," Waltrip said.

Earnhardt Jr. says he's willing to pay the price for success.

"I've learned that no matter how fast you go on the track, you can't ever think it's your best lap," he said. "In this business, nothing is ever good enough. That's what makes a champion."

And he doesn't regret the attention and expectations that come with being an Earnhardt.

"It's a lot of fun even though sometimes it's a little overwhelming," Junior said. "I could never have anticipated what's happening now. My name has opened a lot of doors for me.

"I never wished I was somebody else," he said. "I'm all about making it fun and trying to enjoy it."

DANGEROUS MOVE

``I told Jamie you can run all over the racetrack in the race and that's OK,'' Earnhardt said. ``But, in practice -- especially when you don't know how good your piece is off the trailer -- you don't want to pull it out if you don't have to, and we don't have to.

``I was kind of upset because it was so foolish.''

The situation came up in first of two practices Tuesday at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt and four-time champion Jeff Gordon were driving side-by-side on the 2 1/2 -mile oval when second-year driver Larry Foyt made it three-wide as he pulled onto the track. That's when McMurray caught the trio.

``With all the shuffling around and carrying on, Jamie had a heck of a run and went on the outside of me,'' Earnhardt said. ``So it was four cars, four-wide ... I just lifted and it was just in time because I was running out of room there.''

McMurray was contrite after being berated by Earnhardt between practices.

``I did something I shouldn't have done in practice,'' he said. ``I get pretty upset when guys do that to me. You don't want to tear up your car in a practice session.''

He said Earnhardt got over it pretty fast.

``Five minutes later, I went over to talk to him and he was giggling about it,'' McMurray said. ``There's no need to get somebody mad at you before the race even starts. it was no big deal.''

Earnhardt agreed.

``I'm sure I've made a few people scream around here too in the past,'' Junior said.

And They're Off

Earnhardt Jr. stars in two Super Bowl ads

Viewers judged Earnhardt's Bud Light ad seventh overall and his spot for Nextel as 10th best among a field of more than 60 commercials that ran during the game broadcast.

In the Bud Light commercial, Earnhardt, dressed in casual clothes and driving a street vehicle, races a corporate jet to return a lipstick to a young lady, who explains to a surprised Junior that the lipstick isn't hers. That commercial received a score of 8.34 out of a possible 10 by viewers.

In the advertisement for Nextel, Earnhardt and teammate Michael Waltrip are sitting in the stands at a football game when Junior's Nextel phone rings. It's the coach, wanting him in the game. The No. 8 scores a touchdown, then does celebratory donuts in the end zone.

That spot was given a 7.89 rating by the viewers, the best of any product not directly tied to food or beverages.

"A few years ago, you'd need 'Dale Earnhardt Jr., Race Car Driver' superimposed on the screen," said Roger Vandersnick, NASCAR Managing Director of Brand and Consumer Marketing. "No more. Everyone knows who Junior is."

A different ad for Bud Light was the highest-rated at 9.04.

Broken suspension keeps NASCAR stars from victory in 24-hour endurance race

Instead of the two Nextel Cup drivers and four-time 24-hours champion Wallace celebrating in the familiar Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway, it was Andy Pilgrim, Terry Borcheller, Christian Fittipaldi and Forest Barber spraying the champagne Sunday afternoon.

Stewart was at the wheel of the Chevrolet-powered Crawford when the left rear tire pulled off the rim and sent the 2002 Winston Cup champion spinning to a stop on the backstretch, just missing the concrete wall.

Pilgrim drove into the lead with 15 minutes remaining, passing Stewart and the car that had led since late in the seventh hour Saturday night.

Pilgrim then gave up the driver's seat to car owner Barber to make the last lap and take the checkered flag on the 3.56-mile circuit that includes about three-quarters of the 2½-mile oval that will be in use in the Daytona 500 in two weeks.

Stewart made three unscheduled tire stops in the final 90 minutes, but the sleek orange and blue Daytona Prototype class still had white smoke boiling from the underbody as he raced around the course with less than half an hour to go.

To make matters worse, the rain that forced a nearly three-hour race stoppage Sunday morning, began falling again with about 50 minutes remaining.

"I told the team I wanted hazard pay for driving on two wheels," Stewart said. "None of the tires on the rear were on the ground and it kept getting worse.

"I could still run fast enough to pull away from second and win this thing, but then the tire came off and turned sideways."

Team owner Max Crawford sighed and shrugged.

"It's happened before," Crawford said. "We had a motor blow up in Le Mans with 23 (hours) and change. It happens."

The owner was certainly impressed by his NASCAR drivers.

"Yeah, I think Tony probably has a future in sports car and I think Dale might have surprised himself how good a road racer he is, too."

Barber could hardly believe he and his team were in the winner's circle.

"It's just unbelievable to be here," Barber said. "It didn't look possible."

Pilgrim was just as incredulous.

"Conditions were appallingly bad," he said. "Even when it dried out, it didn't dry out. It just made the puddles smaller. We weren't gaining any ground."

Fittipaldi, who has driven in Formula One, CART and NASCAR, said he felt sorry for Stewart, Earnhardt and Wallace, who wound up finishing fifth.

"We were lucky in the end, but luck is part of racing, Fittipaldi said.

The winners covered 526 laps and 1,872.56 miles, finishing three laps ahead of the runner-up, a Porsche GT3RS co-driven by Englishman Johnny Mowlem, Mike Fitzgerald, Joe and Jay Policastro and Robin Lidell.

They barely held off the GT3 Cup car of Johannes van Overbeek, Seth Neiman, Lonnie Pechnik, Peter Cunningham and Mike Rockenfeller to win the GT class by 6.97 seconds.

The second-year Daytona Prototypes dominated most of the race, but most fell out of contention with mechanical problems.

Didier Theys, Fredy Lienhard and Jan lammers finished fourth in a prototype, five laps behind the winners and two laps ahead of Crawford's entry.

The Super Grand Sport class was won by the Porsche GT3 Cup shared by Jean-Francois Dumoulin, Robert Julien, Greg Pootmans and Marc Lieb. They finished ninth overall.

The rain began falling less than three hours after the race began Saturday and continued throughout the night, sometimes falling in windblown sheets and making the course more treacherous than usual.

With pools of standing water dotting the circuit and visibility down to nearly nothing, Grand American Road Racing officials decided to red flag the race shortly after dawn, midway through the 19th hour.

It's the first time the race has been stopped since thick fog caused severe visibility problems for several hours in 1989.

Stewart was at the wheel of the Crawford when it took the lead and the car was still out front, with Earnhardt driving, when the red flag was displayed at 7:38 a.m., but by only one lap over the second-place Doran.

The second-place car had to make a stop for fuel and a driver change moments after the green flag came back out at 10:29 a.m., giving the leaders a little breathing room until the suspension problems began.

The disappointed Earnhardt was smiling at the end.

"They put me in a fast race car and I don't do this every day," he said. "All you can do is set a pace you're comfortable with and run it and hope it's good enough. You can't predict problems like we had."

NASCAR drivers making waves in Daytona

``It doesn't bother me any,'' Stewart said of the wet weather before climbing into his team's Chevrolet-powered Crawford prototype for his second two-hour stint. ``It's actually keeping the temperatures cool. It's nice in these Daytona Prototypes.''

NASCAR's stock cars, with their slick tires and racing mostly on ovals, don't run when it gets wet. Stewart laughed when asked if he has any experience driving in the rain.

``Driving to the grocery store and back,'' the 2002 Winston Cup champion said.

Stewart is teamed with fellow NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sports car ace and three-time Daytona winner Andy Wallace. Earnhardt had a spin in the rain but lost very little ground.

Earnhardt said he gave Stewart a few tips about the worst parts of the wet course but added, ``He's a natural. you could dump snow out here and he'd probably get around here better than any of us.''

As for his own drive in the rain, Earnhardt said he was having fun.

``Once I got comfortable, I just felt pretty good,'' he said.

Daytona Prototypes, in only their second year of Rolex Series competition, held down the top six spots nearly one-third of the way through the twice-around-the-clock event. They were separated by just three laps on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course.

A close second was the Pontiac Doran of defending prototype series champion Terry Borcheller, Andy Pilgrim, Christian Fittipaldi and Forest Barber.

``I'm not very happy running in the wet,'' said Fittipaldi, the nephew of longtime Formula One and Indy-car star Emerson Fittipaldi. ``There's very little grip, but the car is running beautifully and I guess the conditions are the same for everybody out there.''

Third was the Pontiac-powered Riley of Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli and Emmanuel Collard, followed by the pole-winning Lexus Riley of reigning Trans-Am champion Scott Pruett, Max Papis and defending Indy Racing League champion Scott Dixon.

There were a series of full-course caution flags brought out by accidents or off-course excursions.

One of the yellow flags waved when NASCAR star Robby Gordon slid into the concrete wall on the backstretch as he came out of the chicane put in to slow the cars on the portion of the course that is part of NASCAR's famed 2.5-mile oval.

``We just got into a puddle coming on through the chicane and the thing turned around on me,'' Gordon said.

The team was able to repair the damage and get the car back on track, but it was running close to the rear of the field.

Fifty-three cars, divided among three classes, were in the starting lineup that took the green flag at 1:12 p.m.

Most of the pre-race attention was concentrated on a group of famous names, including Earnhardt, Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Petty, Gordon, Fittipaldi and Paul Newman.

Newman, the actor-driver who turned 79 last Monday, found the rain less to his liking, spinning twice during his first driving stint on Saturday.

``I couldn't see the puddles,'' Newman said. ``The wipers weren't working. But the car is good and we'll be OK.''

The Porsche Fabcar prototype driven by Newman, Petty -- who also spun once -- Gunnar Jeannette and Michael Brockman fell well back into the field but was soldiering on.

Pruett, a three-time Daytona winner who put Chip Ganassi Racing's first-ever sports car entry on the pole on Thursday, said, ``It's all patience in this kind of racing.

"You have to stay close, but you don't want to tear up the car too much in a 24-hour race. We have a pace in mind for the early hours and, hopefully, that will help us be there on Sunday.''

DEI hopes less is more in '04

But while DEI has championship designs in place for its two veteran drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip, it's also building for the future via Martin Truex Jr.

And with changes in the team' competitive structure also comes a major change in its management.

Last week team principal Teresa Earnhardt, the late Earnhardt's wife, announced that head engine builder Richie Gilmore would replace Ty Norris as DEI's executive vice president of motorsports.

Gilmore, 38, will head DEI's racing operation that fields the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet for Waltrip.

The program for the team's No. 1 Chevrolet is less certain, but veteran John Andretti will pilot the car at the season opening Daytona 500. Andretti and the No. 1 bunch posted speeds among the fastest in testing at Daytona earlier this month.

Beyond that, crew chief Tony Gibson said at Daytona that Andretti might drive the car at the circuit's other superspeedway races, at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway. Truex, meanwhile, has a tentative seven-race schedule in place factored around his full-time program in the Busch Series for DEI "farm team" Chance 2 Motorsports.

After starting the 2003 season with its second victory in the past three Daytona 500s, DEI's fortunes took a decided split during the balance of the schedule.

Waltrip seized the momentum from his second Daytona 500 win and was a fixture in the series top 10 for the first three-quarters of the season. But a less-than-exemplary stretch run knocked him back to 15th in the final standings.

In fact, Waltrip scored only four top-10 finishes in his final 18 races of the season and had six DNFs in his last 13 races.

Earnhardt Jr., on the other hand, endured a frustrating Daytona 500, but by the fourth race of the season was in the top 10 in points. He remained in the top five from race five until season's end, when he finished third.

The change in the championship format -- which will use a 26-race "regular season" to qualify at least 10 drivers for a 10-race "Chase for the Championship" -- has not diminished Earnhardt's desire to claim the ultimate prize.

"If I win the championship, I'll feel like a champion no matter what the point system is," he said. "I don't think it really takes away or adds to it. However they set it up, if you knock 'em all down, you win. That's how it is.

"I want to win a championship. To win one, and consider myself among all the other champions would be a great addition to my career. There are all kinds of goals."

Junior, who has managed an eclectic social mix while excelling on the racetrack, acknowledges the delicate balance that creates.

"I'm having a good time driving and I've had a bad time driving," he said. "I'll take the good days over the bad days. Having fun is what's important to me and also having success at the same time."

After scoring his fourth consecutive season with two or more victories, Earnhardt Jr. and his team's father-and-son crew chief duo of Tony Eury Sr. and Jr., appear ready to capitalize on that momentum.

"We had a great year last year and I was really proud of my team," Earnhardt Jr. said. "There were some areas where we improved more than I expected. We need to keep building on those things and keep improving.

"We're getting better and better every year -- we're getting closer. We'll take a shot at the title and see how close we get to the bull's eye. And we'll try again the year after that and the year after that."

One of the most telling statistics in his overall improvement as a driver is that Junior has scored more points on short tracks -- those less than one-mile in length -- than any other driver in 2002 and 2003. He has eight top-five finishes in his past 12 short-track races.

But Junior's overall excellence also showed through as he led the circuit in races led with 24 and leader bonus points for the second year in a row.

Waltrip, who has scored all four of his Cup Series victories on restrictor-plate tracks, certainly proved he was ready to go for a third Daytona 500 win when he clocked the fastest speed in every January Preseason Thunder session he participated in.

Rolex 24 sports car endurance race gets underway in Daytona Beach

Borcheller, driving a Pontiac-powered Doran prototype, made a strong inside move heading into and through the first turn on the twisting 3.66-mile course at Daytona International Speedway to pass the pole-winner Lexus Riley of Scott Pruett and the Pontiac Riley of Max Angelelli.

Fifty-three cars, divided among three classes, were in the starting lineup that took the green flag at 1:12 p.m.

Toronto's Scott Maxwell's team was in the top-10 in the early going.

Most of the pre-race attention was concentrated on a group of NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers entered in the race, though none of them started the event.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Petty, Robby Gordon, Christian Fittipaldi and Paul Newman were all listed as drivers and were expected to get their chance behind the wheel before dark.

Earnhardt is teamed with Stewart and road-racing ace Andy Wallace, who started fourth in the team's Chevrolet-powered Crawford prototype and quickly moved to third after the first few laps.

Pruett, a three-time Daytona winner who put Chip Ganassi Racing's first-ever sports car entry on the pole on Thursday, said, "It's all patience in this kind of racing.

"You have to stay close, but you don't want to tear up the car too much in a 24-hour race. We have a pace in mind for the early hours and, hopefully, that will help us be there on Sunday."

Earnhardt, who drove in this race in 2001 with his late father, said, "I'm excited about this because it's such a different kind of racing. You don't have to have the fastest car, but you do have to get through the night."

A year ago, there were only six Daytona Prototype class cars entered, and a GT class car won the event when most of the prototypes had mechanical problems. This year, there are 17 prototypes, and it is anticipated that one of them will win.

"I don't think there's much question that a year of development on these cars had made a huge difference," Borcheller said. "I think it's going to be a heck of a race at the front."

The race started under overcast skies with temperatures in the low mid teens. Rain was forecast for the overnight hours.

Gilmore promoted to manage DEI's efforts

Teresa Earnhardt, CEO and co-founder of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated stated, "Because of close teamwork at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Richie Gilmore has prepared to manage all motorsports responsibilities. Looking at programs he has implemented over the years, we're confident he will continue to develop our success, both on and off the track."

Gilmore, a 38-year-old Rochester, N.H. native, came to DEI in 1998 as Head Engine Builder, after an eight-year stint at Hendrick Motorsports.

In addition, Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s Sponsor Services Division is being strengthened with additional personnel.

Earnhardt added,"To develop new marketing strategies and fulfill the needs of our current partners we will be focusing on growth while continuing to direct primary energies toward winning the Nextel Cup and BGN championships; fulfilling the goals established for this company over a decade ago."

Pruett wins Daytona pole in new Lexus

Pruett, a three-time winner here, turned a fast lap of 121.154 mph on the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway. Only the top 30 cars clinched a spot in the lineup for the race that begins Saturday at 1 p.m. The rest of the field will have an opportunity to improve on the first-day efforts on Friday.

Pruett will be joined in the pole-winning car by Max Papis and Jimmy Morales as Lexus attempts to win its debut race in the Daytona Prototype class.

``I was fortunate enough to be able to give Toyota its first pole in CART racing at Fontana in 1999, and now we're able to give Lexus their first prototype pole today,'' Pruett said. ``It's very difficult trying to get good balance because when you roll off the truck you're focused on how to make the car easier to drive for 24 hours.''

Max Angelelli put a Pontiac Riley on the outside pole at 120.797, with defending Daytona Prototype driving champion Terry Borcheller next at 120.584 in a Pontiac Doran. Andy Wallace, who will share his Chevrolet Crawford with NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart, will line up next to Borcheller after qualifying at 120.478.

Johannes van Overbeek, driving a Porsche GT3 RS, posted the fastest qualifying lap in the GT class at 113.059. Randy Pobst, driving a Porsche GT3 Cup, had the fastest Super Grand Sport class entry at 109.057.

Dale Jr. leads Busch testing

While individual teams -- including those for drivers Joe Nemechek and Johnny Sauter -- had fast cars, Chance 2 Motorsports had a consistent pair of rocketships in preparations for February's Hershey's Kisses 300.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. made only one run Monday afternoon in his No. 8 Chance 2 Chevrolet. But he busted the second best lap of the two-day session that was stretched over three days by Sunday morning's rain showers.

Earnhardt's three-lap tour of the speedway culminated in a lap in 49.714 seconds, an average speed of 181.036 mph.

That trailed fellow Nextel Cup Series regular Nemechek's Saturday lap by 17-thousandths of a second. The biggest difference was Nemechek thought he had drafting help on his lap, while Earnhardt ran his solo.

Chance 2 teammate Martin Truex Jr. was second quickest in the afternoon on the only run he made, in 180.346 mph. It closed a test in which Truex was among the four fastest cars in all four practice sessions.

Monday afternoon was curtailed by rain after about 45 minutes and a total of only 35 laps by the 11 drivers that remained at the speedway. Sauter had the best lap in a full morning of practice, 49.775 seconds and 180.814 mph.

Rounding out the top five on Monday was Mike Wallace (180.191) and Clint Bowyer (180.144), who will split the season in the No. 21 Reese's Chevrolet with Kevin Harvick and filled in for his Childress Racing teammate Monday.

The specter of the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated affiliation with Chance 2, which is co-owned by Earnhardt and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, isn't lost on its lead driver, who won all three Busch Series restrictor plate races last season and was either first or second fastest in each test session here.

But Earnhardt, who led every lap of last summer's Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona, said his presence was a good thing; citing the example of a dominant Winston Cup veteran running Busch races in the formative days of his own career.

"I don't think it bothers them too bad -- I think it makes everybody work real hard," Junior said. "I think it's a big motivation factor for a lot of these teams.

"When I used to race in the Busch Series and Mark Martin would win just about every race he started, it wouldn't bother me that much. It's just a level of success you try to achieve yourself -- it made your team better."

Truex Jr. is sure that his mentor's presence has helped him, even as Earnhardt prepares for a chance to win his third straight Speedweeks Busch race.

"I think I've got a pretty good handle on qualifying here," Truex said. "Dale Jr. too my car out and he ran the identical speed I did, Saturday -- same everything.

"We compared our lines on the computer, where you can compare the telemetry and everything was real similar so we're in good shape. Qualifying here is a lot on the team and how good of a car they've built --- and I feel like I've got the best car out here.

"The cars are both real close. If we go out with the same amount of tape you could throw 'em both under a blanket, so everybody's real happy."

"All I know to tell him (I've told him)," Earnhardt said. "There's not a lot out there. There's some little things that drivers think work or don't work (and) he's seemed to pick it up real fast.

"I haven't talked to him that much. He was able to get right to it. There's a few things that drivers can do to improve and he did those things. He's right up there (and) he should be able to run up front all day."

Despite the rain shortened Daytona test, Truex said he'd had plenty of seat time when he completed "about 600 miles of drafting practice" at Talladega Superspeedway last month, when NASCAR officials developed the current aerodynamic package.

At that test, DEI Nextel Cup driver John Andretti drove Earnhardt's car while Truex also got a lot of work. Earnhardt said he appreciated the effort by his teammates and his team, led by crew chief Kevin Manion.

"It's awesome when you've got somebody in a plate race that you know can help you," Earnhardt said. "There will probably be a lot more passing. The pack will be a little thicker because it will allow for a better draft with a lot faster closing rate -- maybe we'll even be able to pass the leader.

"It should really help the Busch cars a lot as far as improving the excitement for the fans."

Other drivers were a little frustrated when persistent rain caused the test's early end.

"You save everything for the end of the test and now the weather has taken over," said Robert Pressley, driver of the No. 47 Clorox Ford. "It put the guys so far behind (because) they have an order of how they want to do everything.

"You could stay down here all month and still not get everything done (but) when you lose three hours, that seems like a week."

Busch Series Preseason Thunder continues Tuesday with the opening day of the final two-day test. More than 25 teams are expected, with many of them signing into the garage Monday afternoon.

Earnhardt Jr. goes for owner-driver double in '04

Winning a Nextel Cup title as a driver is priority No. 1. But, thanks to a new sponsorship deal, Earnhardt will also try to win a Busch Series championship for the first time as a car owner.

Martin Truex drove a part-time schedule last season for Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Earnhardt and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, and will drive the team's Chevrolet for the entire 2004 schedule. He ran only 10 races last year, but finished with consecutive second-place finishes at Rockingham and Homestead -- his first top fives.

"We're going for the Busch Series title with Martin,'' Junior told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "We had just kind of planned on a three-quarter schedule, but, as things changed in the offseason, we were able to justify running the entire season for him.''

He said the full-season deal came together when Yum! Brands Inc., agreed to put its KFC, Taco Bell and Long John Silver restaurant brands on Truex's car for 14 of the 34 races, joining several returning sponsors from last year.

As much as Earnhardt Jr. wants to win the title in NASCAR's top stock car series, his years racing in the Busch Series and winning championships (1998 and 1999) have made that circuit special to him.

"It's a series that I have a lot of love and appreciation for,'' said Earnhardt, who will drive a second Chance 2 car in two Busch races at Daytona and one at Talladega in 2004.

"The style of racing, the personalities, the attitude, just the whole feeling you get when you're around that series and inside that garage area is totally different than the Cup series,'' he said. "It's just a little less stressful and ... there's just a lot of excitement and enthusiasm and energy in that whole program.''

Being around the Busch Series as an owner has also been an education.

"You're out there in that race car on Sundays all day long, driving, and you really don't know what's going on in the pits,'' Earnhardt said. "You're really not there to see what all's unfolding and what the strategy is.

"I've learned a lot just being able to sit in the pits on Saturdays with the Busch team and learn what they do and what their strategy is and what their goals are throughout the day and how things work themselves out. It's given me a lot of appreciation and more respect for the guys I've got on Sunday.''

Earnhardt wound up a career-best third in the 2003 Cup points and said he believes his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team can make a strong run at the championship this year.

"Each year we're just a little bit better,'' Earnhardt said. "We have never made any massive gains as a team in the past and I don't see that happening in the future. I just think we continue to improve little places at a time and little parts of the team that need it and we'll get a shot at winning the championship.''

For Junior, it's still the championship

And even though Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the majority in saying he didn't favor a change, he still said a championship was something he craved, no matter the format.

"If I win the championship, I'll feel like a champion no matter what the point system is," Earnhardt said. "I don't think it really takes away or adds to it. However they set it up, if you knock 'em all down, you win. That's how it is.

"I just really don't like the idea of the 10-race shootout. I'm not trying to boast or anything, but odds are I'd be in that top-10 if we had an average year. I still don't like it (and) there are so many reasons why.

"It takes the edge off the rest of the year. That's just my opinion. There are a lot of things I'd love to change about the sport. The point system isn't at the top of the list.

"I just think you should give the guy who wins a few more points and don't make running 40th such a disaster. They just have to narrow it up a little bit and not change the whole thing."

In the test's final day, Junior and his crew proved they could be up to the task, climbing to fourth on the cumulative speed chart for the test, then leading the two-hour drafting practice that closed the session.

Junior said that, in addition to the championship, he had another career goal -- one that eluded his late father for more than 20 years.

"This is a real important race -- it's one of the top two goals of my career," Earnhardt said of the Feb. 15 Daytona 500. "We put a lot of emphasis on winning this race. We probably spend 25 percent of our company revenue or income on (restrictor) plate stuff.

"I think a lot of teams spend a good chunk -- maybe 15 percent or something like that. That's just a guess. A lot goes into this. It's pretty important to all of us."

ESPN in Driver's Seat with Earnhardt Movie

During its portion of the Television Critics Assn. winter press tour in Hollywood, the sports cable network also reaffirmed its commitment to producing original series. But it deferred any decision on the renewal of its controversial football drama "Playmakers," whose gritty depiction of locker-room antics has annoyed the NFL.

"3: The Dale Earnhardt Story," chronicling the life of the NASCAR star who died in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, is scheduled to bow in late summer.

It will be ESPN's third original longform production, following 2002's "A Season on the Brink" and "The Junction Boys." Russell Mulcahy ("Skin") will direct. Casting is expected to be announced soon.

"It really is an inspirational story," said Rob Semiao, senior vp ESPN Original Entertainment. "We tried to capture the inner drive of who he is."

Tailing "Earnhardt" in various stages of development are "Hustle: The Pete Rose Story," which will examine the baseball star's gambling-related downfall; "Four Minutes," a tale of track star Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four-minute mile barrier; and "October Men," an adaptation of a book about the 1977-78 New York Yankees.

ESPN also has acquired rights to the life story of Bob Delaney, an NBA referee who served as an undercover FBI agent, and a Sports Illustrated article about the 1951 Army football team cribbing scandal.

ESPN hopes to air one movie per quarter, but no airdates have been set for the projects in development.

Semiao also said ESPN likely will decide by March on whether it will return "Playmakers," its first original drama series, to the schedule as early as September. The series, which offered a fictional, unflattering portrait of professional football, drew criticism from the NFL, which has long been in business with ESPN for its game telecasts.

"The NFL is an important partner of ours, and we take their views into consideration," Semiao said. "Clearly we have offended them, and clearly we are taking that into consideration."

Semiao confirmed that ESPN is still actively developing series concepts, including a potential basketball project to be produced by Spike Lee. The network is gunning to have two original series run concurrently between June and November next year.

"ESPN is going to stay in the scripted series business regardless of whether 'Playmakers' comes back or not," Semiao said.

He added that the Rose biopic, which is set for an airdate as early as October, is not expected to spur concerns from Major League Baseball, which knows of the project.

"They are well aware of it," Semiao said. "It's not a 'Playmakers' situation."

Earnhardt Jr., Stewart to team up in Rolex 24

The trio will drive the No. 2 Crawford DP03 Daytona Prototype.

Andy Wallace, a mainstay on the international sports car circuit for many years, has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona three times in his storied career.

Wallace was on the winning team in 1990, 1997 and 1999 and is one of only five drivers to win all three major road racing endurance events, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Sebring 12 Hours and LeMans 24 Hour.

Tony Stewart will be making his second start in the Rolex 24 for Crawford Race Cars.

Stewart teamed with Jan Lammers and Johnny Mowlem in a Crawford SSC2K Prototype in the 2002 endurance race.

After an impressive run at the front of the field, engine problems sidelined the Stewart, Lammers and Mowlem team just past the midway point in the twice-around-the-clock event.

"Driving these cars is so much fun," Stewart stated. "It is unlike anything we do in the Nextel Cup. And, I feel like this event owes me another chance. We were running very well in 2002 right up until the engine let go."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be making his second start in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Earnhardt Jr. teamed with his father Dale Earnhardt, Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins in a Chevrolet Corvette to finish fourth overall in the 2001 event.

"I am really excited about going back to Daytona for this race," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I had talked to Jim France about it (Rolex 24) earlier this year, and the Crawford Chevrolet opportunity came up in November.

"The chance to work with Andy Wallace and have some fun with Tony (Stewart) was too good o pass up."

Dale Earnhardt Jr To Star In Wrangler Campaign

Earnhardt Jr. wins Most Popular Driver award

While Earnhardt Jr. finished third in the top on-track honor in major league stock car racing, he led throughout the Most Popular Driver fan balloting for the highest off-track honor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet maintained a solid first place as voting closed mid-November for the only fan-based award in professional motorsports.

"It means a ton to see the support I've received from the fans," said Earnhardt Jr. "I know that no matter how bad things have been in my life that week or if I've struggled with the race that weekend, it's always helpful to hear the cheers when I walk across the stage during driver introductions."

Earnhardt Jr.'s win also marks the first time both a son and a father have received the Most Popular Driver honor. Racing legend Dale Earnhardt won the award posthumously in 2001.

"The NASCAR fans are a smart bunch. They choose their favorite drivers based on who that driver is as a person and what they represent," Earnhardt Jr. continued. "I try to remember that every day. This means a lot to me that the fans have supported me in such a big way. It was emotional for me to have to accept this award on behalf of my dad in 2001, but it will feel a lot better being able to accept the award this year."

From the fan votes to at-track enthusiasm, it's clear Earnhardt Jr. creates excitement on the racing circuit.

"I don't think anyone is surprised Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the Grands! Biscuits NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver," said journalist Kenny Bruce, president of the National Motorsports Press Association. "He came close to winning a year ago, and anyone who has listened while he was introduced at races would know that the fans really seem to love him. We are grateful to all of the NASCAR fans who were part of the voting process, and we feel they made a good choice."

For the second year in a row, more than 3 million votes were cast by thousands of race fans nationwide via the Web site, www.mostpopulardriver.com. Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits, the second-year sponsor of the award administered by the National Motorsports Press Association, has worked since voting launched with the season-opening Daytona 500 to increase fan exposure and created new ways for consumers to get involved.

"It's been a great honor for us to bring this award to the fans and recognize Dale as their favorite driver," said Annie Zipfel, marketing manager for Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits at General Mills. "We'll continue to share the excitement of this announcement with fans by posting award ceremony highlights on www.mostpopulardriver.com. After all, the fans are really what this award is all about."

Throughout the 2003 Most Popular Driver Award voting season, Grands! Biscuits offered fans a chance to win prizes via two online sweepstakes. The first awarded one fan $1,000 and a trip for two to see the coveted award presented during NASCAR's annual awards banquet weekend in New York City. Sweepstakes prize winner and avid racing fan Faye Maxwell and her daughter Rachel, both from Texas, joined other NMPA and Grands! Biscuits representatives in New York City for the award presentation. The second offered one randomly drawn winner a trip to the Petty Driving Experience. Grands! Biscuits also promoted the award online and at-track during the voting season.

Following Earnhardt Jr., who received more than 1.3 millions votes, in the 2003 Most Popular Driver Award final standings were drivers Jeff Gordon (348,629 votes), Kevin Harvick (213,511 votes), Steve Park (152,541 votes), and Tony Stewart (142,899 votes). Rounding out the top ten in descending order of votes were Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte. More than 50 drivers received votes.

NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award dates back to 1956. It began as a simple poll of the drivers and grew to incorporate all NASCAR Winston Cup competitors. Later, it included all NASCAR members. Today, it is a prestigious award voted on by racing fans nationwide.

Through the years, the voters' choices have ranged from the obvious to the surprising. Bill Elliott edged out Earnhardt Jr. to win the award in 2002. Elliott won the award 16 times before retiring his name from the Most Popular Driver Award voting at the beginning of the 2003 Winston Cup series. Richard Petty won the award nine times. Other past winners have included such notables as Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.

Conversation: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Eight hours worth.

And Monday, Nov. 17, is considered an off day.

Tuesday was no different. The morning is reserved for a Nextel photo shoot, then it was off to a Kraft/Nabisco commercial taping before Wrangler Jeans' marketing folks show up for a commercial/photo shoot of their own. All that, and an in-depth interview with MTV lay in wait.

During a brief 10-minute break between Kraft and Wrangler (well, if you consider signing 300 autographs in 10 minutes rest -- Earnhardt sat down with NASCAR.com's Marty Smith to discuss intentions of winning the first Nextel Cup, his choices for NASCAR's best drivers and the revealing nature of his female fans.

The offseason is only two days old and you're already out here shooting mac & cheese commercials for us. You ever going to get a break, man?

Earnhardt: Uh, yeah. We get some time off. I had all day off yesterday. But I ended up in meetings that lasted six to eight hours. It's not too bad, though. At least I'm in town and get to sleep in my own bed at night.

You ended up third overall this year, and as recently as last month you had higher aspirations than that. Are you content with the way the season ended or are you a little bit disappointed?

Earnhardt: I'm not disappointed. I feel like we had a lot of highlights.

Everybody knows that the valleys will be deeper than the peaks in this sport, and looking back over the year -- we'd like to have finished better that last race and had something to be happy about, but looking back over all the top-fives, the good runs at the road courses, the good runs at Martinsville, the good runs we've had at Darlington, those places where we really needed to improve.

We even kind of improved at Rockingham that last race. We've got a lot to look forward to going into next season and, you know, I'm just looking forward to Daytona because of how good a car we had down there in February last year and didn't win the race. That waiting time's almost over.

You have every intention of winning the championship next year, and pretty much expect to, don't you?

Earnhardt: I feel like we are definitely the team to beat, or one of the top-three teams again. It'll be tough for somebody to repeat they type of things that Matt (Kenseth) did last year, even for Matt.

They just had an awful lot of good fortune and it's very unlikely a team can be that consistent. If that's the case, then I think we can even do that if we have to.

But there were a lot of things that you look back at over the season -- part failures and stuff like that -- that caused us some bad finishes. I feel like we're the best team.

Do you feel like expectation of you might be higher than other drivers, because of the exposure you get?

Earnhardt: Yeah, I guess so. We got a lot going on, and I feel like, just with my name alone there's a lot of expectations coming in. I don't think anything else could make more (expectations) than that already (does). I feel like we can live up to it.

Now that it's all said and done, do you feel like your contract negotiations were any more of a distractions than you might have thought at the time?

Earnhardt: They weren't really too bad of a distraction this year, as much as they have been in the past. I knew what was going on, but a lot of other people didn't, so that might have bothered a lot of other people. It might have distracted the crew and what not.

Excluding yourself, who's the best driver out there, and why?

Earnhardt: Uhhh, well, you've got to say Matt Kenseth, being the champion this year. He's just real consistent, real competitive, doesn't make many mistakes on the racetrack, can do a good job driving the car.

Him, and I've always admired Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett. I think those are two good racecar drivers that take of equipment and finish good with their car, when their car's capable of running good.

Nextel's entrance into the sport is obviously going to change the sport marketing-wise, are there any other ways you see the sport might change immediately with them coming in.

Earnhardt: No, not really. I've been thinking about that, too, and nothing really comes to mind. Nothing really seems to spring up. There's some things that are going to change, but I don't know if anybody can really predict it.

You started Chance 2 as a place where guys could come in and learn, and develop, guys that are green in the sport. But you guys are out there running up front already. Are you surprised at how well this team is doing this early?

Earnhardt: Well, we've got a lot of good resources here at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., to provide to that team. They build good racecars and do a great job with Martin (Truex Jr.), and hopefully they'll kick-start the year off real good and be able to sell the company on running the full season if they're doing well in the championship hunt.

Because a lot of the first races they'll run are going to be conjunction races, so they'll have a good idea about what their season looks like at that point, and we'll be able to make a decision whether we should just run those 24 we decided on, or if we need to run more.

You guys ran a new tire compound at Homestead, softer tire and what not. How did that go for you, and do you feel like it will change the fuel mileage situation we saw so often this year?

Earnhardt: My tires kept falling apart of me. I mean, we kept blistering left fronts and right fronts all weekend long in practice, and in the race we had an awful time trying to keep the tires on the car.

I don't really know, I'm not a technician, nor do I claim to know everything there is to know about a racing tire, but I just think they could have done a better job on the tire this weekend. A brand-new racetrack with new asphalt -- we're going to have a lot of grip.

It's hot down there. That's not the place to go testing a new tire. So that was kind of disappointing, but a lot of guys were able to get their cars where they'd work, so if we could have had a better racecar, maybe we wouldn't have had those problems, too.

I'd venture to say that fans do some interesting things when in your presence, so I'd like to know where the lady revealing herself to you at Phoenix ranks on that list?

Earnhardt: I think it ranks kind of middle of the pack for me, but for most of the media it was on the top of their list. It was pretty funny. I thought it was great for the media to get an idea of some of the crazy stuff that happens around us.

Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr. to start finale from rear

"It still means something. I mean, the lap sucked," said Kenseth, who clinched the championship last weekend with a fourth-place finish at Rockingham. "You never want to start in the back.

"This is still a real important race, and even though the championship is over and that feels really good, we still need to come to the racetrack to race, and we still need to come to the racetrack and try to run good and win."

Not that it's anything new. This marks the third time in the past four events that Kenseth will use the first-awarded provisional to make the field. Overall, Friday marked the seventh time the newly crowned champion failed to post a lap-time quick enough to make the field.

"My car is just real tight," Kenseth said. "It wouldn't turn. I didn't really lose grip, I just couldn't get my car to turn.

"We're off to a real bad start. We just can't seem to get the car to turn for some reason and none of us can figure out how to fix it."

Likewise for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Like Kenseth, Earnhardt will start at the rear of the field via provisional, making his bid to finish second in the point standings a bit more daunting.

Heading into Sunday's season-ender, Earnhardt ranks third, 38 points behind Jimmie Johnson -- Friday's 10th-place qualifier -- and just ahead of Ryan Newman, who will start fourth.

Give the proper circumstances, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick, fifth and sixth in the standings, respectively, can both ascend to second Sunday, as well. Gordon will start fifth and Harvick, sixth.

"We really don't know what's up with the car," said Tony Eury, Jr., Earnhardt's crew chief. "We were real good on Wednesday, and real happy with the car, but then we got it in qualifying trim and it started raining so we didn't get to make any mock runs.

"We got it in qualifying trim this morning and haven't been happy with the car all morning long. He pushed all day long and when we finally got the push out of it and when he qualified he was sideways. We'll just start in the back and see if we can get it running as good as we did on Wednesday."

Earnhardt aiming for Winston Cup title - maybe in '04

Earnhardt has done that over the past several seasons, and this year he's even more serious and focused in his pursuit of a Winston Cup title. Odds are he won't win it in 2003, but he's finishing the season strong and is already looking ahead to next year.

"The team is really getting better and better," Earnhardt said. "We seem to be growing more comfortable. I feel like we can compete next year for the championship."

Part of that growth is a newfound close relationship with his crew at Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his late father, a seven-time series champion and an icon in the sport.

Little E won last Sunday at Phoenix and was pumped up after taking the checkered flag, getting into a wild champagne- and beer-spraying celebration with the crew of his red No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet.

It was the ninth victory of his career and second this season, but this one was a little more special than the others.

"That was the best win of my career in a few ways," Earnhardt said. "One was seeing the expression of my guys when I came into Victory Lane. They have been happy before about winning, but they hadn't worked hard until this year.

"Every single one of them put their heart and soul into this team to make the team better. To come into Victory Lane and see that, it was a different group of people than I've seen in the past. That was a big, big reward for me."

In his first three seasons in NASCAR's top series, Earnhardt's best points finish was eighth in 2001. He slipped back to 11th last year and was often unhappy with the performance of his crew members, keeping his distance from them away from the track.

That has all changed and the result is clear. Earnhardt is second in the points this season with 13 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s in 34 starts.

Going into Sunday's Pop Secret Popcorn 400 at North Carolina Speedway, Earnhardt still has a slight chance to catch series leader Matt Kenseth for this year's Winston Cup title.

But Earnhardt trails Kenseth by 228 points and all Kenseth has to do to wrap up his first championship is finish 30th or better in each of the last two races, no matter what Earnhardt does.

"Matt would have to have an awful lot of trouble for us to catch him," Earnhardt said. "All we're trying to do at this point is finish strong and go into the winter with a lot of momentum."

Tony Eury, Earnhardt's crew chief and one of his father's best friends, has believed in the younger Earnhardt's talent all along.

"I don't know that he's really any different than last year," Eury said. "Naturally, when a guy's got a better car to drive, he's going to be a little more pumped up.

"I think this year he's had a lot better cars. We build a lot better cars, the engine shop's building better engines and just the total package is better."

Another key difference is that Earnhardt has decided to become more of a team player. The 29-year-old driver, who once had a reputation for hard partying, recently signed a contract to stay with the family team, run by stepmother Teresa Earnhardt. He is also spending a lot more time at the race shop in Mooresville, N.C.

"I go to the shop just about every day," Earnhardt said. "I don't go over there to see what they're doing or what's next. I go over there because I've got friends there.

"That's something I never had before. Now I've got a relationship with 99 per cent of the employees at that shop. When you win races, you feel like you've all done it together. We're all pretty proud of ourselves and of each other."

One concern he does have, though, is keeping the team together over the winter. The more successful a team is, the more likely it is to be raided by other teams for some of its best performers.

"The only thing I don't like about Winston Cup racing right now that could hamper my ability to be as competitive next year is loyalty," Earnhardt said. "I feel like I have a pretty good group of guys and, if they maintain their strong bond and loyalty for what we're trying to accomplish, then we can step it up again and again each year.

"I hope everybody understands the opportunities we have and that they stick around to make it happen."

Junior to stay with DEI

The agreement between Teresa Earnhardt, CEO and president of Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Earnhardt Jr., solidifies the driver's future with the organization created by his father, seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa.

"Dale and I built this organization with a long term plan in place," Teresa said. "Dale Jr. has always been an intricate part of that plan and this agreement represents our commitment to one another in reaching the goal of winning championships."

The agreement is Earnhardt Jr.'s first ever Winston Cup contract as a driver, the terms are private, and is based on a five-year partnership through the 2007 season. Currently, he holds a career-high ranking of third place in the Winston Cup Series, matching his career best of 17 top-10 finishes with six races remaining.

"This is the first time I have had a contract in four years," Dale Jr. said "We had a hand shake and that was sufficient. But, in today's business world you need written agreements and now we have one. It was an interesting process that was very educational. What it really came down to was Teresa and myself being in the same place at the same time and sitting down to talk about it. Once that happened, it was taken care of in no time at all.

"We have a lot of good people here at DEI that are committed to this company. Now we can set out to achieve those goals without any distractions."

Dale Earnhardt Inc. has accumulated an impressive collection of trophies including two NASCAR Busch Series championships, two NASCAR Truck Series championships, two Daytona 500 victories and 14 Winston Cup victories. Earnhardt Jr., 29, has won eight of those NASCAR Winston Cup Series races and two Busch Series championships with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Dale Jr.'s contract unsigned

The source said that, while the deal is nearly done, Earnhardt's "name is on no papers yet."

Earlier this week, it was reported that Earnhardt had two meetings with Teresa Earnhardt -- DEI team owner and Junior's stepmother -- and that he had signed a five-year contract with DEI.

Much has been made of the season-long contractual tug-of-war between Earnhardt Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt. Team sources say several hang-ups have arisen, most of which have been resolved.

But, according to the source, some such disagreements remain and that Earnhardt is standing firm and has signed nothing.

Notebook

A female fan, who got to a window in the media center on Earnhardt's left, lifted up her pink shirt and exposed her breasts. An embarrassed Earnhardt turned a whiter shade of pale before chuckling.

"Lookie that," Earnhardt Jr. said as the room burst into laughter. "He missed it. I don't owe her nothing."

"Man, it gets crazier and crazier, don't it? The demographic is changing. I hope it keeps changing."

Raising Arizona expectations

After all the initial Victory Lane ceremonies were completed, the crew, led by Tony Eury Jr., ascended the pit wall and approached the crowd.

As the crowd looked on in the setting Phoenix sun, the crew walked up to the open gate under the flagstand and tossed an armload of hats at the fans that lingered around the first few rows.

The throwing of the hats could have symbolized the proverbial monkey, which had been violently thrown off the team's back only 20 minutes earlier.

That monkey, of course, was the hanging question as to when DEI was going to win a non restrictor-plate race.

That question had dogged DEI for nearly 26 months.

769 days.

77 races.

And then, it was over.

After that personal celebration was complete, the No. 8 crew walked back across the track -- the track that had just played host to Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s first non-restrictor plate race in two years.

"We've had so much success on the restrictor-plate tracks that we kind of got pigeonholed as an organization that could only win on restrictor-plate tracks," said Ty Norris, DEI's Executive Vice President.

"It felt like it was forever. Every other week we remind ourselves that we have not won an open (unrestricted) race in two years."

Earnhardt Jr.'s win total got a lot more balanced with the Phoenix win. He's now won on four different non-restrictor plate tracks.

"Today was the best win of my career in a few ways," said Earnhardt Jr. "One was seeing the expression of my guys when I came into Victory Lane.

"They had been happy before about winning, but they hadn't worked hard until this year. This year, every one of them put their heart and soul into this team to make it better."

Earnhardt Jr. wasn't the only one with something to prove. After a miserable October that saw him lose three spots in the standings, Waltrip came to Phoenix -- a track that had not been kind to him in the past.

But Waltrip's pit crew got him several spots in the first pit stop, elevating him into the top five.

Waltrip never looked back. He finished fifth after winning a furious battle with Matt Kenseth in the final laps.

"It was a good day considering what the last few races have been for this team," said Waltrip, who ran the majority of the race on the track's second groove.

"I like it up there (against the wall)," Waltrip said. "I wish I could work on the bottom better. It's easier."

"To see Michael finish fifth was awesome, because he used to hate coming out here," said Norris.

Earnhardt thinking about championship

``The team is really getting better and better,'' Earnhardt said Sunday after winning the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. ``I feel like the team ... can compete next year for the championship.

``The only thing I don't like about Winston Cup racing right now that could hamper my ability to be as competitive next year is loyalty. I feel like I have a pretty good group of guys and, if they maintain their strong bond and loyalty for what we're trying to accomplish, then we can step it up again and again each year.''

The victory Sunday kept Earnhardt and his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team alive in the 2003 championship chase, but series lead Matt Kenseth's sixth-place finish made it a real long shot for the third-generation NASCAR star.

Kenseth, who has been the leader since the fourth week of the season, saw his lead over second-place Earnhardt cut from 258 to 228 points. But Kenseth can wrap up his first title by finishing in the top 30 in the final two races.

If he retains a lead of at least 186 points next Sunday at Rockingham, Kenseth will win the championship. If he leaves Rockingham between 152 and 185 points ahead, all Kenseth will have to do is start the season-finale Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the title.

Earnhardt isn't conceding, though.

``It's all going to boil down to finishing strong the rest of the year,'' Earnhardt said. ``It's going to be not having any troubles and still collecting points.''

Kenseth started 37th in the 43-car field and worked his way to the front, battling Michael Waltrip for fifth place late in the race.

``I wish I could qualify better than I do, but I feel good about where we finished and I feel good about where the points are with two races to go,'' Kenseth said.

Earnhardt passed Jimmie Johnson for the lead with 51 laps remaining and stayed out front through a series of restarts in a race marred by a track record-tying 10 caution flags.

The final restart came nine laps from the end of the 312-lap race on the mile oval and Earnhardt easily pulled away from Johnson, beating the second-place car to the finish by 0.735 seconds -- about five car-lengths -- in the battle of Chevrolets.

``My car just drove so good, I could pass and race with whoever I want to,'' the winner said.

Ryan Newman, who started from the pole, finished third, followed by Kurt Busch and Waltrip.

The victory was Earnhardt's second of the season and the ninth of his career. Five of the nine have come at Daytona and Talladega, where NASCAR requires carburetor restrictor plates to sap horsepower and keep the cars under 200 mph.

This was Earnhardt's first win at a non-restrictor plate track since taking the fall race at Dover in 2001.

``It feels so good to be in Victory Lane,'' said the son of the late seven-time Winston Cup champion, Dale Earnhardt. ``We wanted to show that we're just not a restrictor plate team.

``We've been wanting to win one of these for a long time. We've come so close a bunch of times and finished in the top five a lot. They gave me a great car today and I could just pass and do whatever I want. It's just a great day.''

Earnhardt led three times for a total of 87 laps.

He was fourth, trailing Johnson, Waltrip and Mark Martin on a restart on lap 238, but got to second place in just three laps and began to stalk Johnson, finally slipping below the leader in the third turn and grabbing the top spot on lap 262.

``I thought I was going to be able to stay out front of him, but he was just coming on too strong and there was nothing I could really do,'' Johnson said. ``I knew he was fourth and I thought it was going to take him longer to get by those guys.''

Earnhardt said patience after getting to second place was a key to the win.

``I was just sitting there and waited behind Jimmie,'' he said. ``I patiently waited and waited and he got easier and easier to catch. I didn't want to burn myself up trying to keep up with him, and it finally came to me.''

Busch led a race-high 98 laps and appeared to have the strongest car throughout the day.

He was leading when a caution flag came out on lap 229 for a crash that involved defending series champion Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Bobby Labonte and Kevin Harvick, who came into the race third in the points.

Without enough gas to finish the race, Busch pitted -- the only leader to do so -- and fell to 22nd. He charged back toward the front and was chasing down Newman for third when time ran out.

``It just seems like we're behind the eight ball and all the bad breaks keep going against us,'' Busch said. ``We felt we had to come in and top off. We didn't think there was going to be any more yellows, which there were plenty of.''

Johnson moved to third in the standings, trailing Kenseth by 241 points. Johnson's teammate, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, coming off two straight wins, finished seventh and took fourth in the standings, 300 points behind the leader.

Harvick finished 34th and fell to sixth in the standings, 351 points behind Kenseth and out of the running for the 2003 title.

Earnhardt gets Phoenix victory; keeps championship hopes alive

``My car just drove so good, I could pass and race with whoever I want to,'' Earnhardt said after winning the Checker Auto Parts 500, keeping his slim Winston Cup championship hopes alive.

Earnhardt passed Jimmie Johnson for the lead with 51 laps remaining and stayed out front through a series of restarts in a race marred by a track record-tying 10 caution flags.

The final restart came nine laps from the end of the 312-lap race on the 1-mile oval and Earnhardt easily pulled away from Johnson, beating the second-place car to the finish by 0.735 seconds -- about five car-lengths -- in the battle of Chevrolets.

``This was fun. We've been pretty good all year and we've improved in a lot of places,'' Earnhardt said. ``We've got a lot of guys who have been with us and some new guys and, if we keep everybody next year, we're going to win a championship. If we don't win it this year, we're going to win it next year.''

Matt Kenseth, the series points leader, finished sixth but saw his lead over second-place Earnhardt cut from 258 to 228 points. Kenseth can wrap up his first title by finishing in the top 30 in the final two races.

If he retains a lead of at least 186 points next Sunday at Rockingham, Kenseth will win the championship. If he leaves Rockingham between 152 and 185 points ahead, all Kenseth will have to do is start the season-finale on Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the title.

But Earnhardt isn't conceding anything.

``It's all going to boil down to finishing strong the rest of the year,'' Earnhardt said. ``It's going to be not having any troubles and still collecting points.''

Kenseth started 37th in the 43-car field and worked his way to the front, battling Michael Waltrip for fifth place late in the race.

``I wish I could qualify better than I do, but I feel good about where we finished and I feel good about where the points are with two races to go,'' said Kenseth, who has led the series since the fourth race of the year.

``We were racing hard with Michael. If we had raced any harder, we'd have crashed and we couldn't afford that,'' added Kenseth, who backed off in the last few laps.

Ryan Newman, who started from the pole, finished third, followed by Kurt Busch and Waltrip.

The victory was Earnhardt's second of the season and the ninth of his career. Five of the nine have come at Daytona and Talladega, where NASCAR requires carburetor restrictor plates to sap horsepower and keep the cars under 200 mph.

This was Earnhardt's first win at a non-restrictor plate track since taking the fall race at Dover in 2001.

``It feels so good to be in Victory Lane,'' said the son of the late seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. ``We wanted to show that we're just not a restrictor plate team.

``We've been wanting to win one of these for a long time. We've come so close a bunch of times and finished in the top five a lot. They gave me a great car today and I could just pass and do whatever I want. It's just a great day.''

Earnhardt led three times for a total of 87 laps.

He was fourth, trailing Johnson, Waltrip and Mark Martin on a restart on lap 238, but got to second place in just three laps and began to stalk Johnson, finally slipping below the leader in the third turn and grabbing the top spot on lap 262.

``I thought I was going to be able to stay out front of him, but he was just coming on too strong and there was nothing I could really do,'' Johnson said. ``I knew he was fourth and I thought it was going to take him longer to get by those guys.''

Earnhardt said patience after getting to second place was a key to the win.

``I was just sitting there and waited behind Jimmie,'' he said. ``I patiently waited and waited and he got easier and easier to catch. I didn't want to burn myself up trying to keep up with him, and it finally came to me.''

Busch led a race-high 98 laps and appeared to have the strongest car throughout the day.

He was leading when a caution flag came out on lap 229 for a crash that involved defending series champion Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Bobby Labonte and Kevin Harvick, who came into the race third in the points.

Without enough gas to finish the race, Busch pitted -- the only leader to do so -- and fell to 22nd. He charged back toward the front and was chasing down Newman for third when time ran out.

``It just seems like we're behind the eight ball and all the bad breaks keep going against us,'' Busch said. ``We felt we had to come in and top off. We didn't think there was going to be any more yellows, which there were plenty of.''

Johnson moved to third in the standings, trailing Kenseth by 241 points. Johnson's teammate, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, coming off two straight wins, finished seventh and took fourth in the standings, 300 points behind the leader.

Harvick finished 34th and fell to sixth in the standings, 351 points behind Kenseth and out of the running for the 2003 title.

Dale Jr. to be featured on VH1

The show will be hosted by Leann Tweeden of Fox Sports Net and feature special guests Three Doors Down.

Earnhardt allowed the All Access crew to follow him for an entire week, including a tour of his house, a behind the scenes look at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and tons of appearances and autographs.

NASCAR has evolved from a regional show to one of the biggest sporting circuits in the world. This "all access" romp through the world of NASCAR will provide our audience a never before seen look at what many experts consider to be the biggest phenomenon in sports.

Junior enjoying calmer week

Earnhardt Jr. wrecked at Dover and suffered a concussion and a sprained right foot two weeks ago. That was before going to Talladega, where Junior had a four-race winning streak going.

This week, though, the attention is a little less. Well, less attention is relative for Junior, who received his usual screams anywhere he goes.

Still, Earnhardt Jr. was fast, putting his No. 8 Chevrolet in the third starting spot for Sunday's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway.

"My car was pretty good in practice," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We were trying to figure out among the three sets of tires which was the best to qualify on. We made a few changes, tried some shocks that really helped the car. For some reason, we seemed to pick up quite a bit on our qualifying run.

"We did that last year too, so I had a lot of confidence in the car. It did what I wanted it to do. I made a few technical errors with my entry into Turn 3, but I don't know how much difference that would have made."

Earnhardt Jr. won the Bud Pole last year at Kansas and ended up sixth. He's got his eye on the big picture, trying to chase Jimmie Johnson for second place in the points. Of course, both Junior and Johnson would love to track down Matt Kenseth, who's 354 points ahead.

Kenseth had trouble Friday, wrecking his primary car and qualifying poorly in his backup. With Johnson starting on the pole and Junior third, Kenseth has a long way to go to catch those two Sunday.

Earnhardt Jr. certainly doesn't want to see Kenseth hit the wall, but Junior will take advantage of any opportunity.

"It was a fortunate opportunity for us to gain some points on him last week, unfortunate for him and a couple of his teammates," Earnhardt Jr. said of Kenseth's engine failure last week. "But we're going to need a lot more of the same thing to be able to gain on him in the points, and numerically, we're still in the mix.

"But we don't sit there every week and wait for Matt to blow up or smash into the wall. We run our race and try to beat the guys that we're out there racing with and gain as many points on whoever it may be. You've got Jimmie and the 29 car and a couple of other guys up there that we're racing for point positions, and they all pay pretty good themselves. You have to think about all those things too."

Insiders View: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I feel pretty good. I'm feeling a lot better every day. We had a little bit of a concussion and I was unconscious for a little bit, but I it wasn't anything as bad as California (previous concussion 4/02 at California Speedway).

It's hard to explain what (the concussion) feels like. It just takes a little time to get over it, I guess. It's no fun.

I had a gauge to go off of for exactly how bad my concussion was, unfortunately, being in that accident. The biggest problem was just the (right) foot. The foot is getting better. They said it probably wasn't going to get better for a long time, but it has.

We've done everything we could this week just to get the swelling to go down and get it to where I could walk on it at least a little bit. It's just getting a lot better every day.

I blacked out in the car because my foot hurt so bad, mainly. Because after I hit the wall, I was still conscious. I put the net down and took my helmet off and then I realized how bad my foot was hurting.

It was just night-night. It's so much pain, you'd rather be unconscious. Your body just shuts off. I don't understand it, but it was weird. I was maybe just a little dizzy. That was it.

I've probably had six or seven circumstances in my career where I've hit the wall hard enough that it makes you dizzy. I had that one major concussion last year (California) and a bunch of minor concussions. The minor ones aren't that big of a deal.

More than anything, you think about all week is that you're just fortunate it isn't worse. Concussions aren't anything to be fooling around with. So I feel fortunate and lucky that the impact wasn't harder and I didn't suffer a worse or real bad concussion.

I feel lucky that I'm able to race this weekend and to get cleared by all the doctors. I've seen a lot of different doctors this week. I've been run through all kinds of machines and tests.

Bill Elliott had a similar (foot) injury in The Winston and he had a carbon fiber piece. We learned of that technology and we're trying to see if we need to use that. I don't know if it's necessary, but I'm sure my doctors would rather have me do something or have something in there just in case. A bunch of tendons are torn in my foot.

There aren't any breaks or anything. It needs to be immobile in order to heal. I really shouldn't even be walking on it that much. It just takes a long time to heal.

I knew I was all right to go (at Talladega). I wasn't in a big hurry. I wanted to make sure everything was cool with my foot. It hurt so bad I thought for sure something was broken in it. We kept getting x-rays and MRI's on it and finally found what most of the problem was (tendons) and it's something you can't really do much about.

There is an option to get some surgery done to it, but that's only if it doesn't heal and if I put too much weight on it and walk around on it a lot and mess it up.

You're concentrating so hard on driving you can drive with that type of injury with no problem at all. It was hard not to be able to walk for a couple of days. That was the worst part. Those crutches aren't any fun either. I'm not walking with them.

I think it's more painful to walk with the crutches than it is to walk on the foot. I just sat around and iced it 24 hours a day. The swelling went down and that's when I could start putting pressure on it. I got to where I could hobble over to the shop little bit.

Now, I can walk pretty good. I think it's kind of a non-issue. Hopefully I don't do anything stupid and take off running across the garage or something like that.

I'm just trying to concentrate on the end of the year. This is the toughest part of the season. I just want to really concentrate on what I'm doing at the racetrack.

Sometimes I just feel like there's a little too much Dale Jr. out there in the press. I don't want to oversell the story too much. I used to get real excited when I'd see myself in the paper. But over the last few years, I've just read the same story over and over.

The (Dover) crash was a disappointment. It was kind of a letdown for the team. We made a real poor decision there to put on two tires. We learned a lot. Matt (Kenseth) has such a big lead. We'd all but done everything we could to win the championship this year.

We were pretty much trying to fight for second (place). We still are. We're still going to concentrate on trying to do the best we can. It's already time to start preparing for next year. It's time to start preparing the team for next year and start trying to build on how we can be better.

That offseason takes so much out of a team. We don't want to build up too much rust over the offseason. It's time to start concentrating on that now.

Junior: Feet over head

Earnhardt said Friday at Talladega Superspeedway that, though he was unsure of specifics, the crash may have been the worst recorded to date by black box technology.

"I heard some hearsay -- they said that Kyle Petty's (wreck) at Bristol was the hardest they'd ever recorded with the black box, and they said it was more than that," said Earnhardt, Jr. of his accident.

"The wreck didn't look like, didn't feel like it was a hard, hard hit. But when my foot slammed into that brake pedal -- I've never felt pain like that in my life. It was awful."

NASCAR research and development director Gary Nelson, who spearheads the study of such accidents and their respective data, said determining the impact of one hit against another is difficult, due to the vast amount of variables involved in each crash.

"To Dale Jr. it probably was the hardest hit of the season," Nelson said. "We're not going to get into specifics about hard hits, because there are so many different complex criteria to use, to judge hits by."

Jerry Nadeau's accident at Richmond International Raceway in May, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season, was rumored to have registered a force of 160 times the force of gravity.

Earnhardt said the slight concussion he suffered last weekend resulted in far fewer aftereffects than he experienced following last season's well-publicized accident in Fontana, Calif., which hampered him for months.

"I had a little bit a concussion and was unconscious for a little bit, but it wasn't as bad as California," Earnhardt said. "I had a gauge to go off of, as far as exactly how bad my concussion was, unfortunately, being that accident."

Earnhardt said it took about 24 hours after the accident before he felt normal again, and that the injuries to his right foot -- "a bunch of torn tendons" -- were quite burdensome and may linger awhile.

"It's hard to explain what it feels like. It's no fun," he said. "Like I say, I blacked out in the car. But my foot hurts bad. After I hit the wall I was still conscious. I put the net down and took my helmet off.

"Then I felt how bad my foot was hurting. It was so much pain, you've got to be unconscious. You're body just shuts off, I don't know. I was just a little dizzy, that was it."

In his career, Earnhardt said there have been six or seven instances where he's hit the wall hard enough to make him dizzy. He's more concerned with the foot, which requires immobilization to fully heal.

"The biggest problem was the foot getting better," Earnhardt said. "They said it probably wasn't going to get better for a long time, but they've done everything they can to get the swelling to go down so I can walk on it. It's getting better every day."

Despite his injuries, Earnhardt is still a favorite to win the EA Sports 500 Sunday. He has won a record four straight races at the 2.66-mile track.

"You can drive with that type of injury, that's no problem at all," he said. "It just sucked real bad to not be able to walk for a couple days. It's more painful, I think, to walk on the crutches than it is to walk on the foot.

"So I just laid around a couple days, iced it 24 hours a day. I got to where I could hobbled over to the shop, and now I feel pretty good. It's kind of a non-issue.

"I feel real confident coming in that we can get five in a row."

Inside Dish: Junior expects to seal DEI deal soon

Ricky Rudd's consecutive top five finishes-second at New Hampshire and third at Richmond-are proof of Wood Brothers Racing's strength on short tracks, where Rudd has three of his four top fives this season. Now the team must improve on the intermediate tracks. "Aerodynamics is not our strong suit," Rudd says. "We need some serious help in a hurry." The team will test later this month at Kansas with a new intermediate car and expects to see improvement. . . .

Brian France, who has taken over for his father, Bill France Jr., as NASCAR chairman, has overseen NASCAR's marketing responsibilities since 1994. France, 41, gained experience by working as a track manager and by building the NASCAR Weekly and Touring Divisions and the Craftsman Truck Series. "I would hope he will do things with authority and reason," says Jack Roush, president of Roush Racing. . . .

NASCAR is working with Goodyear to develop softer tires that will force teams to pit more often and break up long race runs. Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and runner-up Kurt Busch, along with DEI test driver Tim Fedewa, put a lot of laps on the tires last week at Daytona. "Slugger" Labbe, Waltrip's crew chief, was pleased with the results and says the drivers who do the best job of conserving tires should benefit. . . .

NASCAR's roof hatch also was tested in Waltrip's No. 15, and Labbe applauded the progress, noting that a driver of Waltrip's size -- at 6-5, 220, he has the biggest frame of anyone on the circuit -- can escape within about 10 seconds. NASCAR may give teams the option of installing roof hatches as early as September 28 at Talladega. . . .

Jimmie Johnson didn't have the fastest car, but he became the first driver to pull off a season sweep at New Hampshire. Crew chief Chad Knaus did not short-pit to win the race, as he did in July. Instead, the team benefited from Waltrip's misfortune on pit road and Rudd's need to refuel. Expect Johnson to be strong this weekend at Dover, where he tested earlier this month. Knaus says the team has its best setup for the track, where Johnson won both races in 2002.

Junior key reason for DEI's Talladega domination

DEI has won eight of the last 11 plate races, finishing 1-2 in three of those. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won five times in restrictor-plate events, and he'll go for his fifth in a row at Talladega Superspeedway in the EA Sports 500.

Michael Waltrip has the other three DEI victories, all at Daytona.

So why the dominance? Is it DEI's restrictor-plate engines? Have they figured out aerodynamics at those big tracks? Do the pit crews find a way to shine at Talladega and Daytona?

Many in NASCAR will tell you it's a combination of all those things. But they'll also tell you not to forget about an important part of the equation: the guy behind the wheel.

Yes, DEI has been strong, but the guy holding the steering wheel has something to do with it, too. And in Dale Jr.'s case, maybe a lot to do with it.

Robbie Loomis, Jeff Gordon's crew chief, remembered when his eyes were opened to Junior's talent.

"Jeff raced him at Daytona, and Dale ran second to us, I think, in a 125," Loomis said. "I remember Jeff came on the radio and said, 'He's real good. I'm telling you, he's real good.'

"That told me that Junior learned something from his father about the draft and seeing the air that really gives him that little edge on drafting on restrictor-plate tracks."

Folks used to say Earnhardt "saw the air" in the draft. You can choose to believe the impossible, but Earnhardt's record at restrictor-plate tracks is unmatched.

And he passed some of those lessons on to his son, folks say.

"I'm sure his dad was the best guy at Daytona and Talladega as far as working the draft," said veteran Todd Parrott, crew chief for Elliott Sadler. "I've know Dale Jr. as long as he's been racing, and I know he's sat and watched in-car camera tapes and did a lot of studying on what his dad did and how he worked the draft. I'm sure his dad talked to him a lot about the draft.

"He's got a lot of his dad's same traits, plus he's got a really strong race car. DEI has had really strong restrictor-plate cars since 2001 and they're hard to beat. They work really hard on their restrictor-plate program, and he's got a knack for driving Talladega."

Working the draft is an art form, and Earnhardt Jr. is Michelangelo.

"I tell you what, you can definitely look at it and tell that his dad has been in his ear a long time about these restrictor-plate races," Elliott Sadler said. "They said his dad could see the air and do things like that, and I definitely think he must have told Junior how to do the same thing. He's probably one of the best drafters out there. He understands the air so much. He knows how to make his car faster besides yours and pull air from your car. He's just got these little bitty tricks that make it seem impossible to get around. He's got a great race car and a great motor, I'm not gonna take that away from him, but he knows how to use it so well."

No one is betting against Earnhardt Jr. this weekend. Sure, the law of averages are bound to catch up with him, for winning five in a row at any one track is a difficult task.

And this weekend, there are a new set of variables. NASCAR raised the rear spoiler height to 63/4 inches to add more drag, while opening up the restrictor-plate to 29/32nds to increase horsepower.

But when push comes to shove late Sunday afternoon, expect to see Earnhardt Jr. in the mix.

"The thing that's amazing there is that amongst all the variables, Junior has still been able to win," Jimmie Johnson said. "In one lap you can be leading and the next lap you can be 20th. He's still always found a way so far to win there. A lot of it falls into the driver's hands - especially when the green flag drops and all the tricks for qualifying won't work in the race. They're only designed to work for a lap or two. When it comes to the race, you've to got to have a good driving car. And you've got to know what to do with the draft."

It helps that Waltrip has been pretty good on plate tracks, too. One driver who can work the draft is good, but put two teammates together who can work the draft, and it's almost unbeatable.

"I think him and Michael Waltrip have such a great understanding with each other on the race track that they try to help each other as much as they can," Sadler said. "So not only are you trying to outrun Dale, Jr., you're trying to outrun another Dale Earnhardt race car. I just think they work so well together and they're built so much alike, it makes it tough. Those guys work together so much better than any other teammates out there right now that we've got to catch up to them."

Earnhardt Jr. has said he's learned a few tricks of the drafting trade through the years, and he acknowledged that DEI has its stuff together.

"I love going to Talladega, and I've had the luxury to wheel a really, really fast car there every time," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Our success shows the strength of the entire Dale Earnhardt Inc. organization. We have always focused on the restrictor-plate races, from Richie Gilmore's engines to the guys who work on the bodies hour-after-hour in the wind tunnel and in the shop, and it's a total effort.

"It's very, very simple: get to the front and stay there. You don't worry about all of the action behind you if you're ahead of 'em. Because we changed an engine in April, we started at the back. Being involved in the early crash, even slightly, was more evidence to prove that strategy. It didn't look too good, but my guys worked on the car until it was competitive again. It may have been my most gratifying Talladega win. It was very satisfying, because it took the entire team to get me into a position to drive that car to the finish line."

In the end, though, it was Junior behind the wheel.

"I'd say the 8 car is the guy to beat when you go down there," Sadler said.

Earnhardt Jr. cleared to race at Talladega

NASCAR made the announcement Wednesday afternoon after reviewing the examination of Earnhardt Jr. by Charlotte, N.C.-neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty.

After suffering a minor concussion and a sprained right foot Sunday at Dover International Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. was required to undergo a thorough evaluation before being cleared to race.

"My foot gets a lot better every day," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I usually use all of this ice to keep the Budweiser cold, but I've stayed off my feet, kept ice on it, and the swelling and soreness is much less than it was on Monday."

Earnhardt Jr. smacked the wall in Turn 2 with 37 laps to go in the MBNA America 400. His car spun and slapped the wall with the driver's side before stopping. The impact did not appear to be heavy, but Earnhardt Jr. briefly lost consciousness. He was awake and alerted when he was removed from his car, but was airlifted to a local hospital before being released later Sunday night.

Earnhardt Jr. can become the first driver to sweep both races at Talladega in consecutive seasons. No one has won more than three races in at row at the 2.66-mile superspeedway besides Earnhardt Jr.

In only seven starts, Junior is already tied for second in career victories at Talladega. His father is first with 10.

And his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team has been solid at restrictor-plate tracks, winning eight times and posting three one-two finishes in the past 11 plate races.

Earnhardt Jr. isn't too concerned about his ability to drive this weekend. He drove in a Busch Series race with a broken collarbone in 1999 but managed to finish third.

"It would take a heckuva lot more than this to keep me out of the race," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Plus, Talladega is about intense mental focus -- it's not a physical track like Bristol or Martinsville where your body takes a beating.

"I drove a Busch Series race with only one arm, so I'm sure once I get in the car, this won't have an impact on me. I've been to the shop a few times, and the guys are making sure I'm comfortable in the car, so we will be ready to go."

Seven cylinders can't carry Junior

"Man, my right foot hurts," Earnhardt said. "We lost a cylinder about halfway, so we limped home with seven cylinders. We were so slow on the straights, I feel like I have a hole in my foot because I was pushing the pedal down as hard as I could.

"I'd drive hard through the corners, and then drop back on the straights. It's just a reflex I guess, to push the pedal harder when you see the other cars pulling away. The engine got worse and worse, and I kept pushing harder and harder."

The situation made Earnhardt, a two-time Busch Series champion, revisit an earlier stage in his career.

"It was like driving a Busch Series car, because we had very little power," he said. "That sucker was makin' some really strange sounds by the end of the race."

Once again, the race was a case of what could have been for Earnhardt, who did manage to gain 10 points on Winston Cup championship leader Matt Kenseth.

"No question we had the field covered when we had all eight cylinders -- easily," Junior said. "We had a lot more for 'em even after we took the lead. The car was awesome, and when the engine started to go away, we were still able to lead because the car handled so well in the corners."

Dale Jr. named to Talladega's Walk of Fame

On the eve of the EA SPORTS 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the 2003 Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame induction ceremony will take place Sept. 27 at the Davey Allison Memorial Park in downtown Talladega, Ala.

Fred Lorenzen, voted as one of the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history, will be enshrined into the Walk of Fame as the inactive driver for 2003. ChevronTexaco also announced additional events taking place this week in tribute to former Havoline driver Davey Allison.

"We really feel it's important to celebrate the lives and achievements of NASCAR's great drivers," said Craig Duncan, vice president, ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants (CTGL), North America. "For the drivers and the fans, ChevronTexaco is very proud to continue its support of the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame and honor beloved drivers like Davey Allison."

"The Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame is a celebration of great NASCAR drivers and their relationship with the fans," said Ken Allen, chairman of the Walk of Fame's board and president R.K. Allen Company. "Fan response to this year's Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame has been immense, and they've chosen two very deserving drivers."

The Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame was created in 1994 after the death of Davey Allison. This year's ceremony marks the 10th anniversary of Davey's death. Liz Allison, along with children Robbie and Krista, will join emcee Benny Parsons on stage at the induction ceremony. Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 42 Havoline Dodge, will also be present to help induct Dale Earnhardt Jr. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. and is free to the public. At least 10,000 fans are expected to attend Saturday's ceremony.

Reflecting Havoline's ongoing commitment to NASCAR and its fans, Havoline Racing, along with Chip Ganassi Racing, Ranier Racing, Action Performance and Liz Allison will join to celebrate the life of driver Davey Allison on the 10-year anniversary of his untimely passing.

McMurray's No. 42 Havoline Dodge will sport a retro paint scheme that resembles the car Allison drove during his 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series rookie campaign. McMurray will pilot the specially painted car at the EA SPORTS 500 at Talladega.

McMurray will join Liz Allison-Hackett and her children for a tour of landmarks related to Davey Allison's life and legacy. Locations include Davey's childhood home, Davey's Busch Series shop, Hueytown's "Alabama Gang" sign, Talladega Superspeedway, International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Talladega/Texaco Walk of Fame.

"I am truly honored to have this opportunity to pay tribute and to remember the legacy that Davey left for the NASCAR community and fans," McMurray said. "While we have a new number on the Havoline Dodge this year, it's important for us to look back at where it all started and to recognize Davey's contributions to making Havoline a household name in NASCAR for performance on and off the track."

Every year the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame honors accomplished NASCAR drivers by inducting a few fan-selected drivers into the 'Walk of Fame.' The winning drivers were selected by NASCAR fans who voted via the talladegawalk.com website. As an original sponsor, the Texaco star is visible throughout the walk, park and on the website.

Dale Jr. has won four straight NASCAR Winston Cup Series events at Talladega Superspeedway and is a two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion. He won NASCAR's all-star race, The Winston, in his rookie season. In his second full season on the circuit, Dale Jr. won three races, including the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway and the EA SPORTSTM 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He swept Talladega in 2002 and won his fourth straight Winston Cup event at Talladega this past April in the Aaron's 499. Dale Jr.'s father, Dale Earnhardt, was the first active driver to be inducted into the Walk of Fame, in the inaugural class of 1995.

Dale Jr. and his No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc.-owned Budweiser Chevrolet team are in third place in the Winston Cup points race. He has a dozen top 10 finished this season and has been in the top 10 in points for 16 consecutives races.

Fred Lorenzen recorded 26 wins in his career. He was the first driver in NASCAR to win more than $100,000 in a season, claiming $113,570 driving for the legendary Holman-Moody team in 1963. He is considered one of the most capable drivers in NASCAR history. In 1964 Lorenzen won eight of the 16 races he entered and finished 13th in the points despite not running in 45 of the 61 events held that year.

Joining the Earnhardts as active driver inductees for the Walk of Fame are Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Hamilton, Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin. Richard Petty and Parsons were the first inactive drivers to be inducted. Alan Kulwicki, Cale Yarborough, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Harry Gant, Lee Petty, Tim Flock, Fireball Roberts, Buck Baker, Joe Weatherly, Red Byron and Bobby Isaac have been inducted as inactive drivers.

Dale Jr. awaiting approval

Dale Jr. suffered a minor concussion and a right foot sprain in the crash.

NASCAR must approve his return to competition, and that process was underway. When approval is given, a follow-up will be given with more details and a full update on the extent of his injuries.

Despite initial reports and rumors to the contrary, Earnhardt Jr was unconscious for only a brief time after Sundays' crash, and was awake and alert while being removed from the race car.

Earnhardt Jr. sent to hospital

He was alert and talking upon exit from the track, but NASCAR officials chose to transport him by air rather than ground due to traffic concerns.

Earnhardt Jr. was transported to Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover for observation and was released at approximately 7 p.m. ET. His injuries were listed as a minor concussion and a bruised right foot.

He was expected to fly home Sunday evening to Mooresville, N.C. He will be re-examined Monday by Dr. Jerry Petty.

After spending a large part of the day racing for the lead, Earnhardt began to fade after pitting for two tires with 75 laps to go. Then, running 19th on Lap 363, he drove high between Turns 1 and 2 to allow race leader Ryan Newman to speed by underneath.

But as Newman sped past, Junior lost control of the Budweiser Chevrolet and spun backwards exiting Turn 2, contacting the wall on the driver's side. His car then slid down the track, and Earnhardt steered it clear from hitting the inside retaining wall.

After bringing the car to a complete stop, he put the window net down to signal he was OK.

But somewhere in the next several moments, he apparently lost consciousness, as safety workers were forced to pull him from the car and place him in the ambulance.

According to NASCAR vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter, Earnhardt did not regain consciousness until he reached the infield care center several minutes later.

"Apparently, he was unconscious at the scene, regained consciousness at the care center and was talking to everybody," Hunter said. "They want him to go to the hospital for x-rays and further evaluation."

The race had just ended as Earnhardt emerged from the infield care center following a lengthy evaluation, and thousands of fans still stationed in the Turn 4 grandstands gave him a standing ovation.

This is Earnhardt's second such accident in the past 17 months. Last April, he suffered a severe concussion in a hard crash at California, but waited three months to reveal the crash's effects to anyone.

"This is his second one recently, but we'll wait and see what the doctors say before we move forward," Hunter said.

Junior leads, Kenseth struggles in Happy Hour

But judging by his performance during Happy Hour practice Saturday evening, it may be a struggle to stay out front.

Kenseth, who holds a 404-point advantage over Dale Earnhardt, Jr. heading into Sunday's festivities, ranked 31st of 43 cars during the weekend's second and final practice. He was 23rd in the morning session.

Earnhardt, meanwhile, paced Happy Hour with a 23.583-second lap at 152.652 mph.

Rusty Wallace -- who has three Dover victories to his credit, but none since the venue was switched to concrete -- was second, followed in the top five by Ryan Newman, Kenny Wallace and Elliott Sadler.

Newman was third in the morning session, as well, falling just a tenth-of-a-second short of Jimmie Johnson's quick lap of 23.472 mph -- the day's fastest circuit.

Tony Stewart, who like Johnson is one of just four drivers to sweep both races in the same season at the Monster Mile, was second in the morning session but fell to eighth in the evening.

Earnhardt, Sadler and the Wallace brothers, meanwhile, improved as the day progressed. Earnhardt jumped from seventh to first, while Rusty Wallace improved from 10th in the morning to second in Happy Hour. Kenny Wallace was 19th in the morning session before jumping to fourth in the afternoon.

Kevin Harvick, currently third in the championship standings, dropped 14 positions from sixth to 20th, while fourth-place Jeff Gordon fell nine spots from 14th to 23rd.

Michael Waltrip, who along with Johnson are the only two drivers to rank in the points top-10 all year, took a significant tumble down the speed chart from 11th in the morning to 34th in Happy Hour.

Robby Gordon struggled all day, ranking 37th in the morning and 32nd in the final session.

Sharing the spotlight

They don't see themselves as demographic and generational extremes, yet whether they like it or not, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are NASCAR's present and future kings -- both featured at this summer's announcement of Nextel as the new Cup Series sponsor, both juxtaposed in a television commercial, both viewed as pop culture icons outside their sport.

They enjoy their pairings on the track even more.

"We're banging a little and we're trying to get to the finish first," Gordon said. "And that's kind of what makes what we do fun. But I think in the back of our minds we also know that people love that. So it makes it that much more enjoyable."

If you thought they didn't like each other, think again. A last-laps Texas tussle earlier this season birthed weeks' worth of buzz after Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Gordon third. They've been locked atop the Cup standings since mid-April, trading second and third place behind leader Matt Kenseth.

And while their factions may war in grandstands, chat rooms or at water coolers, the principals themselves think the other is a pretty cool dude.

"We've gone out and hung out away from the racetrack," Gordon said of Earnhardt Jr. "And yeah, he's a cool guy. No matter who you are, it's hard not to be in awe of him in certain aspects of how he is not afraid to be himself, not afraid to do and live life his way. And he can get away with it. So I respect him a lot for that."

So what you see is what you get?

"Yeah." Gordon grined. "He doesn't hide much."

Don't expect Gordon, 32, to wear his cap backward or sport an NHL team jersey to drivers' meetings. Do expect Junior, who'll turn 29 later this year, to try to emulate Gordon's resume. He's in his fourth Cup season, his first as a contender and has yet to acquire bragging rights.

"We hang out from time to time," Earnhardt Jr. said. "But he has this deal about him where even though we're buddies, he still wants me to know that, 'Hey man, I won those championships and there's a certain amount of respect I'm going to demand from you.' Cause there's times where I've pushed him a little bit or shoved him a little bit, to a point to where he'll say, 'You going to have to respect me now.' "

Earnhardt Jr. grins as he speaks, because he knows respect is reciprocal. This season's points race has magnified his and Gordon's history, and Gordon describes Junior's as hyper-accelerated.

"Basically driving late-models at Concord (N.C.) to Busch Grand National champion (to) all of a sudden the next great star in Winston Cup," Gordon said.

Gordon, whose 1993 Cup debut came at age 22, isn't surprised Earnhardt Jr. needed three years of seasoning.

"Sometimes it takes a little while, you know?" Gordon said. "It took me, believe it or not, a couple of years to kind of take it all in and I didn't have near the popularity or things that he had to go through."

Gordon is comfortable sharing spotlights with Earnhardts; he was The Kid long before Junior, nicknamed so by the late Dale Earnhardt, accustomed to all the hoopla, blather and obligation of stardom.

He and the elder Earnhardt weren't hunting-and-fishing tight -- one was a veteran great, the other soon-to-be -- but mutual admiration tapped deep roots, and their rapport was more extensive than some people know.

"Dad really had a lot of respect for him and appreciated his talent -- knew he was a great race car driver," Earnhardt Jr. said of Gordon. "They actually worked together at a business venture or two and had some things like that going on that I don't know much about."

Earnhardt Jr. remembered a long-ago weekend.

"I was real, real young," he said -- as the senior Earnhardt waited to qualify his Busch series car. Gordon, who hadn't yet graduated to Cup, also waited with his car, and Earnhardt introduced the two younger men.

"And Jeff was just real personable, and was like, 'Hey man, how you doing?' " Earnhardt Jr. said. "And we sat there and talked a little bit just about things. We had some things in common as far as being youthful and very young at that time. I would see him at the tracks from then on, and he was always the first one to go, 'Hey man, come on over.' "

Such openness impressed Earnhardt Jr. who said he looked up to Gordon; knew the older driver was destined for Cup.

"And I thought, 'Man, that's pretty cool of him to be that way because he had so much going for him at that time,' " Earnhardt Jr. said. "I didn't think he really could concentrate."

"I remember him as a pretty young punk," Gordon counters, grinning again. "I'll never forget being in North Wilkesboro and him driving basically this little jalopy street stock car around there, and sitting on a pit-road wall and talking to him. It's pretty amazing that he's come from that to what he's doing today. And I think it's awesome."

The four-time champion and the crown prince aren't constant companions. Their interests don't always converge, and although they've remained friends as lives and careers diverged over the past 10 years, their relationship revived last season -- according to Earnhardt Jr. -- as Gordon weathered a divorce.

"You could kind of see that same guy that I met way back in 94, 93, you could see a little bit of that coming back," Earnhardt Jr. adds.

He and Gordon call their get-togethers infrequent, casual -- perhaps dinner or boating on the lake near their homes. It might include fellow Cup driver Jimmie Johnson, or Hendrick Motorsports Busch Series driver Brian Vickers, or Ricky Hendrick.

"There's this area out there where if it's a nice day, like when we have a Sunday off, there's some areas where you can just go hang, float on the boat, listen to music, you know," Gordon said. "Have a good time."

He's also advised Earnhardt Jr. to expand his hangout horizons.

"I just give him a hard time about hanging out in Myrtle Beach," said Gordon, who keeps a New York apartment. "I tell him, 'It's OK to hang in Myrtle Beach -- get out every once in a while. Go to L.A. Go to New York. Go some places where you're not so obvious.' "

Johnson, whose Hendrick team is co-owned by Gordon, and who first met Earnhardt Jr. during Speedweeks of 1996, said his boss and Junior are plain ol' buddies.

"Each one knows what pressures the other guy has placed on them," Johnson said. "This sport is very demanding and if there are two guys that know just how demanding it can be, Jeff and Junior are it.

"(They) are not all that similar, but they have found a common ground with each other and enjoy each other's company."

Never more so than at a Kid Rock concert last year -- and the Kid Rock concert after the concert.

"We went to an after party where Kid Rock played for a group of us and we just had a blast," Johnson said of the contingent that included Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. "Everyone just forgot about the world and we hung out like high school buddies having fun on a Friday night."

That comfort zone isn't limited to social engagements. Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. say they go long periods without speaking because of their hectic schedules, but never worry about communication. Earnhardt Jr. knew he'd get a quality answer when he asked about Gordon's car swap with Formula I driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

"He would truly talk to me and get into minor details about it," Earnhardt Jr. said, "to where he might tell somebody else the once-over, rough-draft (of) what happened."

"I would be there for him, through anything," Gordon said. "We've talked about some business stuff a couple of times, and I think that was probably where it stemmed from, was I think that he knew that his dad and I talked about business at times. And it kind of opened him up to talk about it a little bit."

Some conversations are quite serious.

"Me and Jeff have had some times where I've really asked him some substantial, look, I-really-need-some-good-advice-here (questions)," Earnhardt Jr. said. " 'I don't need a sermon or I don't need some kind of BS answer. I need you to really tell me in as few words as possible what I really need to know.' And he would do it."

"I've won championships and races," Gordon said. "I'm not trying to hide anything. I've got nothing left to prove. And if somebody wants a straight answer or wants some advice, or just somebody to talk to about this little world that we live in, I'm right there.

"I want to see guys do the right things. And if I can help them do that, great."

At Texas, a just-arriving Gordon patted an about-to-depart Earnhardt Jr. on the back as they attended a post-race press conference; subtlety as compliments go. Only 30 minutes earlier they'd banged each other like pulp logs.

"He'll tell you like he might tell any driver," Earnhardt Jr. said. "But he'll maybe go out of his way at times to tell me, 'That was a good job.' "

Which means considerably more than a back slap.

"Damn right it does," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Makes a lot of difference."

Junior enjoys Darlington despite woes

Earnhardt was a fixture in the top 10 for the first 150 laps of the race, running as high as second after a 12.9-second, four-tire pit stop, but his car stopped under caution on the racetrack at that point.

"I'm not sure what happened with the rear axle -- I was just cruising around under yellow and all of a sudden, I had no drive to the rear wheels," Earnhardt said. "It happened all of a sudden -- I wasn't shifting and I had no warning -- there was no noise, just silence.

"Something came loose or we broke the axle cap. One second it was working and the next second it wasn't. It's frustrating to have that kind of thing happen -- a real fluke deal -- because we had a great car today."

The worst aspect to the deal was that Winston Cup championship leader Matt Kenseth, despite slapping his car off the wall early in the race, finished 14th and swelled his point lead over second-place Earnhardt to 389 with 11 races to go.

Earnhardt rejoined the race 11 laps down and had a car good enough to out-race the leaders no less than three times to get laps back. He ultimately gave Labonte one lap back at the end of the race when Earnhardt's finishing position was all but settled.

"That was the best race car I've had at this place," Earnhardt said. "I told the guys on the radio, I don't hate Darlington like I used to.

"It was because I really had a car I could drive. A driver can't help but improve each time he comes back to this place, but having a car that can run like that is a much better feeling."

Earnhardt Jr. denies DEI ownership is contract issue

Earnhardt Jr. said Saturday at Michigan International Speedway that his share of ownership in the Chance 2 Motorsports Busch Series team was more than he wanted, and owning a share of his father's company, DEI, is "not really a big deal to me."

"I guess people were speculating on what could be the holdup, what could be the situations of disagreement or the circumstances that need to be compromised in the contract between me and Teresa," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I guess that was one of the things that people thought might be of my interest, but it's really not. But I don't really find any interest in ownership at this particular time.

"I enjoy the Busch Series team that I have, and I'm only 50 percent owner in that. It's fun, and I'm learning. That'll be the experience that'll tell me whether I want to have anything to do with ownership down the road. But right now, I've got enough. I ain't got to where I want to be as a race car driver. I've got a long ways to go as a race car driver. Ownership's way, way, way out of the picture right now."

Earnhardt Jr. still doesn't have a contract with DEI, the team with which he moved to Winston Cup in 2000. He said Saturday he wasn't sure what was delaying contract negotiations and he hasn't had a talk to Teresa Earnhardt, his father's widow and owner of DEI.

But part ownership wasn't an issue, Junior said.

"That's never very important to me," Earnhardt Jr. said. "There are other things in the contract. I haven't talked to Teresa one-on-one. I don't know what certain aspects we need to sit down and discuss and compromise on yet, so I can't say what is holding the process up."

Earnhardt Jr., who has risen to the top of the Winston Cup popularity chart in recent years, said his sponsor, Budweiser, was waiting on his contract with DEI to be worked out before it signed an extension. Junior said he expected to stay with Budweiser for a long time.

"They want to definitely know that everything's in place," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Like everybody else, they don't know the whole story and don't really know my true feelings. If they did, I feel like everybody would just calm down about it. My mind and my heart are in driving the 8 car, and it always has been. But I want to get what I feel like I deserve for it."

Since Earnhardt Jr. said last weekend he was a "free agent," rumors have been flying about his future. And while he said he's thought about driving for another team, that doesn't seem likely.

"I entertained the idea of driving for somebody else," Earnhardt Jr. said. "You always do that. You daydream about everything in this sport. But it never is anything I thought would be reality.

"On the other side of that, I'm definitely out to get what I feel like I deserve. As sure as everybody can be about me driving the 8 car for as long as I drive, I'm not going to do it for free. I expect to get paid and get compensated as I would anywhere else in this business."

Earnhardt Jr. admitted he put DEI "in a little bit of a strain" over his comments last week, especially considering the company is looking for a sponsor and a driver for its No. 1 car in 2003.

But his comments could have been calculated, creating a bump in priority about his contract.

"Every once in a while, you guys come in pretty handy," Earnhardt Jr. said of the media.

"It's nice to have a little leverage," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I've been without leverage for a long time."

Junior passes his road test

When he finally collected his energy, Earnhardt had good reason to be pleased.

He had led 11 laps, the first of his Winston Cup career on road courses and he had scrambled for a third place finish -- his second top-three in the last three races and his best ever on a road course, beating his previous by eight spots.

"It was a good day for us," Earnhardt said. "We got to lead some laps and try and get some points on Matt. Just tried not to make too many mistakes and hope everybody else doesn't lose their concentration."

And he proved that he is maturing and learning patience as a driver.

"I was behind Biffle (at the beginning of the race) and I was just kind of riding there to save my brakes," Earnhardt said. "He was running real hard and I could see the rotors on his car were getting kind of red, so I just wanted to sit there and chill out -- I didn't want to make that same mistake and wear my stuff out there at the first of the race."

At the end, Earnhardt said he definitely had a good enough car.

"We were 20th on that last restart and had to race real, real hard to get up through there," Earnhardt said of the procedure at Watkins Glen that mixes lead lap and laps-down cars. "I passed a lot of guys then, but I didn't have anything for the guys up front.

"It was just real hard to pass, but I can't say that's why I didn't win the race -- they had good cars, too. I'm just real happy, and happy for my team."

Earnhardt Jr. caught Jeff Gordon -- who was running out of fuel -- on the final lap. Gordon said he was trying to get out of the way, but he was hit first by Earnhardt then by Kevin Harvick.

"I ran into the back of him because he ran in front of me," Junior said. "I knew I was catching him a lot -- probably 50 mph faster than he was going. Wherever I went, he went, and I knew that he was going to try and block me.

"I couldn't lift because the 29 (Harvick) was coming. I guess the 29 ran over him too, (which was) not very smart on his (Gordon's) part. I would've just taken the spots I lost because I ran out of gas.

"You're not going to block me all the way around the last two corners of the race track. I don't care who you are, you don't need to block anybody the last two laps.

"He ended up in the wall and lost a bunch of spots, so you tell me who made the bad decision."

Earnhardt says DEI isn't committed to him

"I've paid my dues to get where I am, and I feel I have to stand up for myself," he says. "There's too many security blankets on one side of the fence, and there need to be a few on my side. Right now the contract looks out totally after Dale Earnhardt Inc. rather than myself."

Junior expressed concerns that if the complexion of DEI should change through the sale of the company or the addition of a new partner, he wants the option to leave if he doesn't agree with the new ownership. Junior says he and crew chief Tony Eury Sr., an uncle, and car chief Tony Eury Jr., a cousin, are a package deal. Though Junior hopes to work things out with DEI, there are a lot of fans who would love to see him team up with Richard Childress, his late father's longtime car owner. DEI better not drag its feet. …

Earnhardt Jr. Spins Out

After posting the second-quickest lap in the first few minutes of running around the twisting track on Saturday in preparation for the Sirius at The Glen, Earnhardt slid off course between the final two turns and into a massive gravel pit built to slow the cars and prevent them from crashing.

Practice was halted for three minutes while crews dug out the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy. After Earnhardt parked it in the garage, his crew blew out two small piles of rocks from the engine compartment and rear suspension. There was no apparent damage to the car.

``I was pretty fast. We've got a good car, and we need a win,'' said Earnhardt, whose lap of 122.078 mph ended up being third-best behind rookie Greg Biffle and three-time Glen winner Mark Martin and just ahead of polesitter Jeff Gordon. ``I was driving it pretty hard. There's a lot of rocks, but it's ... better than sliding into a guard rail.''

Earnhardt, second in the points standings to Matt Kenseth, had some companions in the rough. Kyle Petty's No. 45 Dodge spun through the gravel and gently brushed a foam barrier, allowing him to drive away, while Jimmy Spencer ended up mired in the gravel and had to be towed out.

Christian Fittipaldi also crashed and dented the front end of the No. 44 New York Yankees Dodge.

Earnhardt Jr. couldn't get up front

"It was good early, but we got out of pit sequence," Earnhardt said. "We just fought track position all day.

"Once we got out of sequence, it just killed us. We had a tire that had a vibration, so that's why we made the extra stop. We went from 23rd to 14th after that, so I'm not all that upset about it."

Strategy fuels Earnhardt's finish

He battled both Sunday at Pocono Raceway, but in the end a third place finish in the Pennsylvania 500 was all he needed to make the pain subside.

"We got a top-five and we got some points," said Earnhardt, who flip-flopped second and third positions in the standings with Jeff Gordon for the fourth time in five races. "Matt (Kenseth) is still way out there, but we're doing all we can do -- top-fives, top-10s -- whatever.

That's all we can do, man, that's all we can do."

Earnhardt is now 232 points behind Kenseth, who remained in the lead for the 17th straight week. Gordon slipped to third, 308 points behind Kenseth, after he was involved in a mid-race wreck and staggered home in 36th.

As much as he decried the practice, Earnhardt used an adept fuel strategy to score his eighth top-five finish of the season -- but his first since the last time the series visited Pocono, on June 8.

"I like Pocono a lot," Earnhardt said. "What's not to like? It's a great race track, a lot of fun and real challenging (and) I get better every time I come here."

No Pocono fan could forget Junior's thrilling runner-up finish to race winner Bobby Labonte in July 2001, and after qualifying well since then he was fourth here in June.

"It seems like we get a little better cars coming here, too," he said. "The guys did a great job (Sunday), and I'm real proud of them."

"First position, that was pretty much all I lacked," Junior said immediately after exiting his car. "If you're up front it's a little bit easier on your car.

"I could catch the 12 (winner Ryan Newman) but I knew it would only be about three laps before he'd drive away because I had to push my car so hard (to get to Newman).

"I was good for about two laps and then I'd get tight behind him, so I couldn't get to him."

And there's that aero push, an aggravating condition in 2003's aerodynamically dependent cars that causes the airflow off a leading car to un-stick the nose of anything following.

Despite himself, Earnhardt waxed philosophically about it post-race.

"It's kind of like you have this sea, and you drive the boat down through it," he said. "You try to follow that boat's wake -- the other boat. It's probably not the smoothest ride, not the easiest deal.

"Now put 40 boats out there. The guy that's leading, he's got the best seat in the house and he's got the easiest job."

Earnhardt switched from the aquatic analogy, one of several he used Sunday to describe his day, and went back to Winston Cup stock cars -- particularly those in the lead.

"You can go fast, you can drive your car like you want to drive it and you don't have to worry about who is in front of you or what is happening behind you," Earnhardt said. "I hate talking about it, because I don't think it's ever going to go away, but when you get behind somebody, you get tight.

"You have this big old blade on the back of these cars, and when you put your nose up behind somebody's spoiler, there's no air on the nose and what do you say?

"That's why everybody's running high, down low or in the middle. If you run in the tracks of the guy in front of you, you're not going to go anywhere. It's the same everywhere."

Earnhardt indicated next weekend's Brickyard 400 would be the same story, exacerbated by two-and-four-tire strategies and the specter of fuel mileage, another issue he said he's had enough of.

"Tony (Eury) Jr. is always on me about fuel," Earnhardt said of his car chief, who calls his races from atop the pit box in conjunction with his father, crew chief Tony Eury. "It's never close, it's always short."

Junior said after his last pit stop the crew told him he was "about a gallon short" of having enough fuel to make it to the finish.

"He (Eury Jr.) said 'Don't scrub your tires and you'll save some fuel.' I said, 'man, I've been through this too many times with you.' I'm getting tired of hearing it from my guys when they tell me that I need to save fuel.

"There is no book on how to save fuel. I mean, every time they say 'save fuel' I say, 'all right, tell me how to do that again?' I've been around this sport a long time -- I don't think anybody really knows."

Earnhardt said a late caution for Bobby Labonte's blown engine and spin played in his favor, as he rode around in high gear to help his mileage.

"Those caution laps will sure save it (gas)," Earnhardt said. "We were on the positive side (then), but we wouldn't have made it if we hadn't had the caution.

"What did we have to lose (by not pitting)? No reason to come in unless you had to and we didn't have to."

But that's what irks Junior about the whole fuel saving scenario.

"It worked out in our favor," he said, "but it could just as easily not have worked in our favor.

"I wasn't going to give up the track position, because we sat there in the back all day long with a car that could run in the top five."

Conversation: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I woke up in Chicago on Monday morning primed for the coming two days of sheer baseball bliss, but first I was scheduled to spend the day with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. amid the hoopla surrounding the Major League Baseball all-star game.

We were to take batting practice on the field, but he overslept. (Dangit). So instead we met up at MLB Fan Fest, where he was slated to make an appearance for Budweiser and hang out on ESPN Radio with Dan Patrick.

And honestly, being that Junior had followed up a tough day at Chicagoland Speedway with a killer party deep into the night, I expected cranky.

What I got was classic.

Folks, the goods:

Q: Has all this extracurricular sponsor stuff gotten mundane for you? For most of us, it's a dream come true.

Earnhardt: "It's all right. Sometimes it's kind of mundane but, I don't know, you've just got to find ways to get a kick out of it. The batting practice deal, it's mundane. It's fun though, especially for guys like Ty (Norris, DEI executive vice president). He can hit it to the wall just about, almost hit one out last year.

"It's fun. You get out there and the guy throws it to you and you hit the ball. Then you go over and get to throw some pitches and they time you and stuff. But the best part is when you get to stand in the outfield and just toss the ball back and forth with somebody. That's f------ awesome. Find you a little spot over in the shade. The ball field's beautiful. They're all beautiful, all kind of different in their own way."

Is it the fact that you're in a 20-week stretch?

Earnhardt: "I take every opportunity I can to be home, no matter whether it's a weekend off or 20-week stretch or whatever. I don't really feel burnt out, been getting better and better at managing myself to where I don't get too burnt out. Seeing the (All-Star Game), it's a been-there-done-that kind of thing. Just ready to go home."

I'm sure Budweiser wants you to wave at the cameras on FOX for 30 seconds, too, but you're at a point in your career where you can kind of dictate what you do.

Earnhardt: "Yeah, well, yeah. I was at a game somewhere and they put me on the jumbotron and I had a Budweiser, and I stood up and cheers'd the crowd, you know, and the next week this guy writes an article in the USA Today about how it was a shameless plug. I was kind of bummed out about that, so I just steer clear of those opportunities now. "

Are you surprised at how crazy the crowd has been today? They're mobbing you like we're at the track.

Earnhardt: "It's kind of cool because it's for baseball. It's real weird signing baseballs because I feel like, 'uh oh, I'm not supposed to be signing these. These are for players.' It's like you haven't earned the right to do it. But it's pretty cool. There's a lot of race fans here. It's so cool to come here and see people that have your cars and your memorabilia, and came here expecting to see you. That's really cool."

Back to this particular event. Obviously, your sponsor has relationships with this kind of thing that others don't, so you have to do more than maybe other drivers do appearance-wise.

Earnhardt: "Well, that's kind of a bonus for me because I get to see all kinds of different stuff, get to meet baseball players and get a sense of what baseball fame is like, comparable to race car driver fame. Suddenly you don't feel so bad, seeing how these guys get hounded all the time, too. I'll tell you, Budweiser is awesome. I can go to any football game, any baseball game, any boxing match I want to go to. That's awesome."

When you meet baseball players, are you accepted as part of the athlete fraternity. Do they view you as equal to them?

Earnhardt: "I think they do, the guys that know about racing. Those guys that have no clue, you know, 'Hey, I drive NASCAR Winston Cup.' They don't know that from the Tour de France, you know?"

How does your fame compare to theirs, from what you've seen?

Earnhardt: "Used to be this wide gap, but it's closed up quite a bit."

Ever taken BP (batting practice) before?

Earnhardt: "Yep, last couple years I did. I couldn't get up very early this morning. I wanted to go out in Chicago. We always come to these towns and never get to see the cities. So we went out last night and I just didn't feel like getting up. We went to the FOX party, which was pretty cool, then to some other bar.

"I met this guy, he's a receiver for the Ravens, Marcus Robinson. Well, I was here a couple months ago for a Drakkar appearance, and this lady gives me this autograph of his, and he's in his Bears uniform catching a pass or something, and the lady was like, 'Hey, this guy is a fan of yours.' And I was like, 'Really?' Like, it's supposed to be the other way around.

"So he comes to the race Sunday and he's like, 'Hey man, Marcus Robinson. I play for the Ravens. Used to play for the Bears.' I was like, 'Man, I think I got your autograph, what number were you?' And he said '88.' And I said, 'Yeah, yeah that's you.' So he said, 'Man what are you doing?' I said I was staying in town and he said 'I just live down the road, man. Hit me up.'

"So we went out last night and it was a lot of fun. Cool guy. I was amazed. I mean, he's from Georgia so he's got some Southern boy in him and he knows NASCAR, so it kind of made sense. He lives here so he knows the town, took us to a couple bars and stuff. It was fun."

Is it a bummer to go to L.A. and (Chicago) but never really have a chance to get to town?

Earnhardt: "Well, it's getting a little easier because I'm starting to meet people that can take me to certain places, like, 'hey man, I'd like to go somewhere that's kind of quiet,' or 'I'd like to go somewhere and be in the middle of the crowd,' and you've got people you can trust that can do that for you, like Marcus or some of my friends in LA. So it's getting easier. I used to go out there and sit in the motorhome and think, 'Man, this sucks,' or 'I'm so far from home, f--- this.' (laughing)."

I was watching you on (Jim) Rome the other day. I remember back in '99 when you won the Busch championship, you were on that show. This time around it seemed the respect level for you, from him, was way different. Do you agree?

Earnhardt: "I felt like the first time he interviewed me -- you know how Jim is and how he can be. And I expected the first time when he interviewed me he'd divulge into NASCAR and try to pick it apart. And he didn't do it. He was actually really respectful then. I didn't feel like there was a big difference from now to then.

"He's always been cool to me. I haven't ever done anything to deserve it. Never met the man before, but both interviews I've dealt with him -- I don't understand. I don't see him acting that way toward anybody else (laughing). He's always asking the hard questions and I get all the questions that are typical. He doesn't ever ask me anything hard."

You had a disappointing race (at Chicago). Does that stay with you a couple days or are you able to come here and have fun?

Earnhardt: "It used to bother the shit out of me, like it'd take all week (to get over it). I'd have to have a good finish to get it out of my system. But I went over to the garage after I got done with my infield care center stuff, carried my helmet to the truck, walked over to the car and Tony (Eury) Jr. was trying to fix the car to where they could load it. He comes over, pats me on the back, says 'Tough luck. We'll get 'em. Don't worry about it. What can you do, you know?'

"That makes it so much easier. Because I walk over there and I know I busted my ass and the car was out of control. I couldn't drive it. I don't think anybody could have drove it. I feel like, I didn't make a mistake, per se, but I maybe should have come to pit road a lot sooner (laughing). But I'd just pitted for tires, so it was a catch-22 deal.

"But I called my mom, and my mom said, 'No big deal.' She always pumps me up, and that's kind of cool. I didn't have that stuff a couple years ago and it bothered me real bad. There was always a lot of pressure on me. There's still pressure on me now, but it's nothing like it used to be."

So I hear you sang with Kenny Chesney at the Tribute concert. I hate I missed that little display.

Earnhardt: "Yeah, man. It was fun."

So how'd it happen? Were you just like, 'Man, I want to sing with you'?

Earnhardt. "No. Hell no. I was standing on the side of the stage with about 30 people and he was like (gesturing towards me). And I was like, 'Hell no, I ain't going out there.' He was like, 'Y'all didn't know Dale Jr. could sing. Don't you want to hear him sing?' And everybody was like, 'Wooooooooo!' So I was going to be a total asshole if I didn't go out there."

What'd you sing?

Earnhardt: "'That's where I come from.' Song he's got."

How big a baseball fan are you?

Earnhardt. "Not sure. What's the scale?"

One-to-ten.

Earnhardt: "Ummm ...seven."

Favorite team is the Braves?

Earnhardt: "Yeah, that's my favorite team. I pull for Roger Clemens when he pitches. I'm not a big, huge Yankees fan, but I pull for Roger when he pitches. And Randy Johnson when he pitches."

You ever play the game?

Earnhardt: "Never played. First and only game I've ever played was the celebrity softball game last year here."

And?

Earnhardt: "I broke up the no-hitter and caught two pop flies. Which I was very proud of, actually. Then I got yanked because I was seeing too much action."

You hear a lot about how some Cup drivers know a lot about what makes the car work right and some don't. How good a mechanic are you?

Earnhardt: (Laughing) "I'm pretty good, I guess. I mean, I worked at a dealership and kind of moved all around the service department, so I did pretty much every job. I wouldn't say I'm a jack-of-all-trades or a master in no (particular) part. But if you've got something wrong with your car I can fix it."

In terms of chassis', aero, etc.

Earnhardt: "Oh, you mean race cars? (laughing) I thought you were talking about standard automotive vehicles. Race cars, I built the cars that my sister drove, a car my brother drove, two or three of my own race cars. From the ground. I can do it. If you need a race car, give me enough money and I'll build it for you.

"There's so many variables, hundreds and hundreds. At this level drivers aren't really involved as far as the day-to-day mechanical operations of the race car, like putting it together and problem solving and things like that. Pretty much, my job is anything I can touch. When I'm strapped in, if I can touch it and there's something wrong with it, it's my fault. If I don't like the way it is, I'm the guy I've got to talk to.

"At this level there's so many experts. There's so many people working on the cars that there's nothing for us to do but drive. I would (help out), but they pay me to drive. I'm opinionated. I'm not the final decision-maker in all the areas, though."

Rough car, tough day for Junior

And with nary a clue what had just happened.

Minutes earlier, Earnhardt was running in the top 10 and vying for a career-best finish at the 1.5-mile venue, when he pitted routinely under the green flag. During the stop, the Budweiser crew made several adjustments to free up a tight-handling Chevrolet.

They may have gone a bit too far.

When it returned to the racing surface, Earnhardt's Chevrolet was extremely loose. For three laps, he struggled direly to corral the car but lost the battle entering Turn 3 on Lap 208 when the car broke loose and slammed hard into the outside retaining wall.

Though frustrated, he was uninjured.

"Just lost control," Earnhardt said. "We'd just made a pit stop, made a lot of adjustments -- probably about five or six too many. I was barely hanging on, man, didn't know what the hell was wrong with it.

"Finally I just couldn't drive it no more. I didn't have not a chance in hell of driving that car another lap."

Prior to the accident, Earnhardt was a staple of the top 10 and appeared poised to improve upon last year's effort in which he led 81 of 267 laps en route to a 10th-place finish.

"I'd told the boys the car was tight, but I just couldn't drive another lap," Earnhardt said. "I'm fine. It's unfortunate, but it was a handful. It was out of control.

"I think I may have had a flat tire, but we had just pitted three laps before that. So I think we just over-adjusted and I was going to make it another corner."

The resulting 38th-place finish marks just the second time this year Earnhardt failed to finish an event, (the other was at Charlotte), and drops him from second to third in the championship point standings.

Earnhardt now trails leader Matt Kenseth by 258 points, and the points gap between himself and second-ranked Jeff Gordon now stands at 93. Still, knowing that the season is only now half-over, he isn't overly concerned.

"I ain't really worried about that right now," he said. "It's a hit, but we'll just figure out how big a hit and worry about it next week, I guess."

Kenseth, on the other hand, is plenty concerned about it. Despite a quiet weekend during which he was never a contender, Kenseth continued his march towards the Winston Cup championship. His 165-point advantage over Gordon is the ninth-largest midway lead in the Winston Cup Series since 1975.

"To mess up as many things as we messed up and finish 12th is a great job, so I'm real proud of all the DeWalt guys, the guys at Roush Racing that give us this reliable equipment and we needed to be there at the end and we were," Kenseth said.

"We didn't run good, and I'm real ashamed of the way we ran and the things we did today, but I'm excited that we still got a good finish out of it."

The most notable points-mover of the weekend was Tony Stewart, who finished second to Ryan Newman and jumped from 11th to eighth in the standings.

Though the reigning champion is uncertain he'll catch Kenseth, he's plenty certain he'll improve on his current standing.

"I don't know where I'm at right now (in the points)," he said. "But I'll guarantee you I won't be there at the end of the season."

FOX to show concert

Teresa Earnhardt, widow of the seven-time Winston Cup champion, will host the broadcast, featuring concert highlights and memories.

Seven Grammy Award-winning musicians entertained during the day-long event, including Alabama, Kenny Chesney, the Goo Goo Dolls, Sheryl Crow, Brooks & Dunn, Hootie & The Blowfish and Delbert McClinton. The concert began with a fly-over by four Navy F-14 Tomcats and ended with a spectacular fireworks show.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip even got in on the action. Earnhardt Jr. shared the stage with Chesney, singing some of "Where I'm From" while Waltrip joined Hootie & The Blowfish to perform a song.

Several musicians shared some memories and anecdotes. Kix Brooks entertained the crowd with a funny story about a practical joke Dale Earnhardt played on him while they were fishing.

"So, there I am leaning over the side (of the boat) and the next thing I know, he grabs me by the shorts and throws me in the water," Brooks said. "Then he took off and just left me there for awhile. He came back and picked me up. That was his idea of being funny."

Despite intermittent rain, the crowd enjoyed the procession of stars.

"A little rain isn't going to get this crowd down," Crow said. "You might get a little wet, but we won't be intimidated."

Fans lined up the gates of the speedway several hours before the concert was to begin. One of those was Michelle Parker, who traveled from Mississippi.

"We love Dale Earnhardt," she said. "We've been watching him ever since he started racing.

"When we heard about the concert, we just knew we had to come to this. The musical part is great, but if it wasn't for Dale, we probably wouldn't have come. This was a 12-hour ride for us, but it's worth every bit of time invested into this event."

Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, focusing on the charities that Dale championed during his life: children, education and wildlife preservation.

The concert was presented by Kraft/Nabisco, a longtime sponsor of DEI, in association with Chevrolet and GM Goodwrench. Other sponsors including BASS Pro Shops, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Remington and Snap-On Tools.

Q&A: Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program

Teresa Earnhardt created the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program in order to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of her late husband, Dale Earnhardt -- a seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion. The Legacy Program will consist of various high profile initiatives and events designed to further the memory of Dale Earnhardt and the many causes he held so close to his heart. Teresa Earnhardt created the Legacy Program for the many fans and admirers that looked up to Earnhardt as a role model, as well as a means to further showcase the humanitarian and philanthropic causes that he supported during his lifetime.

Why the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program?

In creating the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program, Teresa Earnhardt not only wanted to recapture and share her memories of Dale, but also to display a side of him many may not have witnessed. "So many knew and loved Dale," Teresa said, "but few were familiar with his off the track interests and passions -- such as his compassion, conviction and commitment to humanitarian causes." Those causes ranged from children's charities and education to wildlife preservation issues. Teresa Earnhardt is confident that this program is the right vehicle to perpetually connect Earnhardt's legion of fans with the memory of Earnhardt the man and the programs that he supported.

What makes up the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program?

There are four main components of the program:

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation, the cornerstone of the Legacy Program, will carry on Earnhardt's name and works through charitable causes he supported during his lifetime -- organizations and programs relating to education, children and/or wildlife.

Local and national events are under development to benefit the Foundation including a tribute concert scheduled for June 28, 2003 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

An official and comprehensive Web site, due to launch in early 2003, at www.daleearnhardtinc.com, will feature highlights of Earnhardt's career, information about the Foundation as well as info on Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

Beginning with the 2003 NASCAR season, each DEI Winston Cup team will sport a new paint scheme on each of its cars. This paint scheme will include a new striping pattern featuring an "E" effect in honor of Dale Earnhardt.

How can fans participate in the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program?

Fans and admirers of Dale Earnhardt can participate in the Legacy Program in a variety of ways. Donating to the Foundation, attending Legacy events or simply utilizing the new Dale Earnhardt Inc. Web site are key methods in which individuals can participate in the program.

What specific charities will The Dale Earnhardt Foundation support?

It has been Teresa Earnhardt's goal from the beginning to identify organizations and programs that address areas that Earnhardt supported during his lifetime. She is in the process of finalizing the guidelines that will define the specific charities and programs eligible for funding from The Dale Earnhardt Foundation. Upcoming fundraising events and cause-related marketing efforts are also in the works. More information regarding the Foundation will be available in the coming weeks and months.

How will the Foundation be funded?

The Foundation will be funded through the generosity of individual donors and corporations as well as through the efforts of major fundraising events and cause-related marketing initiatives. In addition, The Dale Earnhardt Foundation will work in conjunction with the Foundation of the Carolinas -- where many individuals and corporations have already donated funds in Earnhardt's memory.

How can people donate to The Dale Earnhardt Foundation?

Donations to The Dale Earnhardt Foundation can be made by writing a check to The Dale Earnhardt Foundation or by MasterCard or VISA. To facilitate such donations please:

Visit www.daleearnhardtinc.com

Call (877) 334-DALE

Write to:

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation

1675 Coddle Creek Highway

Mooresville, NC 28115

What is the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert? Who is slated to play at the Concert? How can people get tickets?

Teresa Earnhardt will host a concert on June 28, 2003 featuring some of the biggest names in the music industry. All proceeds from the Tribute Concert will be donated to The Dale Earnhardt Foundation in support of its mission and causes. All details concerning the Tribute Concert will be announced in February at the Daytona 500 media day. At that time musicians, dates, prices and ticket information will be available.

What is the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Web site?

Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has been developing a comprehensive Web site that represents the company Dale Earnhardt founded and led as well as all of the initiatives and programs related to the company -- such as the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. executives have been working for some time to develop a site that will provide the kind of information, including never before seen photographs, racing statistics and Foundation information, among other pertinent items, that will satisfy the fans of Earnhardt and DEI. The Legacy Section of daleearnhardtinc.com will feature biographical information and timelines pertaining to Earnhardt's life and career, a fan-interactive memory wall as well as detailed information on all Legacy events and initiatives. DEI officials feel it will be the perfect place for all Dale Earnhardt fans to migrate.

What is the thinking behind the new paint schemes and striping pattern?

As an additional tribute to Earnhardt, the motorsports program at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has updated the paint schemes and striping patterns of its three NASCAR Winston Cup cars for the first time since the inception of the racing program in 1997. This paint scheme will sport a new striping pattern that creates an "E" effect on the sides of each car in honor of the man who founded and led Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Waltrip, Dale Jr. come up short

Greg Biffle scored a major upset at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, winning the Pepsi 400 and keeping DEI teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip out of Victory Lane.

Earnhardt and Waltrip came into the race as the heavy favorites, having won eight of the past 10 restrictor-plate events. But a wreck early in the race turned it into a fuel strategy contest and the DEI cars came up empty when they didn't stop with most of the field.

"Everybody stopped that one time and we didn't," Earnhardt said. "That got us."

Earnhardt and Waltrip were running first and second when a seven-car accident occurred on lap 74. Since neither could have finished the race with just one more stop for fuel, they decided not to pit under that caution.

Biffle and another group of cars did stop for a splash of gas just before racing went back to green under that caution, giving most of them enough fuel to make it with just one more stop.

But Earnhardt and Waltrip still had to make two stops and dropped out of sequence with the rest of the cars.

Earnhardt, who appeared to have the strongest car in the field and led two times for 43 laps, finished seventh, while Waltrip, vying for his third straight Daytona win, wound up 11th. The two combined to lead 52 of the 160 laps.

"We dominated that race, so don't say our reign is over because we didn't get outrun on the race track," DEI vice president Ty Norris said. "Those cautions fell the way that they did and some people chose to pit, but it wasn't like it was a strategy deal.

"It was just cautions the way they fell. But they didn't outrun us on the race track. Anybody that's happy about the way that went down -- I hope they are happy, because we still outran them."

Others weren't so sure the race automatically would have gone to one of the DEI cars.

Jeff Gordon, who also got caught on fuel mileage and wound up finishing 14th, thought that Earnhardt and Waltrip probably would have had heavy competition from Kevin Harvick, who led a race-high 54 laps before finishing ninth.

"They were strong and they led the most laps, so they were awesome," Gordon said. "But I will say this, (Harvick) was easily as strong as they were."

But the DEI camp was not convinced.

"Under normal circumstances I feel confident we would have been first and second," Norris said. "It's just one of those races that had just those really oddball circumstances that played in the Roush cars advantage, but they didn't beat us."

So no one was too disappointed as they loaded their restrictor-plate cars onto the trucks. Next up is the September race at Talladega, where Earnhardt has one four straight.

"We'll be back," Earnhardt crew chief Tony Eury Sr. said.

Junior wins wire-to-wire

Earnhardt has won all three Busch races he has entered this year, including the race here in February and in Talladega in April. He also won his last Busch start last year in Richmond, giving him four in a row.

"We stayed out front all night," Earnhardt said. "I didn't think that was possible. It was possible. It's a lot easier to be out front than run second."

Michael Waltrip, Earnhardt's teammate in Winston Cup but driving his own Busch car, tried in vain to catch the leader. The Daytona 500 winner was unable to challenge Earnhardt and wound up 0.161 seconds, about 3 car-lengths behind on the 21/2-mile oval.

Waltrip had one last shot at Earnhardt on a restart with nine laps remaining after a crash brought out the last of three caution flags. But Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet stayed out front and Waltrip couldn't get close enough to make a run at the winner.

It was a strong warmup for both Earnhardt and Waltrip, who go into Saturday night's Pepsi 400 Cup event here as the favorites.

"I got a little celebrating to do and maybe a little more tomorrow," said Junior, a two-time series champion (1998, 1999) and now owner of 18 Busch wins.

Both drivers took only two new tires on their final pit stop, with Earnhardt barely beating Waltrip off pit road.

"The only chance we had was on pit road," Waltrip said. "Junior was asking for four (tires) and they overruled him and gave him two. It would have been interesting to see what we could have done if we'd gotten the lead."

Jamie McMurray, another Winston Cup regular, finished third, followed by Busch series regular Ron Hornaday Jr., Johnny Sauter and Scott Riggs, who regained the points lead from David Green, who finished 37th. Riggs leads by two points, with Hornaday 33 behind and Todd Bodine -- eighth Friday night -- 43 back.

The last driver to lead from start to finish in a Busch race was Jeff Burton, who led every lap at Darlington in March 2002.

Junior trying to change road rules

Earnhardt Jr., rival crewman have argument

Just past the midway point of the Coca-Cola 600, the rear brakes on Earnhardt's Chevrolet locked, causing him to spin out in Turn 4.

After several pit stops made in an effort to remedy the situation, Earnhardt was exiting pit road and suddenly stopped, threw the car in reverse and tore back down the pit lane backwards.

During his trek to the garage, Earnhardt entered Harvick's pit stall just as Harvick was coming down the pit lane.

Once parked in the garage, Earnhardt was standing alongside the No. 8 Bud Chevrolet as his crew nestled about underneath trying to repair the rear brakes, when a member of the No. 29 Goodwrench Chevrolet pit crew walked up and voiced his displeasure to Earnhardt.

"Well, I was backing through the pit stall -- I got my brakes locked up, right - and fell out of the race. Not real happy," Earnhardt said. "Backing out of my pit stall to get to the garage opening and I must have run over (Harvick's) air gun or something. They were pretty upset about it, come down told me they owe me one.

"That's fine with me. Any time, any place."

Entering the Coca-Cola 600, Earnhardt had posted six top-fives over a 10-race span, including a win at Talladega, and surged to within 20 points of the Winston Cup Series points lead.

Moreover, he hadn't had a DNF all year.

"It wasn't a great car but it was decent," said Earnhardt, who now trails points leader Matt Kenseth by 160 points. "We were going to hang around there and get something out of it."

"This is where we had the DNF, so the string's over and I ain't got to hear about it no more."

Earnhardt Jr. continues to lead most popular vote

With more than 700,000 votes in to date, Earnhardt Jr. leads second-place Jeff Gordon, third-place Kevin Harvick and fourth-place Tony Stewart. Rounding out the top 10 are Steve Park, Mark Martin, Michael Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett.

Race car fans are encouraged to support their favorite drivers by voting daily at the official award Web site, www.mostpopulardriver.com. The Grands! Biscuits NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award is the only fan-based award in major league motorsports.

"It's cool to hear about the voting so far. It's kind of like running for the Winston Cup title this year -- it feels good to be near the front, but it's also early in the season, so I don't want to get too confident," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I'd say 'Thanks a lot' to all of the fans who voted for me and have them tell their friends to vote because there's a long way to go."

Earnhardt Jr. led most of the voting last year before a late surge from Bill Elliott fans carried the veteran race car driver to the Grands! Biscuits NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award win. Elliott, who has won the award 16 times, retired his name from the Most Popular Driver Award voting earlier this racing season.

Earnhardt Jr., like many other drivers, has the www.mostpopulardriver.com link on his official Web site and is encouraging his fans to vote for him daily. Most drivers and many other fan Web sites have added the link and official voting "button" to their sites.

The Web site -- www.mostpopulardriver.com -- is available for Internet voting through Monday, Nov. 17, 2003, at 11:59 a.m. CST. Additional voting guidelines are available on the Web site.

The official Grands! Biscuits NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver of the Year Award trophy will be presented to the winning driver, as voted by fans, during the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Awards festivities in December. The award is administered by the National Motorsports Press Association and is sponsored by Grands! Biscuits.

Conversation: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It's been that way for years now, and he's finally backing up the hype with consistency on the racetrack. A new patience-pays-points approach has Team Budweiser knocking on the door of the championship points lead. Eleven races into the 2003 Winston Cup Series campaign, just 20 points separates Earnhardt from his good buddy Matt Kenseth, the series points leader.

A championship would only bolster his popularity, which admittedly already scares him at times.

Just before the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Junior hung out with NASCAR.com's Marty Smith to discuss immeasurable popularity, record times in the oil change line and an humbling trip to visit those who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Used to be you'd stay pretty quiet about burning issues in NASCAR, saying you hadn't yet earned the right to speak up. This year, you've been more vocal. Do you feel like, this year, you're more of an ambassador for Winston Cup racing than in the past?

I think every year you feel like that. When you're running in the back it's hard to speak your mind, because ain't too many people going to listen to it. But when you're running up front you feel like you're part of that group of people that can really influence NASCAR and the decisions they make.

Does your popularity ever scare you?

Sometimes it does. Sometimes you get in some pretty crazy situations.

What's the craziest fan reaction you've ever experienced?

I don't know. Sometimes you get in some situations at the racetracks where the fans have been having a good time and you get caught in the wrong place at the right time, so to speak. But you just kind of have fun with it, but you've got to be careful.

Earlier this week you visited wounded U.S. troops at Walter Reed Hospital. What was that experience like?

That was really overwhelming, a real eye opener. You see that stuff on TV and you hear about it, but you can't get quite a good gist of what it's all about until you see it in person and see them guys and talk to them. Hopefully they really enjoyed us being there. We want to thank them for letting us come out there and meet them. It was an honor to meet those people.

You've told me before that you still hold the record for fastest oil change at your Dad's dealership. How quickly could you finish a 24-point inspection and fluid change?

Twenty-four point inspection? Well, just as far as dropping the pan and changing the filter and filling it back up, I can do it in eight seconds. Eight or nine seconds.

Eight or nine seconds? I'm gonna have to start calling you Lane Frost, son.

Not eight seconds. Eight minutes.

You don't change your own oil anymore, do you?

Uh, if I have to I can. But I don't do it, because I don't have to.

Speaking of your Dad, anything in particular make you think of him?

Yeah, there are some things. It could be winning a race or it could be something bad. It could be, like, Jerry's accident yesterday or it could be winning a race.

Your celebrity has afforded you countless opportunities. Is there anything you still want to do? Anybody you still want to meet?

I don't really have a list, but it does open a lot of doors for you and get you in a lot of cool places and see some cool people. A lot of things come your way, you just pick through them and do what you want to do and don't do the rest.

Some say your Dad handed you everything. That p--- you off?

It don't really p--- me off, because I know better. I know the truth. I kind of got over hearing that s--- when I was in my early 20s. It's not a big deal now.

Some say NASCAR caters to you. That p--- you off?

Naw, that don't make me mad. I've grown up around the sport so it ain't like I'm some kind of diamond in the rough they found. I've been here all my life, so I don't feel like they owe me anything.

Looking for a wife yet?

All the time.

That's got to be kind of hard for you. You can't just go out and meet any ol' chick and say wassup.

Yeah, you just kind of have to let it ride. It'll come to you, I guess.

Earnhardt Jr. to give Truex a Chance at Richmond

Chance 2 co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he chose Truex, of Mayetta, N.J., because the second-generation driver had no preconceived notions or expectations for his new team.

"I haven't got a chance to really get to know Martin that well," Earnhardt said when he announced Truex would drive his car, which Earnhardt drove as the No. 8 to two Busch Series wins in as many starts this season. "(Chief engine builder) Richie Gilmore introduced me and told me I ought to take a look at him."

Truex, the 2002 Busch North Series Bud Pole champion, finished 11th in the standings but had six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 19 starts. He has three career Busch North victories in cars fielded by his father, a former Modified and Busch North race winner.

Truex has six career Busch Series starts over the last three seasons, all but one in family owned cars. His best finished, 15th, came this season at Nashville Superspeedway.

At one point, DEI and Chance 2 were looking at a variety of drivers, including two-time defending IRL champion Sam Hornish.

"We were looking at some other guys, I guess higher profile, more recognizable names," Earnhardt said. "It seemed like having an opportunity to work with Martin would be easier for our team -- myself included -- because Martin didn't carry much baggage with him.

"He's a young driver that really doesn't have the ego that a lot of these young drivers do today, so he's someone that's going to be easier to manage -- and even though I'm not in a position to be able to teach him a whole lot, he'll just be easier to work with.

"A lot of these guys would come in here and their expectations would be higher than ours would be of them."

Truex tested for the Richmond event.

"I feel really comfortable in the car," Truex said. "The biggest thing I have to learn is the tires. I have a little bit of experience running on these tires, so I'm probably one step ahead if I hadn't run any Busch races with my own stuff."

"Martin will come in with a good attitude and a good, humble personality and that will be easier to work with," Earnhardt said. "I'm not gonna say I can make a better driver out of Martin than I could out of Sam Hornish or somebody like that, but I just think under the circumstances as a new team we don't want to put ourselves in a position where we have to live up to this or that.

"So bringing Martin in there's no expectations, no hype. They can just do their job and have some fun and if it works out and he's a good little driver they got a future."

Earnhardt said earlier this year that Chance 2 plans to run Truex in as many as half a dozen Busch races this season.

The Buzz: Junior on the cover of Rolling Stone?

Well, OK, maybe he's not everywhere, but doesn't it seem like it?

In a couple of weeks, Junior will be back in Rolling Stone. This time, he'll serve as a "guest commentator" for the magazine's 35th anniversary issue, with will include essays about several American icons.

Junior will write about why the Corvette is a true American classic. No word if he rented one from Enterprise.

Among some of the other guest writers for the issue include Jay Leno, Cameron Crowe and Bob Costas. The topics range from the American flag to Elvis Presley to the Fender Stratocaster guitar to Homer Simpson. Doh!

Junior overcomes adversity

After taking the green flag in 38th due to the engine change, Earnhardt was in the top-five after only 46 laps. But his hopes went out the window when a lug nut error on a lap 204 pit stop necessitated a second stop, and lost him a lap.

"I'm mad because we had a great car and we really screwed up in the pits," Earnhardt said. "We cannot keep doing things to beat ourselves like that. I want to apologize to my crew guys because I was really, really hard on them on the radio, but at the same time they need to know that we can't keep doing that."

"On one hand, it was a championship-type day. When we had trouble, we did what we had to do to get back all we could (and) that's what you need to do to win a title."

Tired of Junior? Sorry, folks. Get used to him

They say I'm sucking up. They say I want to be his friend. My wife's personal favorite? They say he's my boyfriend. Believe me, I've heard it all.

But the constant underlying theme from all the disgruntled types was, above all else, a deep disdain for a media that continues to pay lip service to a guy who's never done anything on the racetrack.

He was NASCAR's Anna Kornikova -- attractive and unaccomplished.

Well folks, I hate to tell you this but Anna's ripping aces these days. And the Williams sisters are taking notice.

"Their program -- whether it be Junior or his team, I'm not really sure which -- they've had weaknesses in the past, whether it be road courses, short tracks, whatever it may be," said Jeff Gordon, the guy everyone was tired of hearing about before Junior came along.

"This year they seem to really have their act together. To be championship contenders, you've got to be able to be good pretty much be good everywhere we go. They've certainly proved that this year."

Ironically, Junior's worst finish of the year came at Daytona -- one of two tracks everyone considers him a threat. So, like it or not -- and heaven knows hoards of you don't -- Earnhardt is a championship contender and, for the first time in his career, a legitimate threat to win at every stop on the Winston Cup tour.

More than anything it's an attitude adjustment, a maturation process. Used to be all out or fall out -- wide open to the checkers. Now it's about finishing third in a third-place car rather than overdriving an incapable machine.

It's about having 36 above-average weeks, not just one stellar one.

"I'm real dedicated to trying to gain points this year," said Earnhardt, who trails Matt Kenseth by 51 points. "Last year, or any other year for that matter, we just kind of raced one week after the other.

"I think the falter there is that you don't prepare well enough for the duration of four or five weeks in a row -- what that can do to your energy level and your drive and determination. You open the door on each Thursday and Friday, on each new weekend, and the preparation is just not there.

"I think this year -- myself personally and I believe the rest of the team -- I think there is a lot of drive and determination amongst all of us. You don't want to be accused of not ever wanting it enough in the past. But, it seems like we had to step up to the challenge."

The biggest challenge is yet to come. Earnhardt has never fared well during the summer stretch. The next stop on the Winston Cup tour, California, is where his momentum came to a screeching halt in 2002.

He entered the event fifth in the championship standings, but after a violent collision with the wall that rung his bell loud enough to make Philly proud, Team Budweiser spiraled into competitive anonymity.

From April to August, they were nowhere to be found, averaging a career-worst 26th-place finish during the stretch from California to Watkins Glen. During that same period in 2001, Junior's average finish was 12th, up from 19th as a rookie.

This year, those 13 races are a focal point.

"We'll just have to see how the midpoint of the season goes for us, where we faltered last year," Earnhardt said. "It was in the middle point of the season -- Pocono and places like that -- where it was kind of hit and miss.

"This is a long season and a lot can happen. We were in this same situation last year, coming out of (Martinsville) with a top-five finish.

"We were solidly in fifth or so in the points going into our first weekend off and didn't have much of a season after that until the end. I feel like we can do this all year long. If we do, we do. We've got to keep trying to keep working hard. We can't get really lackadaisical or too confident."

See there, he's thinking ahead, using his head. Hence, his detractors are seeing red. What if he joins Gordon as champion? If you think you're Junior'd out now...

"If he wins the championship -- game over for anybody else. We're not even going to exist out there," Gordon said.

Judging by the feedback we get, it seems the anti-Junior sentiment has grown quite a bit during the past year, though he still gets the loudest cheer at every driver's introduction on the tour. The reasoning for it is absurd, just like it's been for Gordon all these years.

Last week at Martinsville, one of my college buddies was camping out with his brother and asked me to come hang out for a cold beer or six. I arrived just after dark, and being that those boys had been deep in the sauce for quite some time, nary an insult was muffled.

I'd never met my buddy's brother, so I introduced myself and we went on our marry way in search of random infield parties and other carnal activity. Upon return to the campsite my buddy's brother, a fanatical Matt Kenseth supporter, starts in on me about Earnhardt and how disappointed he was that I didn't nail Junior to the wall for "accepting a Helton handout" at Talladega.

He said I punted, chickened out, took the easy road. Then he questioned my journalistic integrity. I chuckled and cracked another Bud.

He's just like the rest of them.

Gordon vs. Earnhardt for title? It's possible

Gordon beat Bobby Labonte to win Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway, and Earnhardt finished third. Gordon and Earnhardt combined to lead 385 of 500 laps, and they head into a rare off weekend second and third in the standings behind points leader Matt Kenseth.

Of course, Earnhardt's 2002 season demonstrated that the points standings don't mean much in April. Earnhardt was near the top at this time last season, only to see his season fall apart because of an injury and inconsistency. "I'll believe it when we win it," said Earnhardt, who finished in the top five for the third consecutive time at Martinsville.

Although Gordon, a four-time Winston Cup champion, knows it's too early to start looking at the standings or zeroing in on one competitor, he acknowledges that Earnhardt's team has been strong. "They're definitely running good at a lot of different tracks," Gordon said. "I think the team has matured; I think Junior has matured."

Third straight top-three for Dale Jr.

Now mid-April, he can seemingly do no wrong.

By finishing third in Sunday's Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Earnhardt earned his third top-three finish in as many weeks and moved to within 51 points of leader Matt Kenseth.

Moreover, he further distanced himself from a nightmarish two-week span to open the season that resulted in 36th and 33rd-place finishes at Daytona and Rockingham, respectively, and relegated him to points cellar-dweller.

In the seven weeks since, he has tallied five top-three finishes and jumped from 38th to second in the championship standings. Though content, he's not getting carried away in celebration.

"I'll believe it when we win it," said Earnhardt after posting his career-best finish at Martinsville on Sunday. "This is a long season and a lot can happen. We were in this same situation last year, coming out of here with a top-five finish.

"We were solidly in fifth or so in the points going into our weekend off and didn't have much of a season after that until the end again. I feel like we can do this all year long. If we do, we do."

There is no questioning that they carry the proper attitude. With 55 laps remaining in Sunday's race, Earnhardt was primed to make a run at leader Bobby Labonte when Ricky Craven's lapped car had a tire go down and washed up into him.

He lost several positions, but got back in line just as Craven stalled in Turn 2 to bring out the day's ninth caution. Spotter Ty Norris was livid on the radio, voicing his dismay over Craven's having forced them to lose valuable positions late in the race.

First one voice came over the radio and told Norris to calm down.

Then, Junior cued the radio and told everyone to chill out, that they had built him a race-winning car and that their focus was on the bigger picture.

In the past, it would have been all about the next 40 laps.

"We came back and finished third, that's going to help us a lot in the points," Earnhardt said. "We were racing against the best cars in the field there at the end, and you're going to tear your car up. Where else can you tear your car all to hell and be happy about it?

"We can't get lackadaisical or too confident. We have to continue to have a lot of respect for our competition and where we stand up against them at some of these racetracks we're coming up to -- like Pocono and whatnot."

Junior's effort Sunday marks his third-straight top-five at Martinsville.

"We did have a good car today. We led some laps and that was real fun, just being up front and putting cars laps down and trying to put the race away," Junior said. "We had a top-two or three car today."

Daytona was less than two months ago, but presently, it feels like decades.

Gordon: Earnhardt Jr. could become biggest star

But when Gordon glances at the point standings after eight races this year, he sees a star emerging that he believes no one else can touch: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"If he wins the championship, game over for everybody else," said Gordon, who has won 61 races, 43 poles and four titles. "We're not even going to exist out there."

Earnhardt, in his fourth full season in NASCAR's top series, enters Sunday's Virginia 500 second in the points race, second to Gordon on the starting grid and coming off a controversial victory last weekend.

Trailing points leader Matt Kenseth with four laps to go at Talladega Superspeedway, Earnhardt drove below the yellow line to grab the lead and won his fourth consecutive race at the track.

Already treated like a rock star because of his champion bloodline, and ability to drive fast and live fast, too, Earnhardt is only enhancing his profile this year by racing better than he has before.

"I don't know if I ever had that kind of popularity. He has certainly earned it over the last couple of years," Gordon said.

In his first three fulltime seasons, Earnhardt finished 16th, eighth and 11th in the points race. This year, he trails Kenseth by 129 points and already has one victory, four top-five finishes and five top 10s.

"I'm real dedicated to trying to gain points this year," Earnhardt said. "Last year or any other year, for that matter, we just kind of raced one week after the other. I think the falter there is that you don't prepare well enough for the duration of four or five weeks in a row -- what that can do to your energy level and your drive and determination.

"You open the door each Thursday or Friday, on each new weekend, and the preparation is just not there."

This year, he's learned that taking care of things before going to the track improves your chances of winning.

"It's more enjoyable on my end and it's also more enjoyable on each of the crewmember's ends to have good finishes and something to be glad to come home to, to talk about with your wife or whatever," Earnhardt said.

Gordon has noticed the change, too, but isn't ready to say he and Earnhardt have developed into rivals.

"They seem to really have their act together," he said. "They've been good pretty much everywhere they've gone this year. If he continues that and I can keep up with what I've done in the past, then there might be something to talk about."

Following his victory at Talladega, and the pass that many felt might have drawn a penalty for another driver, Earnhardt enjoyed being at the center of a controversy. Even more, he enjoyed what he'd accomplished.

"Win or lose, black flag or not, I felt really proud of my effort personally -- what I've done and what I saw and what I was accomplishing inside the car," he said. "It was something that gave me emotions I haven't experienced too often in this sport."

Dale Jr.: NASCAR not biased

Though admittedly not a morning person, Earnhardt couldn't wait to get up each day to read the latest installments regarding his controversial victory at Talladega.

The heated debate provided welcome comic relief, not to mention solace that he'd stepped up his game.

"We kept a close watch on all the traffic on the Internet and gathering up the gist of the press' opinion, the public opinion," said Earnhardt, Jr., who qualified second for Sunday's Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

"It's been pretty interesting. It's been a lot of fun to be at one of the key figures involved in such an explosion, if you will.

"There were a lot of polls and whatnot, places you could vote. It was fun and amusing at the same time. You sit there and smile in the face of jealousy and envy and move on.

"There were some people that wrote columns that defended what we accomplished, yet their argument was with NASCAR and not necessarily with me, or an individual. Those were interesting.

"A thought-out, well-written column would have covered all the bases. Some were just lavishly one extreme or the other and you can't really credit them on either account. It was cool. I knew Monday morning it was going to be an interesting week. It was fun. I had a good time each day getting a new article."

Rarely has he had so much fun in competition. Junior said that whether or not he was penalized, he was as proud of the effort he and his team put forth at Talladega as any in the team's history. The notion that he received preferential treatment produced the Earnhardt smirk.

"I don't feel that I get treated any differently," Earnhardt said. "It's humorous to me to hear that somebody thinks NASCAR would show favoritism, because if you were in my shoes you would see the other end of that. They don't.

"They are under so much pressure, because they want to show an equal playing field, and if they feel like we're bending those rules they're going to dig under every rock they can find to see what we got.

"So we're probably having to clean out our closet a little more thorough than the rest of the field when it comes to going through the tech line.

"So it's good to come to Martinsville and put up good numbers and qualify well. I haven't really seen in the past 20 years that I've been around the sport that I felt like NASCAR made a call that was for one guy over another. It's always seemed almost disgustingly fair at some times. Kind of like a parent would be, in a way.

"I've seen my old man get throw out of races when I just thought it was so ridiculous I just couldn't believe it. And I know the drivers and crew chiefs weren't making those calls."

Following the Talladega victory, Junior jumped to second in the championship point standings, 129 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

"I'm not really surprised where the team is, I'm just surprised where I'm at in the points," he said.

So are the critics. Just six weeks ago, Junior ranked 38th in the standings. But four top-five finishes in the past six races prove his new points-first attitude pays dividends.

"I'm real dedicated to trying to gain points this year and see what the turnout of that is," Junior said. "Last year or any other year we've just kind of raced one week after the other.

"And I think the falter there is that you don't prepare well enough for the duration - four or five weeks in a row and what that can do to your energy level and drive and determination. You open the door on each Thursday or Friday and the preparation's just not there.

"This year, myself personally and the rest of the team, sees there's a lot of drive and determination in us. I'm really enjoying the driving part.

"It's more enjoyable on my end and more enjoyable on all the crewmembers' ends to have the good finishes and have something good to come home to and talk to wives about and look forward to next Monday at work."

Work was certainly enjoyable Friday, as Junior placed the Budweiser Chevrolet in the top-five on the starting grid for the third time in the past four events at the Martinsville bullring. His best career finish came last fall, a fourth-place effort.

A win would garner lofty rank on his resume.

"It's a tough racetrack. It takes a lot from the driver and the crew," Earnhardt said. "You can understand how hard it must be to churn out good consistent stops all day.

"One bad stop on that pit road right there will cost you many more positions than any other racetrack. They're hard to make up here. It's very difficult to pass.

"It used to be so frustrating to watch here when I was younger and would watch with my father, because it's so competitive and so close, so winning a race here, I have a good understanding of what that would mean. It'd be a good accomplishment."

Earnhardt Jr. looking for points lead

"There are still some people that say this team only does well at restrictor plate races, and I say that they are missing the results we have had on all kinds of tracks - especially short tracks -- in the past year or two," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We had two top-fives at Martinsville last year, and we ran near the front for 1,000 laps.

"The first few times we raced here, it wasn't pretty, but we have worked and fought to get better, especially me as a driver, but as a whole team to find a setup that we can race with at the smaller tracks. I don't think anyone should be surprised if we do really well this weekend. If they are surprised, they're not paying attention."

Being high in the points is not really new for Earnhardt Jr., as he was fifth after the first Talladega race last year. But a hard accident at California Speedway knocked Junior and the team for a loop, and they "struggled for a couple of months," Earnhardt Jr. said.

"It's just time to be buckled down, and it's time to look forward to the end of the year," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I plan to be a big part of the team's success all year long by keeping things mellow and together when we're having bad days. We can cuss and throw (stuff) when the season is over with when we didn't get the championship we wanted. Instead of doing it after each race, let's just keep our heads up and go on. That's been pretty good to us up until this point."

Earnhardt Jr. continues 'Dega streak

Earnhardt, who led nine times for 34 laps in a race in which there was a total of 43 lead changes among 16 drivers, fought off challenges at the end from Jimmie Johnson, Ward Burton and Matt Kenseth.

He fought his way into the lead twice in the last four laps, once with a controversial pass below the yellow line on the track apron.

"That was some of the hardest racing I've seen here in a long time," Earnhardt said.

The 28-year-old son of the late Dale Earnhardt, the career leader at Talladega with 10 Winston Cup victories, came up with his first win of the season and the eighth of his career.

Sunday's win broke the record of three in a row on the 2.66-mile oval, set in 1975 and 1976 by Buddy Baker.

"There ain't too many (drivers) ever won four races here, period," Earnhardt said. "I'm stepping into some awful big shoes."

NASCAR requires carburetor restrictor plates at Talladega and Daytona, its two longest and fastest ovals. The plates sap horsepower and produce huge drafts up to four-cars wide in which a multi-car wreck -- sometimes called "The Big One" -- is virtually inevitable.

The crowd of more than 160,000 didn't have long to wait Sunday. A deflated tire sent Ryan Newman's car into the fourth-turn wall on the fifth lap around the high-banked oval and ignited a 27-car accident in the second turn of the fifth of 188 laps.

There were no injuries, but the crash took out or damaged the cars of a number of possible contenders, including Earnhardt, who started at the back of the 43-car field after his DEI team changed his engine after Saturday's final practice.

The No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet had to drive through the infield grass to avoid a worse fate, and it took his crew numerous pit stops and nearly half the race to repair the left front of the car enough to get the prerace favorite back to the front of the pack.

At one point in the early going, Earnhardt had lost the lead pack and was facing the possibility of being lapped until debris on the track brought out another of the six cautions and allowed him to pit for more adjustments.

Late in the race, Earnhardt got caught in traffic slid out of the top five. But he charged back, taking the lead on lap 185 with a controversial pass on Kenseth and Johnson that took him below the yellow line in Turn 1.

It appeared Kenseth's Ford was moving down the banking, pinching Earnhardt toward the apron when he made the pass.

"I couldn't see it at all," Kenseth said. "I have no idea."

Elliott Sadler, who was right behind Earnhardt, said, "I was the one pushing (Earnhardt) and they ran him down. He had to do that or cause a big wreck, so it was a smart move. He's just like his dad driving that car.

"He kept giving me the 'come on, push' sign and I pushed him all I could. We almost had a 1-2 finish, but we'll take third right now."

Rules prohibit passing below the yellow line, but a preliminary ruling by NASCAR was that the pass was legal.

Kenseth, the series points leader, took the lead on lap 186, but Earnhardt pushed back in front on lap 187 and kept the lead, beating Kevin Harvick's Chevy to the finish line by 0.125-seconds -- about two car-lengths.

Sadler was third, followed by Ricky Craven, Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Burton and Jeff Gordon. Kenseth was kicked back to ninth on the final lap, and Johnson, who led a race-high 65 laps, wound up 15th after spinning into the infield grass coming off the fourth turn on lap 187.

Michael Waltrip, Earnhardt's DEI teammate and the winner of the season-opening Daytona 500, ran among the leaders until he crashed on lap 83. Waltrip wound up 24th.

Earnhardt, who also won a Busch Series race here on Saturday, did his part to extend DEI's dominance in restrictor plate races. He and Waltrip have combined to win eight of the last 10 Cup events at Talladega and Daytona.

Earnhardt Jr. coasts to victory

Earnhardt, who has three consecutive Winston Cup victories at Talladega, probably did not have enough gas to win the race under a green flag.

But a caution with two laps to go allowed him to slow enough to conserve fuel by pulling down on the apron and moving his car back and forth to move the gas around. That let him make it across the finish line to go 2-for-2 in Busch Series events this year.

Earnhardt, who won the season-opener at Daytona, ran out of gas right after he crossed the finish line for the Aaron's 312. He needed a push from Jason Keller to make it back around the track.

"We ran out in Turn 1, right after we took the checkers," Earnhardt said. "We had a good car all day long, we just didn't have enough gas if it went green.

"So we really needed that caution, and even then I had to shake it back and forth to get enough gas out of it."

His late father is the all-time winningest driver on NASCAR's longest and fastest track, with 14 victories in three series.

Earnhardt Jr. has inherited his father's mastery of drafting around the 2.66-mile oval and will try to become the first driver to win four straight Winston Cup races at Talladega in Sunday's main event.

"I feel real confident about tomorrow, but going for four in a row is going to be hard to do," he said. "The odds are probably against me, but your heart says to go for it so I'm going to try to do it."

Although he led a race-high 60 laps, his run Saturday was not as dominating as some of his other restrictor-plate wins. He took the lead with 60 laps to go when a fuel-only stop made him the first car out of the pits.

From there, Earnhardt led the lead pack of cars around and around Talladega, anxiously watching the fuel gauge on his No. 8 Chevrolet. With 25 laps to go, his team began to worry he didn't have enough gas.

"Just do the best you can and try to save it," crew chief Kevin Manion radioed him.

Earnhardt's car was donned with a special paint scheme advertising the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert he and his stepmother are organizing in June.

Earnhardt was determined to make his gas last Saturday.

"As a driver, you don't ever want to hear the words, 'You need to conserve fuel,"' he said. "There's never been a class on how to conserve fuel. But we were not coming in for gas, we were in the lead and here to win.

"Taking a third or a fourth or a fifth is good, but not as good when you only run three times a year. Winning is where it's at."

Just when it looked like Earnhardt might come up a lap or two short, Chase Montgomery spun out with eight laps to go to bring out a caution flag that slowed the field -- prime conditions for conserving fuel.

The field went green with four laps to go and Earnhardt got a great jump on the restart to stretch his lead over Joe Nemechek.

Nemechek looked high and low several times to try a pass, but never had enough to make it by. Then Ashton Lewis' car came to a stop on the track, NASCAR threw the yellow flag, and Earnhardt simply had to stretch the gas as he followed the pace car.

"I don't think he was going to make it," Nemechek said. "If he ran out, I was ready to go. But today he got lucky because he made it."

Shane Hmiel, in a sponsor struggle and his team operating on a week-to-week basis, finished third and was followed by Ron Hornaday and Mike Bliss.

Jamie McMurray was sixth, Michael Waltrip seventh, and Mike Wallace, Coy Gibbs and Tina Gordon rounded out the top 10.

Earnhardt Jr. eyes fourth straight Talladega win

Johnson has had his ups and downs at Talladega Superspeedway, site of Sunday's race, and hopes a little help from his Hendrick Motorsports teammates can push him to his first win of the season.

``I almost won the Daytona 500,'' he said. ``If we can keep the DEI cars separated and get some help from one of my teammates, I think we have a shot at the win.''

Johnson did challenge for the win at Daytona, only to finish third after Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip ganged up on him on a restart.

Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief, has put his car on the pole at Talladega for four straight races -- twice with Stacy Compton in 2001 and with Johnson earning the top spot both times last year.

Johnson parlayed his strong start into a seventh-place finish in the spring. But his chances for a win in October were wrecked in the fall in a prerace accident with Mark Martin.

Regardless, he and the rest of the field recognizes that Earnhardt is the clear favorite in the Aaron's 499.

He's won three straight races at Talladega, but isn't talking about a four-peat. After winning three preliminary races in the seven days before the Daytona 500, a failed alternator eliminated him from the main event.

``They can say or write whatever they want, but I'm not going to talk about winning four in a row,'' he said. ``I talked too much at Daytona and it jinxed us. Our record speaks loud enough at Talladega.''

That it does.

In six career starts at Talladega, Earnhardt has led five races for 392 laps. He dominated both events a year ago, leading 240 of the combined 376 total laps. No one in the field could catch him in the spring, when he led 133 of 188 laps to earn a $1 million bonus.

Now the only real question is whether all the parts and pieces on the No. 8 Chevrolet will hold up through the entire Aaron's 499.

``The Daytona race still bothers me, but we'll have a new alternator in the car,'' he said. ``I promise.''

Broken parts are about the only thing that can slow Earnhardt when it comes to restrictor-plate racing. He inherited his father's ability to master drafting through traffic on the 2.66-mile oval and is chasing the late Dale Earnhardt's mark of 10 Winston Cup victories on NASCAR's longest and fastest track.

Earnhardt made restrictor-plate racing a priority for his son, and Talladega was the first track on which he allowed Junior to test a Cup or Busch series car. He gave his son a few hours' notice that they were going and only a quick bit of advice: ``Don't let off the throttle in the turns or you'll crash.''

Since that day, Earnhardt Jr. has excelled at Talladega. The only Winston Cup race he hasn't led at least one lap was his first, in April 2000, when he was involved in an accident when the car in front of him missed a shift as they rolled toward the start.

In the years since, restrictor-plate racing has become paramount at Dale Earnhardt Inc., and the rest of the Winston Cup garage is wondering how to stop the three-car stable.

Although DEI teammate Steve Park has yet to win a plate race, Waltrip has three victories -- all at Daytona, including the season-opening 500 in which Junior was favored.

``I keep expecting the rest of the field to catch up to us, but we're not sitting still,'' he said. ``We're working on our restrictor-plate program just as hard as we always have.''

Earnhardt Jr. working his way into title picture

Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet finished 3.405 seconds behind Ryan Newman's winning Dodge. Junior withstood a "rubbing-is-racing" run through Turns 3 and 4 with Jeff Gordon and secured second position in the seventh event of the 36-race season.

"He knows -- and he's one of few drivers that does -- exactly how much bumper to give somebody," Earnhardt said of Gordon. "I didn't even have to lift. That was pretty clean racing compared to most people out here."

Earnhardt said he positioned his car in such a way that Gordon would have to drive his car underneath him to pass, and in the process said he was counting on Gordon not to wreck him.

"Some guys will rear back and knock the hell out of you, no matter where you land," Earnhardt said. "Jeff knows enough not to do that and he knew that if he had, he'd have to deal with the consequences.

"It's a tough thing to have to watch your back all year waiting for someone to pay you back."

Gordon said the circumstances -- trying to place himself securely the top-10 in the standings -- dictated what he did. In the end, he was successful as his third-place finish enabled him to jump from 10th to sixth.

"If it was for first it would have been a lot different deal," Gordon said. "Since it was for second I'd like to get some points, so I just figured we'd come out and get back to the finish line however we could."

"I pinched him down to the bottom so he couldn't get back in the gas," Earnhardt said. "He could have driven up into the side of me or he could've backed off. He backed off and I got the position."

Earnhardt desperately wants to win his first Winston Cup championship and his recent performances prove his Dale Earnhardt Incorporated team has what it takes.

He has finished second, third, sixth, 16th and second in his last five races and over the last 46 laps of Sunday's race proved he could handle the pressure of a title run.

"To battle with guys like Ryan and Jeff is really mentally tough," Earnhardt said. "You're always thinking and having to do it as you think it. Every five feet you have to make an adjustment.

"When you get in a mental war with another driver that's tougher than anything physical I have ever experienced."

As much as anything, Earnhardt learned to take what he could get rather than fight a fruitless battle and lose a lot more.

"It was pretty exciting," Earnhardt said of laps 289-323, which he led before Newman drove underneath him for the win with 11 laps to go. "My car was tee-total (expletive) there at the end. It was so tight it wouldn't run with the 12 (Newman) or even hold him off.

"I tried to run in his tracks, looking in the mirror all the time so he couldn't get a run on me. I went down into (Turn) 3 that one time and my right front (tire) just give up and I couldn't hold him off."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. To Cameo On "FASTLANE"

VAN AND BILLIE TRY TO HELP DEAQ DEAL WITH PAINFUL MEMORIES ON 'FASTLANE' MARCH 28 ON FOX Dale Earnhardt Jr. Has Cameo Role, Bill Bellamy’s Wife Kristen Baker Guests, Bill Duke Directs Van and Billie realize that Deaq’s older brother’s birthday is fast approaching and his murder has Deaq facing some painful memories. But he’d rather avoid dealing with it, focusing on the case against a ruthless drug lord. Also, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a cameo as himself with Van and Deaq wanting to burn rubber; and Bill Bellamy’s wife, actress Kristen Baker, plays a flight attendant in the episode "Overkill," directed by Bill Duke, on Friday, March 28 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (FAS-119) (TV-14 D, V)

Cast: Peter Facinelli as Van Ray, Bill Bellamy as Deaqon Hayes, Tiffani Thiessen as Billie Chambers.

Guest Cast: Dale Earnhardt Jr. as himself, Roweena King as Adriana, Bokeem Woodbine as Super G, Clarence Williams III as Mr. Hayes, Joan Pringle as Mrs. Hayes, Vondie

Dale Jr. third, climbs back in title picture

But after his second straight week finishing in the top-three, the driver of the Budweiser Chevrolet was in no position to complain.

Earnhardt had the best seat in the house when Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 winner Bobby Labonte and second place Jeff Gordon started banging fenders with 12 laps to go.

"They were just nosing on each other a little bit -- it was great racing," Junior said. "I'll tell you what -- Bobby Labonte has got a lot of nerve to do some of the things he done.

"I've seen him do it before, but I'm always just getting to watch. I want to be part of it someday."

Since he'd run from an out-to-lunch 37th at the start to third at the finish, Earnhardt wasn't overly disappointed at having no prospects to gain from his fellow Chevrolet drivers' collisions.

"I knew them two wouldn't really run over each other," Earnhardt said. "I was hoping they would have run side-by-side a little more, but the 18 (Labonte) had a good car when it counted."

Earnhardt was even more enthused because he had felt like his chances before the race were less than nil.

"I don't think anyone in the history of NASCAR has ever won a race with the setup we had in the car today," he said. "It was really unpredictable, doing one thing one lap and something completely different on another.

"But we got it driving pretty good. It was something we'd never run and I found out afterward that Jeff (Gordon) was running it, too. It was really big front (sway) bars and stuff that I wouldn't have put any faith in.

"What we've had trouble with was consistency for a long run and staying fast for a long run and we were, today."

Earnhardt's proof was in his march up the order. It took him less than 40 laps to make it to the top 10, as the first 135 laps of 325 were run caution free.

He never fell out of the top 10 again and in the end, he picked up eight more spots in the standings to gain the top-10 in the points for the first time this season.

"It was fun," Earnhardt said of coming from the rear. "We didn't let it bother us and we tried to keep our heads up. We had that really interesting set-up in the car and that was a lot more on my mind than the poor qualifying effort we made."

Earnhardt said that in the end, sharp pit work made the difference and both Labonte's and Gordon's crews beat his -- though he refused to beat up his pit crew's efforts. There was a reason he was concerned about getting out front, though.

"With 20 laps to go the aero push just came into play," Junior said. "You could get up to five car lengths behind them and you can't do no better."

Still, after a bitterly disappointing 36th place finish at Daytona, Junior's championship hopes are alive again.

"Oh yeah, this was a great effort for us," Earnhardt said. "We've got a little momentum, hopefully, because there's some tough tracks coming up. Third place was good for us."

Opinion: It's all charisma

Of the numerous stories produced by the season's first two weeks, one intrigues me like none other. It suggests that the stars are whacked plumb out of line, that the devil has purchased a pair of ice skates and that Babe the pig is soon to zoom by outside my airplane window:

Suddenly, it seems many NASCAR fans feel Dale Earnhardt Jr. is over-commercialized, that his on-track performance simply doesn't justify the hype surrounding his life and career.

Hence, the haters have a new target. One of the hottest commodities in the history of the sport has naysayers -- and not just a few, either.

In the minds of some, Junior has become the Creed of NASCAR.

Translation for those not stuck in 1987: Creed was an obscure Tallahassee, Fla., alt/rock band that hit it big at the turn of the millennium, only to have mainstream radio spin their music so often that it became akin to scratching fingernails down a chalkboard for anyone but die-hard fans.

In like manner, the saturation of Junior-related topics in industry media outlets has turned some former allies against him.

Hear this, loud and clear: I am not one of those people, so don't go getting your tighty whities all in a bunch.

To steal a line from my former colleague: Mo' Earnhardt is mo' better. Trying to convince me otherwise would be like persuading Jimmy Spencer to put down a Moon Pie.

In a world of sponsorship-driven, politically correct fluff that makes us all want to gag, Earnhardt sticks to his guns and speaks his mind, consequences be damned.

In a sport that depends on money like none other, his celebrity draws attention from major corporations who had never heard of NASCAR before they saw Junior in Rolling Stone or tooling around his house on MTV.

He's simply good for NASCAR, especially as the sanctioning body continues to chart new waters in an attempt to grow the sport.

Don't believe me? Ask them:

"I think Dale Jr. is one of the most refreshing things that's happened to NASCAR in years and years," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president for corporate communications. "I think people might be prone to expect too much of him, too soon.

"I think his real fans and the people how really know him, know he hasn't been racing on these superspeedways that long. I think people have such great expectations out of Dale Jr. that if he doesn't win, they're disappointed.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not realistic. He's still learning his way around a lot of these tracks, and as most veterans will tell you, it takes a while.

"In the mean time, I think his popularity is absolutely great for the sport, because he has a popularity that not that many of our drivers achieve. He has connected with the fans. I'd say his detractors are probably fans of other drivers."

Certainly so. I can understand why the Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett and Bill Elliott fans out there are tired of seeing, hearing and reading about Junior. Your drivers have paid decades of dues and are out-performing him on the racetrack, but he continues to excel commercially.

Why aren't they in the headlines? Because they're not rock stars, that's why.

It's not Junior's fault Drakkar sought him out and made him look like James Dean in every magazine from here to Bangor, Maine. It's not his fault Playboy dialed him up and asked him he'd like to photograph a trio of identical centerfold sisters.

That said, I feared the backlash. Earnhardt has come so far, so fast, without consistent success behind the wheel of a race car. Most say it's because of his name, that he's ridden his daddy's coattails to fame, that he wouldn't even be in Winston Cup if not for a legendary surname.

If I didn't have it in writing, I wouldn't believe it. For years, any time the subject of my rant turned to Junior, my email inbox was flooded with "atta boys" and "hell yeahs" and "you're the only one who gets it."

Word. I still get it. Here's your proof:

Currently, I am squished into an airplane seat like toothpaste in a tube en route to Vegas, alongside some guy spouting eternal to a pretty lady in the window seat to be certain to catch her shows early in the week, "before all the rednecks show up."

Then, he turns to me and sees the image of Ryan Newman's horrific accident at Daytona that serves as my computer's desktop wallpaper. After his face turned 14 shades of red, he looked at me and said, "Sorry, man. I don't know anything about NASCAR except Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr."

Enough said, buddy.

Don't hate the player. Hate the game.

Park to drive Busch race for Dale Jr. at Vegas

Chance 2 Motorsports and Steve Park will team up for five races for the 2003 season beginning in Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 8 Maxwell House Chevrolet.

Park started driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 1997, emerging from the Northeast Modified Series.

His NASCAR Busch Series rookie season in the No. 3 ACDelco Chevrolet, Park had three wins and four second place finishes, ending the year third in 1997 Busch Series point standings.

Park left the Busch Series where he continues to drive full time in the Winston Cup Series for Dale Earnhardt Inc. for the 1998 season.

Crew Chief Kevin Manion and Park have been close friends for years. Manion moved from New York to Mooresville, N.C in 1996, and one year later he was working on Park's Busch team.

When Park went to race in the Winston Cup Series, Manion moved with him as the car chief on the No. 1 Pennzoil team.

Until this season the two have been together daily over the past six years. It will be like old times in Las Vegas for the two of them.

"It seems we both went full circle, working in the Modified Series together, moving to different states, working at DEI, now we are back together again for five races." says Manion. "I am really looking forward to the Las Vegas race, it's going to be a lot of fun."

Co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will step out of the driver's seat to take on the responsibilities of being a car owner.

"I am really pumped up about sitting on top of the pit box, now I can get a new appreciation for what the guys do during the race, says Earnhardt Jr. "I will be able to learn what it's like to be on the other side of the wall."

This is the first time in over a decade that Dale Jr. has watched a race from the pit box. He feels it is important for him to be up there supporting Park, Manion, and the team.

This is the third race for Chance 2 Motorsports since its creation. Richmond and Daytona were the first two races for Chance 2, with victories in both, with co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving the car.

Chance 2 Motorsports was created in August of 2002 by Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., for research and development; and so Dale Jr. can race more restrictor plate races.

Chance 2 is currently scheduled to run eight NASCAR Busch Series races and three NASCAR Winston Cup races this season.

Another poor finish for Earnhardt Jr.

After dominating the first 11 days of Speedweeks at Daytona, Junior entered the Daytona 500 as an overwhelming choice to run away with the Great American Race.

But nearing the midway point, an alternator problem drained his primary battery of power, forcing him to pit under the green flag. He lost two laps changing batteries, and when the rain showers ended the event prematurely he was a lap down in 36th position.

His fortunes got no better Sunday at Rockingham.

Junior started the weekend well, qualifying 12th for the Subway 400 at a track where his average starting position is 24th. But things quickly soured. Riding along mid-pack early in the event, Junior got together with Jeff Gordon, smashing in the left front fender of the No. 8 Chevrolet.

The resulting flat tire forced the day's first caution, and began what would be a day to forget for Junior.

"Jeff come up into the left-front fender and knocked the left-front fender in on the tire," said Junior. "We blew the left-front tire out. That just set us in all kinds of trouble, as far as trying to fix that.

"I'm not mad at Jeff or anything, but that was kind of a bull (expletive) move. But you've got to do what you've got to do on this track. It's so damn wore out you can't even race on it."

That was just the beginning. In all, Junior was involved in four of the day's seven caution periods. On lap 174 ,he spun on the backstretch to bring out the day's fifth caution.

Then on lap 276 he got together with Jeremy Mayfield in Turn 2. Finally, on lap 299 Gordon hit him in the rear in Turn 4, forcing the right rear of the No. 8 Chevrolet hard into the outside wall and sending Gordon spinning into the infield grass.

In the end, he finished three laps down in 33rd position.

"We just didn't have a good car, kept spinning out," he said. "I don't think we've had a good finish here since I started racing. Expectations weren't high."

During the weeks leading up to the 2003 Winston Cup Series season, Earnhardt, Jr. was adamant that the No. 8 team was of championship caliber. But after starting the season with two finishes outside the top-30, a difficult task is made even tougher.

Heading to Las Vegas Junior ranks 38th in points, 221 points behind leader Kurt Busch. Sunday's race winner Dale Jarrett ranks second, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip.

"We were just chasing the handle on the race car all day long," Junior said. "We'll just have to get out of here and go to Vegas."

Junior's fast car done in by a ``$2 part''

For 36th place.

Junior had one of the fastest cars Sunday at the Daytona 500. He was the favorite -- not only in the minds of the experts, but in the hearts of the fans. He was going for an unprecedented sweep of four races during the same week at NASCAR's most famous track.

But his alternator failed and, alas, Earnhardt got another dose of a lesson his dad learned so many times at this track and every great driver in this sport has always known:

``The fastest car doesn't always win,'' said his crew chief, Tony Eury Sr.

Earnhardt again was star-crossed at Daytona -- the scene of some of his family's greatest triumphs and, of course, the ultimate tragedy: his father's death.

Despondent after finishing 36th in a 43-car race he could have won, Earnhardt waited several hours to offer comment (and even then, only through a spokesman).

``It's really heartbreaking to do so well and then have something like that go wrong,'' Earnhardt said. ``We know that this kind of thing happens to champions.''

But there were no championships to celebrate on this day. Just a lot of rain and a harsh reminder of what might have been in a race that was shortened to 109 laps.

Earnhardt knew there was trouble on the restart after the first rain delay. The engine wouldn't crank and Earnhardt needed a push from a tow truck to get started.

A few laps later, the battery ran out of juice, and the crew replaced it during a time-wasting unscheduled pit stop.

After the second red flag, Eury said the crew members figured they were in good shape.

When an alternator goes, it saps power directly out of the battery to run the fans, blowers and other electrical equipment. But the crew members knew they had enough juice in the new battery to finish the race. Or, under an even better scenario, they knew they could replace the alternator in less than two minutes during a yellow flag. That meant Earnhardt could get his problems solved and stay one lap behind the leaders.

``He'd have made up the lap with no problem,'' Eury said.

But Earnhardt never got the chance.

NASCAR officials called the race, allowing Earnhardt's teammate, Michael Waltrip, to celebrate his second Daytona 500 victory in three years.

Junior now is 0-for-4 in NASCAR's biggest race -- nowhere near the 0-for-20 string his father went through before finally winning in 1998, but frustrating nonetheless.

``That's why it took Dale Earnhardt (20) years to win,'' Eury said. ``Sometimes, it's just a $2 part.''

Junior's troubles caused a stir of optimism elsewhere on the track. As expected, he had moved to the front early in this race and led 22 laps.

Then, the quick slide back began.

``Everybody's eyes lit up,'' second-place finisher Kurt Busch said. ``Everyone's foot got heavy. It was a whole new race.''

Great news for them, but not for Earnhardt, who won the Budweiser Shootout last weekend, the 125-mile qualifying race on Thursday and the Busch Grand National series race Saturday to put himself on the threshold of history. Only Fireball Roberts had ever won four races during Speed Weeks at Daytona, and nobody had won four under the current format.

``You can win everything at Daytona, but the 500 is another kind of deal entirely,'' Earnhardt said. ``It took my dad 20 times to win this thing. Hopefully, we're not going to have to wait that long, but it just seems like weird things happen in this race.''

Junior proves point even in loss

Dale Earnhardt Sr. would have been proud, too, to see the way Junior handled his bad luck Sunday and helped a teammate win the Daytona 500.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. came to Daytona feeling he still had something to prove -- to fans, to the rest of the racing world, maybe a little to himself. He wanted to be taken seriously as a driver, not be seen as a star in name only who loved the fast life more than the fast lane.

He left without the big trophy but not without making his point.

Junior outdrove everyone with three victories during Speed Weeks, only to get stopped Sunday by the simplest of problems -- a dead battery. A $100,000 car with a lousy $100 part.

His dad would have empathized. One year he lost the Daytona 500 by running into a seagull. Another year he cut a tire on the last lap.

What would have pleased his father immensely was the way his son, two laps back, roared ahead on the inside to help teammate Michael Waltrip draft into the lead past Jimmie Johnson on the 106th lap.

It was a sloppy, choppy race, this rain-soaked Daytona 272 1/2 that ended under a caution after just 109 of the scheduled 200 laps. But it was huge for Dale Earnhardt Inc., for Waltrip and, in a way, for Junior, who had led from the 43rd lap to the 64th before his battery failed.

If he couldn't win, he could at least help his friend and teammate with the kind of move that serious drivers make.

In winning the Busch Series race Saturday, Earnhardt looked as if he were cruising in the country, not bothered by the havoc behind him. There was fire and smoke, spinouts and crashes, and for all anyone could tell, he could have been singing along with songs on the radio as he took the lead on lap 54 and stayed in front the rest of the way.

He was the same in the 500, enjoying views of the race on the five Jumbotrons around the track while he was ahead.

``It bugs me,'' he said of the way fans and critics perceived him. ``But you've got to know me to understand where I came from and how I came to become a driver and how I've watched the sport eat other people alive. It may eat me alive, but I'm going to win my races and try to go get my championship. I ain't going to get an ulcer over it.''

Junior got nothing handed to him as a kid and his father was more often traveling than staying home to coach him. When Junior and his half-brother, Kerry, decided to be drivers, they had to prove themselves on their own. They got their fingernails dirty, built their own cars, put together their own crews and raced around North Carolina short tracks.

Their father encouraged them, helping out with used equipment, but didn't make it too easy. Yet Dale Sr. couldn't have been prouder than when Junior won his first Winston Cup race, hugging his son and smiling and saying it felt better than anything he, himself, had ever won.

When Junior says he saw the sport ``eat other people alive'' he means drivers who had talent and no sponsors, or sponsors and no luck. He means his father, the greatest driver in Daytona history, who didn't win the 500 until his 20th start in 1998, finishing second five times before that.

Junior was a teenager when his father led the 500 until cutting a tire on a piece of metal with half a lap to go. Earnhardt limped home fifth as Derrick Cope grabbed the victory.

``It hurt,'' Earnhardt Jr. said. ``Those were tough, tough times. It was awful.''

The Intimidator, for all his popularity and all the sympathy his hard luck won him, agonized about it until he finally won the Daytona 500 -- three years before he was killed at 49 in a collision on the last lap.

Whatever happened in his own career, however the luck played out and the public perceived him, Junior was determined not to let it give him an ulcer. Still, he couldn't ignore it.

``When you read in a magazine that people say, 'Well, if he matures and he goes after it, he can get it.' It upsets me that I don't have that perception already,'' he said after the Busch victory. ``But it's hard to change that. It's something you won't change overnight. And it was my attitude in creating some kind of partying persona that's failed me a little bit now.''

Junior's ``Club E'' in his basement, his love of a good time and touch of a wild streak, gave some people the impression he wasn't as serious about being a great driver as he was about being a star. He reinforced the image last week by agreeing to be the guest celebrity photographer for Playboy.com at a session with former Playmates Erica, Nicole and Jaclyn Dahm.

It was the same kind of commercially inspired ``image is everything'' rap that Andre Agassi had to overcome from his early years in tennis. Agassi outgrew that perception, becoming a player and a man of substance. Earnhardt has already begun to do the same.

Like father, like son

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has followed his late father as perhaps the best superspeedway racer in Winston Cup action, and few can dispute the kid is the favorite going into Sunday's race.

His father won seven Winston Cup championships and 76 races before his death here two years ago. He often said none of his accomplishments was more precious to him than winning the 1998 Daytona 500.

It took the elder Earnhardt 17 tries to win NASCAR's biggest event, although he came close several times. Junior doesn't plan to wait that long, yet he's somewhat amazed to be in position to do it on his fourth try.

"The strange thing about it for me, though, is that I have a chance to win it so early, and Dad came in for years and years," the 28-year-old scion said.

Earnhardt Jr. pointed out that his father didn't have a strong ride here for most of his early years and didn't become a real contender until his second stint driving for Richard Childress began in 1984.

After that, Earnhardt became a dominant force at Daytona, winning every preliminary race and the July Cup race multiple times. But he couldn't seem to make the magic happen in the race he wanted most.

In 1990, The Intimidator was leading until running over a piece of metal and blowing a tire with half a lap to go. That gave the victory to Derrick Cope and broke Earnhardt's heart again.

"I was a teenager and I remember how hard it was and, I mean, it hurt," Junior said. "When he cut the tire in front of Cope that year, those were tough, tough times. It was awful. It just ruined the whole deal."

The heartache he saw and felt over his dad's near-misses, and the joy he experienced when his father finally won, have made the season-opening race just as special to Junior.

"Going through that, I realize how big this race is," he said.

Acknowledging his role as the favorite, Junior added, "I'm probably going to look back 10 or 15 years from now and wish I had a chance to do it all over again if I don't win this race because I'm going to have all this experience and go, 'Man, what the heck?'

"Hopefully, I'll win it and I won't have to worry about that."

If he does win Sunday, it will take more than pure speed.

NASCAR requires carburetor restrictor plates at Daytona to keep the cars under 200 mph, an effort to make the race safer for drivers and spectators.

An unwanted side-effect of the horsepower-sapping plates is bunching the field in huge packs with cars drafting two- and three-wide at up to 190 mph. A spectacular multicar crash is virtually a given during races here and at Talladega Superspeedway, the only other track where the plates are used.

"All it takes is to lose your focus for a moment," said two-time Daytona 500 winner and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon. "It's hard to hold your breath for three hours, but that's what it feels like."

NASCAR's solution to pack racing is a small fuel cell, forcing the cars to pit more often and, hopefully, stringing out the field. The tanks -- 13 gallons as opposed to the usual 22 -- were first used last fall at Talladega and the results were mixed.

Thursday's twin 125-mile qualifying races were the first time the drivers got to see the effects of the smaller tank on Daytona's 21/2-mile oval. It was the first time in more than a decade that a pit stop was needed in the 50-lap races.

Jeff Green will start at the front of the 43-car field alongside Earnhardt Jr., who won his qualifier. Green finished second to teammate Robby Gordon in his 125, losing the lead when Gordon outbraked him coming in for their pit stops.

"It's so much a different track than Talladega. Handling comes into play so much here," Green said. "It really pushes the front end off the corner and, if your car is handling, that singles cars out, too. It's going to get down to maybe 10 cars you have to race instead of 40."

If that scenario develops, it's likely the cars at the front will include Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip, as well as Richard Childress Racing drivers Green and Robby Gordon.

The elder Earnhardt won all but one of his championships while driving for Childress, and he and his car owner always put a particular emphasis on the plate races.

DEI was founded by the elder Earnhardt, who continued to drive for Childress until his death, and it has placed the same priority on the Daytona and Talladega events.

Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip have combined for six wins in the last eight plate races, with Junior winning the 2001 July race at Daytona and the last three 500-milers at Talladega. Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500 and added a victory here in July 2002.

There's no guarantee, though, that those two teams, which also include RCR's Kevin Harvick and DEI's Steve Park, will dominate Sunday.

Tony Stewart, the 2002 Winston Cup champion, will begin defense of that title in a race in which he has failed to finish better than 17th in four tries. He was the favorite last year, but his engine blew up after two laps and he wound up last.

Other contenders in the big field are Jeff Gordon and other former Daytona winners Sterling Marlin, Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliott and Ward Burton, last year's winner.

The Roush Racing trio of Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth can't be overlooked, either. Martin finished second to Stewart in points; Busch finished the season as the hottest driver, winning three of the last five races; and Kenseth led the 2002 series with five wins.

Then there are last year's rookie stars, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson, both of whom finished in the top six in points.

The lineup also includes Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd, winless here in 20 and 25 starts. Six rookies also dot the field, including Brazilian Indy-car star Christian Fittipaldi, 2002 Busch Series champion Greg Biffle, three-time Craftsman Truck Series champion Jack Sprague, and Jamie McMurray, who ran a handful of races last year and won in his second start, the quickest victory in NASCAR history.

Wallace starts 38th, 30 positions lower than he thought he would be. His team was fined $10,000 and his car disqualified from his qualifying race for an illegal carburetor.

Earnhardt Jr., RCR drivers heal Daytona rift

The matter in question was raised Thursday after Junior won the second Gatorade 125-mile qualifying race at DIS. During the post-victory press conference, Junior questioned the appreciation Harvick and Jeff Green had for car owner Richard Childress:

"I will always wish Richard well. I don't necessarily see eye-to-eye with every one of his drivers," Junior said Thursday. "They ain't been there that long, and they might not be there for much longer.

"Jeff and Harvick were too competitive at times with each other (in 2002). You've got Richard Childress over there busting his (butt) for all these years to get what he's got, and I don't think those guys appreciate what an opportunity they have."

The motorsports media was taken aback by Earnhardt Jr.'s statement, triggering a frenzy to get to the bottom of the predicament.

Simply put, Junior misspoke. Hence, he sought Harvick and Green out Saturday prior to the NASCAR Busch Series event, explained himself and made amends.

Case closed.

"It's dead," said Harvick, Saturday's third-place finisher. "What he said isn't what he meant. Unfortunately it got turned into something bigger. He apologized that it got out of hand. Everything's fine now.

"He knows that Richard Childress made Richard Childress Racing what it is with Dale Earnhardt. Dale Earnhardt made DEI what it is. We all understand that. We all respect that.

"We directly appreciate everything Richard's done for us. (Junior) directly appreciates everything Richard's done for him. That's the way it is."

"I didn't mean to piss 'em off, but I guess what I said would piss somebody off. It'd piss me off," added Junior, who by winning Saturday's affair gave himself the opportunity to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win all four events he's entered in at Daytona.

"I talked to 'em. We all qualified in the top three, so I saw 'em today and talked to them. What I said and what I wanted to say was two different things. I was a little asinine in here the other day, but sometimes you do that."

So what did he mean to say?

"The question that was asked me was if they could out-duel us in a drafting battle between me and Michael (Waltrip). And I felt like me and Michael had more experience at it because we've worked together more often.

"I didn't intentionally want to take a stab at any one driver or any group of drivers. I wasn't in the best mood that day, either, but that don't matter. I just run my mouth a little too much.

"My point was that if me and Michael team up tomorrow that everybody else on the track will just be bowing for third. I didn't upset Richard too much, and that was the one I really worried about."

Earnhardt stays perfect at Daytona

Junior put himself in position for the sweep on Saturday, winning the Koolerz 300 Busch Series race for the second straight year.

He is the first driver to win back-to-back Busch races here since his late father got his fifth in a row in 1994.

This was also Junior's third victory at Daytona International Speedway in eight days, including the Bud Shootout and a 125-mile qualifying race for Sunday's Daytona 500.

Three times, Dale Earnhardt Sr. won all the preliminary races, only to come up short in the Daytona 500 -- a race he didn't win until his 20th try. Now, his son is poised for a sweep during Speed Weeks -- something no one else has accomplished under NASCAR's current format.

"I'm a little nervous because nobody's ever done it," Junior said, when asked about winning them all. "It doesn't bode well for tomorrow, but we've got a good car and we'll go in with a good attitude."

The only competition Earnhardt hasn't won this week is pole qualifying for Sunday's race. He'll start second, beside Jeff Green, but he still goes in as the favorite to win NASCAR's biggest race.

"With the success we've had up to this point this Speed Weeks, we've got to be the favorite," Earnhardt said.

In Saturday's race, Earnhardt got out front just past halfway and stayed there. A four-car accident two laps from the end put the 120-lap, 300-mile race under a caution flag for the final trip around the 2.5-mile oval, with Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet driving slowly across the finish line behind the pace car.

"It feels great," Earnhardt said. "Weonly an occasional starter in the Busch Series, took the lead from Kevin Harvick in the leaders' pit stops during a caution period on lap 54. He led the rest of the way and was never really challenged.

The win on Saturday gives Junior five total race victories at Daytona, including the 2001 Pepsi 400. But the third-generation driver is still far behind his father's Daytona-record 34 wins. The elder Earnhardt won the Busch race seven times.

Harvick came back to finish third, despite a penalty -- for leaving the pits with a gas catchcan stuck in the car -- that sent him all the way to 30th place on lap 81.

"You can't make a mistake and expect to beat the best of the best," he said.

Junior averaged 143.770 mph on the way to his 16th Busch Series victory. It was also the 28-year-old driver's third victory in his last four Busch starts. He was the series champion in 1998 and 1998 before moving up to the Winston Cup series.

It was his second win as a team owner.

"This (car) is my little baby, in a way," Dale Jr. said, grinning. "I'm real proud of my team. None of them have a whole lot of experience and they were real nervous about making some kind of a mistake on pit road.

"I got behind Kevin early in the race and couldn't get past him," he added. "I knew I needed to get out front to win and I kept getting two tires all the race. It was something I did last year and it worked out great."

With the late crash shaking up the top 10, Mike Wallace wound up fourth, followed by Jamie McMurray, Bodine, Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Kasey Kahne.

Green was subbing for pole-winner Joe Nemechek, who sat out the race with the flu. Green, who started from the back of the pack, saw his day end when Scott Riggs bumped him from behind and sent his car spinning into the wall.

Michael Waltrip also was a victim of someone else's mistake. Vasser, riding at the top of a three-wide draft, bounced off the wall and hit Randy Lajoie, who slammed into Waltrip and sent him hard into the wall."

Stacy Compton had the most spectacular crash of the day. He banged the outside wall coming off turn four and the engine compartment and underside of his car burst into flame.

The fire continued to roar and the smoke bellow out until Compton got the car stopped in the infield grass nearly halfway down the back straightaway.

All the drivers except Keller were checked and released in the infield medical center. Keller was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital to be checked for a possible concussion.

Earnhardt Jr. shoots to the front

Earnhardt appeared able to wheel his red No. 8 Chevrolet to the front any time he wanted, staying at or near the lead throughout the 70-lap made-for-TV event at Daytona International Speedway.

Little E was already considered the favorite to win the Daytona 500 pole on Sunday and to win the big race on Feb. 16. His performance in the first Shootout under the lights didn't hurt that speculation.

With Gordon, a two-time Shootout winner, leading at the start of lap 66, Earnhardt, with some drafting help from Ryan Newman, took the outside line on the high-banked 21/2-mile oval and charged to the front.

Gordon pushed his Chevy hard the last five laps, trying to get back past Earnhardt, but he never quite caught the high-flying third-generation driver.

Asked about taking the lead, Junior said, "I can't remember, there was so much happening the last two laps," Earnhardt said when asked about his move to the lead. "But I stayed out front. That's a tough win."

It was only the second time Earnhardt has qualified for the non-points race featuring the previous year's Winston Cup pole winners and former Shootout champions. Last year, he finished second to Tony Stewart.

Earnhardt, who started last in the lineup determined by a blind draw, was hemmed in at the rear for a few laps, but finally broke free and began to move forward by diving to the bottom of the banking and making a three-wide pass.

He moved steadily forward and took the lead for the first time on the 16th of 70 laps, passing the Ford of Kurt Busch, who had led from lap five.

Under a new format, the 19 starters in the 25th Shootout raced for 20 laps, then took a 10-minute intermission, during which their crews were allowed to make any changes to the car they wanted.

After the break, Earnhardt found himself in a battle with Busch's teammate, Matt Kenseth. The pair exchanged the lead five times before Gordon, who started just ahead of Earnhardt at the rear of the field, raced to the front.

Gordon stayed in the lead until all the cars pitted on lap 51. With some teams putting in gas only, others taking two tires and Jimmie Johnson taking four tires, there was considerable shuffling.

Mark Martin and Ken Schrader came out of the pits on top, with Gordon fifth and Earnhardt sixth.

It took Gordon until lap 56 to get back out front, with Earnhardt biding his time after following Busch up to third on lap 59.

Earnhardt was actually fourth at the start of lap 66, but took the line at the top of the banking and shot past Rusty Wallace, Busch and Gordon to take the lead for good.

"I was looking good with five to go," Gordon said. "But Junior is so strong on these restrictor- plate tracks."

NASCAR uses the plates at Daytona and Talladega, it's two longest and fastest ovals, to sap horsepower and keep the cars under 200 mph in the interest of safety.

Earnhardt's late father, a seven-time Winston Cup champion, was a master of the plate tracks. The younger Earnhardt is probably the best on those tracks today.

He has won four of the last eight plate races at the two big tracks and finished second to Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip in two others.

"This is a drivers' track sometimes, and you have to know what you are doing, especially when the tires get worn," Earnhardt said. "I love this track.

"This is like coming home to your mom from college or something. It's great to be back here."

Earnhardt, who won $205,000, beat Gordon to the finish line by 0.180 seconds -- about four car-lengths. There were no caution flags and the winner averaged 180.827 mph.

Kenseth finished third, followed by Newman, 2002's top rookie; defending Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton, Schrader and Johnson _ who came from last after the break.

The only driver who didn't finish was Geoffrey Bodine, who started from the pole but came in after just three laps because of a broken suspension.

Stewart, who won the 2002 Winston Cup championship in a Pontiac, had a disappointing night in the debut of his Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. He never challenged for the lead and wound up 15th.

There were 13 lead changes among seven drivers in a race that featured considerable two- and three-wide racing and passing in the pack on nearly ever lap.

Dale Jr. wins Budweiser Shootout!

Earnhardt appeared able to wheel his red No. 8 Chevrolet to the front any time he wanted, staying at or near the lead throughout the 70-lap made-for-TV event at Daytona International Speedway.

Little E was already considered the favorite to win the Daytona 500 pole on Sunday and to win the big race on Feb. 16. His performance in the first Shootout under the lights didn't hurt that speculation.

With Gordon, a two-time Shootout winner, leading at the start of lap 66, Earnhardt, with some drafting help from Ryan Newman, took the outside line on the high-banked 2.5-mile oval and charged to the front.

Gordon pushed his Chevy hard the last five laps, trying to get back past Earnhardt, but he never quite caught the high-flying third-generation driver.

Asked about taking the lead, Junior said,

"I can't remember, there was so much happening the last two laps," Earnhardt said when asked about his move to the lead. "But I stayed out front. That's a tough win."

It was only the second time Earnhardt has qualified for the non-points race featuring the previous year's Winston Cup pole winners and former Shootout champions. Last year, he finished second to Tony Stewart.

Diverse field gunning for Junior in NBS opener

Makes for an interesting field, doesn't it? And could make for an interesting race -- if Junior wasn't around.

Joe Nemechek, who starts on the pole, was quiet until he qualified, and then he made a lot of noise. Nemechek has won four straight Busch Series poles at Daytona and could be Earnhardt Jr.'s main nemesis Saturday.

Kevin Harvick, who starts third, hopes to spoil the fun for Junior, too.

Harvick, the 2001 Busch Series champion, could be tough in Richard Childress Racing's Chevrolet. Fellow Winston Cup drivers Matt Kenseth (starting sixth) and Michael Waltrip (seventh) could be strong, too.

Beyond the Winston Cup guys and a few Busch veterans like Ron Hornaday, Randy LaJoie and some others are a lot of question marks. There are several drivers making their first Daytona start, like 1996 CART champion Jimmy Vasser.

Vasser, driving for the new Braun Racing team, is making his first NASCAR start, too. And he qualified a strong fifth. Vasser's teammate, Chad Blount, starts from ninth in his Busch Series debut.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Mike Bliss and Coy Gibbs start 11th and 12th, respectively. The last time we saw these two guys was in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Busch Series champion Greg Biffle has moved up to Winston Cup, and in his place is Stanton Barrett. Barrett has made 54 Busch Series starts, but only two at Daytona -- and the last was in 1998.

"Everybody wants to win, but we want to come out of the race with a complete race car and try to run for some points so we can go into the next few races without feeling we have to make up a deficit," said Barrett, who starts 26th.

"It's a scary race as far as wrecks go, and you usually have no control of them, and you usually just get caught in the middle of them.

"We want to stay clean and gather up as many points as possible so we have some momentum going in the first part of the season.

"There are so many competitive cars that a lot of good cars are going to come out of here with a lot of points, and we need to try to be one of those cars."

But you can't come out of Daytona with a lot of points if you get caught up in a wreck.

"It's a track that rewards patience, which is a good reminder for us drivers, especially at the beginning of the season," Harvick said. "You're so happy to be back racing after being out of the car for a few months it's easy to get wound up, and that's when you put yourself in bad situations.

"It's a clich?, but you have to be around on the last lap to win. Daytona's really good at reminding you of that fact."

There are a lot of drivers who need to hear Harvick's message, rookies and veterans alike. One mistake, and bang! you're in the wall.

OK, now forget that you'd forgotten about Dale Earnhardt Jr. He's the favorite, but that doesn't mean he'll win. With all the inexperience in the field, Junior could get caught up on someone else's mistake.

Heck, he could make a mistake on his own. This is Daytona, after all.

Daytona Twin 125: Dale Earnhardt Jr press conference

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT SWEEPING THE WEEK? "I thought somebody had already done that. It seems like to me every time we do something good it stacks the odds against us even worse to win the '500.' I feel like we've got as good a chance as anybody else and I hope we win it. The Busch car is really good. We've got a competitive Busch car. We didn't come down here and dominate like everybody expected us to do from our test session. But, I think we've got a good car. We can do well in that race and do well in the '500.' The '500' is all about parity and trying not be part of it. A lot of things happen while you're out there running. It's a long, long race. It seems like it's probably the longest race of the season and it has so many parts to it. There are sections to each race that are defining moments in the outcome. The guys that I saw up front last year, I didn't expect them to be contenders, so I'm going to try to figure out what the equation is to end up up front. But, it ain't just 'run

"I want to win anything I'm competing in. I'm a terrible loser. I'm competitive in everything. I was disappointed we didn't get the pole, especially to get beat by Jeff Green, who wasn't somebody you expected to get beat by. Congratulations to him - nothing against or taken away from him. But, that's just my competitiveness. We go into the '500' being the favorite to win the race and somebody who is going to get a lot of exposure in the first, early portions of the race and we just want to be able to back it up. We're in a good position. We're in a good position to win.

"I want to win the Busch race and the Cup race. We spent an awful lot of money to come down and try to run second."

IS THIS YOUR RACE TO LOSE? "We lost it last year. It was our race to lose last year. We ran over something that came out from under Michael's car. There is not much you can do about that. I can't say I knew it was coming. It's just so weird. Everybody puts so much emphasis on this race and you talk about the favorite to win. It's not easy to win it. You're singling out one event that you'll run 20, 30 times, maybe, in a full career. What are the chances that you're going to win the race with everything that can happen in 500 miles? That's like saying, 'Before my career is over I'm not going to be satisfied unless I win at Watkins Glen?'

"What are the odds there? You really stacking yourself up against some pretty strong odds. I realize that reality. But, again, I know our potential. We can win this race. We go in there with a good attitude and we go in there and make good pit stops and I take it easy on the car, no matter whether I'm pitting or drafting or side by side or three wide - I've got to keep in mind that I need to see the checkered flag. I hope we're fortunate. I hope we get the breaks to win."

HOW MUCH DOES THIS RACE MEAN TO YOU, KNOWING YOUR FATHER'S HISTORY HERE? "It means as much to me. The strange thing about it for me, though is that I have a chance to win it so early and dad came in for years and years. He had a great car when he ran for (Rod) Osterlund, but from there on out he really came down here with less of a chance to win. Once he got with Richard they started improving and improving and it got to where they could come down here and run great in Speedweeks, but just couldn't wrap up the '500.' I'm remember as a kid or as a teenager, I'm remembers how hard it was and, I mean, it hurt. When he cut the tire in front of [Derrike] Cope that year - those were tough, tough times. It was awful. It just ruined the whole deal. But, everybody here can look back at that day and remember what it felt like and you can imagine what it felt like for him. Going through that I realize how big this race is. But, it's weird for me because I've got a chance to win it so early and don'

ON THE TEAMMATES AT RCR "I don't have a problem with any of them guys, but they've just got a volatile little situation over there. It's tough having a teammate. Teammates can be good, teammates can be bad, teammates can be worse to you or for you than just a regular other competitor. You've got to know how to compliment each other. You've got to know how to work with each other. What I was upset with last year was how they worked against each other and didn't compliment each other. Jeff and Harvick were too competitive with each other at times. You've got Richard Childress over there busting his ass for all these years to get what he's got and I don't think those guys appreciate what the man is in this sport and the opportunity they have in his race cars."

HOW IS THE NEW GARAGE ACCESS POLICY WORKING FOR YOU? "I've seen a massive difference - a huge difference - in the new policy. They made a change and it's evident. When you walk into that garage during practice or just before practice, it's very easy to get around, very easy to work and talk with the guys. I can get out of the car and talk to the team and not look around and have people piercing in on the conversation with stares and whatnot, and just kind of being apart of a conversation that doesn't pertain to them. It's a lot of fun, us working together. As easy as it is for mine and Tony (Eury) Jr.'s fuses to get short with each other, this has really helped us out."

Earnhardt Jr. wins second 125-miler

Teammate Michael Waltrip finished second. Todd Bodine was third, and Rusty Wallace was fourth.

Kurt Busch spun out on pit road in the race's only incident. Busch shot onto pit road at the last second, trapping him on the outside, and turned into Kevin Harvick.

Harvick suffered damage and had to pit under green later in the event and finished 25th, 10 laps down.

Dale Jr. approaches NBS with different mindset

In short, it's a joyride compared to Winston Cup.

"The effort you put in over here and the effort you put in (in Winston Cup) are two different things. It's amazing," Earnhardt Jr. said Wednesday after qualifying second for the Koolerz 300 NBS event.

"As a driver the desire and the hunger to win is there, but not for the same reasons, I guess. You still go after it as hard, just not for the same reasons. I can't pinpoint the difference between the two.

"There's just not a lot of pressure and it doesn't have to bother you as much if you don't get the results you expected, because that's not your bread and butter. And when you don't get your bread and butter you get a little ticked off about it."

One major reason Junior races pressure-free in Busch Series competition is the fact that he's not racing for points.

If he wins, great. If he wrecks, oh well.

"It's so much fun. It's like I used to do it when I was racing my Late Model -- show up with a bunch of friends and have a good time," he said. "And if you don't run good just say, hell, go home and tell Daddy we had a helluva race, anyway."

Though his attitude is easy, don't go thinking optimum effort isn't put forth. The boys at Chance 2 Motorsports live and die with that car, so Junior knows not to take it lightly.

"It's almost like a game of pickup basketball with your buddies, in a sense, because the crew wants to win so bad," Junior said. "Just like any other team that's running the full season. They want it just as bad as anybody."

Green, Earnhardt Jr. on front row

Earnhardt, who went into qualifying heavily favored to take his first Daytona pole after showing muscle by winning Saturday night's Bud Shootout, held the top spot on the speed chart with a lap of 186.382 mph.

Green, the next driver on the 21/2-mile Daytona International Speedway oval, pushed Earnhardt to the outside of the front row for the season-opening Winston Cup race with a fast lap of 186.606.

Green's Chevrolet was 0.058 seconds faster than that of Earnhardt. Those are the only cars with guaranteed starting positions for NASCAR's premier race.

While Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip wound up a disappointing second and fourth, it was a particularly good day for Richard Childress Racing -- the team for which the late Dale Earnhardt won six of his seven series championships.

Green's teammates, Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick, were third and sixth in qualifying.

Green, who won the Busch Series title in 2000, is starting his second full season with Childress. The 40-year-old driver, one of three racing brothers from Owensboro, Ky., said the pole performance was no surprise to him.

"There's been a lot of work done in the last few months in our shop and the new Monte Carlo is a phenomenal car," he said. "Chevrolet gave us something this year we can really race with.

"And (new crew chief) Mike Beam really turned us around."

Chevrolets took the top four positions and six of the top eight.

"I'm still nervous," Green said. "I feel like I just ran a lap at Darlington, and you know how that is. Now we've got to go out and run strong in the race and the rest of the season and show how much we've improved."

Earnhardt called the day "bittersweet." He badly wanted the pole, but had never qualified better than 15th for this race.

"Of course I'm satisfied," he said. "It was a fantastic lap. We have a lot to be proud of, we improved so much, and we've got a locked-in position in the race."

With the front row decided on Monday -- 24 hours after rain prevented qualifying -- the rest of the 43-car field will be filled Thursday.

Under the unique qualifying format for the 500, positions 3 through 30 are determined in twin 125-mile qualifying races, with 14 coming out of each race. Positions 31-36 go to the fastest drivers Monday who haven't already qualified. The rest of the lineup is filled by provisional starters, based on last year's car-owner points.

Series champion Tony Stewart blew his engine on his first of two qualifying laps and failed to post a time. He will start no worse than 37th, on car-owner points, but will try to improve on that Thursday.

It was reminiscent of last year, when Stewart finished last in the race after his engine went up in smoke on the second lap.

Following the Chevys of Gordon at 185.927 and Waltrip at 185.460 came the Ford of Ricky Rudd, making his debut with the Wood Brothers, at 185.372.

Harvick's Monte Carlo was next at 185.063 and the Ford of three-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett followed at 184.957.

Rounding out the top 10 were the Chevy of Stewart's teammate, Bobby Labonte at 184.942 and the Dodges of two-time Daytona 500 champion Sterling Marlin at 184.725 and Kyle Petty at 184.668.

Rookie Jamie McMurray, who set a record last fall by winning a Winston Cup race in his second start -- as a sub for the injured Marlin -- was 11th in a Dodge at 184.502.

Two-time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon, always among the favorites in the race, qualified all the way back in 29th at 183.221.

Earnhardt's quest stalled by rain

Rain forced the postponement of Sunday's pole qualifying for the Feb. 16 race one day.

NASCAR also said second-round time trials, originally set for Monday, will not be held. The lineups for Thursday's Twin 125-mile qualifying races will also be determined on Monday.

Earnhardt Jr., coming off an impressive victory Saturday night in the non-points Budweiser Shootout -- the first NASCAR event of the new season -- is likely to be the favorite any time his powerful red No. 8 Chevrolet takes to the Daytona International Speedway oval in the coming week.

That would have delighted his late father, who loved to psyche out other drivers and was known as The Intimidator. For Little E, being ``The Man'' is a little embarrassing.

``I don't think that is really my style,'' Earnhardt Jr. said after powering past four-time series champion Jeff Gordon and leading the last five laps of the Shootout. ``I don't like being the favorite. I like being the surprise.

``I think it's a whole lot more fun when you really come out and surprise people, because that is what I've been used to all my life.''

Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Inc., teammate Michael Waltrip have won six of the last eight races at Daytona and Talladega -- NASCAR biggest and fastest tracks -- but Waltrip has the only Daytona 500 win between them.

That victory came two years ago in the race in which seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt was killed.

Waltrip is considered one of a handful of drivers with a legitimate shot at beating his teammate for the pole and in the big race.

``I was reflecting the other morning ... I sat on the pole 20 years ago for the Dash Series race, so this could be the longest drought between poles by any driver in the history of the sport at a particular track,'' Waltrip said.

It took Earnhardt Sr. 20 years to win the Daytona 500, although he won just about everything else here multiple times, taking the checkered flag in a record 34 different Daytona events. He was a bigger-than-life presence on the 2 1/2 -mile oval.

Junior, whose best finish in the season-opening event was second in that fateful 2001 race, wants to gain the same kind of stature, and he doesn't expect to wait for his 20th Daytona 500 to win.

Between the talent he inherited from his father and the car his team has put together, Little E figures that win isn't very far away. But he insists he feels no added pressure at Daytona.

``It don't make me try harder coming here,'' Earnhardt Jr. said. ``It makes me feel like I come from a better breed than most of the guys I'm racing against.

``I watched (Earnhardt Sr.) real close. I learned a lot about how to drive race cars by watching him, and I was probably watching him more than he knew or anybody knew.''

The son said he tried to analyze every race his father drove in.

``I had a lot of practice just trying to think about, `Man, how did he lose that race or how did he win that race and why did the car do that?'

``Now that I'm driving, I'm running into all these situations and understanding certain things that I've seen over the years. He was really, really good at running at this track. I always just thought it was a mind thing, but, of course, you have to have a good car.''

So far, Junior has made his biggest splash off the track as a pop culture icon -- sporting a scruffy beard, hanging with rock stars, wearing his baseball caps backward and doing interviews for publications like ``Playboy'' and ``Rolling Stone.''

What he really wants, though, is the kind of success his father enjoyed in stock car racing.

``This is a lot of pressure because, I don't know, I ain't the greatest,'' Earnhardt Jr. said. ``I got a long ways to go before I am the greatest, and I hate to be the guy that don't hold up his end of the deal, so it's tough being the favorite.

``The car is the favorite, maybe not the driver -- how about that?''

Junior, Waltrip like chances for Bud Pole at Daytona

What he doesn't have on his racing resume is a Daytona 500 pole -- yet.

Junior, who still loves this track despite the painful memories it brings to mind, is considered one of the strong favorites to get that pole Sunday when the two front-row positions for the race Feb. 16 are determined.

Earnhardt led the first Winston Cup practice on Saturday with a lap of 184.521 mph. Several hours later, he improved to 184.759, but finished third on the day behind Joe Nemechek's 185.189 and Michael Waltrip's 184.953.

Earnhardt didn't mind being third in practice.

"The car is good," he said. "I don't want to say too much and jinx us."

Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR's biggest and fastest tracks, are the only places where carburetor restrictor plates are required.

The steel plates, with tiny holes drilled in them, limit the amount of air mixing with the gasoline, thereby sapping horsepower. As NASCAR intended, that keeps the cars under 200 mph on the big tracks.

Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip, teammates at Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by the late Dale Earnhardt, have become the drivers to beat at Daytona and Talladega since the beginning of the 2001 season.

Two years ago, Junior's famous father was killed in a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

At the moment Dale Sr. was hitting the fourth-turn wall, Little E was following Waltrip across the finish line for what would have been a joyous 1-2 finish for DEI Chevrolets under other circumstances.

To that point, it was Junior's best finish on NASCAR's most famous track.

Since then, Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr. have combined to win six of the last eight plate races. That includes a victory by Earnhardt Jr. in the 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona and wins in his last three Talladega starts.

Waltrip added a victory in the 2002 Pepsi 400, with Earnhardt Jr. finishing second.

Junior's father openly disliked plate racing, but he was acknowledged as the master at Daytona and Talladega. Junior has inherited the knack but not the distaste.

"I like the tracks," he said. "I like the speed. I like racing in the close packs, bumper to bumper.

"It's a little bit different than what we normally do throughout the year. I don't feel like I get enough of it."

Nobody will be surprised if the teammates sweep the front row Sunday.

"Our cars are capable of doing that," Waltrip said. "Even if we don't, though, they'll have to think about us in the 500."

Waltrip, who had never won until he ran his first race with DEI in 2001, loves being a favorite.

"I was so confident about running the 2001 Daytona 500," he said. "No one really thought much about our chances, except us. Then we won.

"Last year, I had the same mentality. We won the 125 (qualifying) race and we were leading the 500 when we had a failure on a part of our car, which kept us from defending. Once again, that same state of mind is present and I feel good about winning."

Nemechek, starting his first full season in the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, isn't sure he is really a pole contender.

"Everybody has got to go through the 'Room of Doom,' " Nemechek said, referring to NASCAR's inspection area. "So I think we've got as good a shot as any to be close.

"A top 10 would be great. But, just to have a shot at the pole is going to be pretty cool."

DEI anticipates tough Daytona inspection

DEI cars, driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip have won six of the last eight events at the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

"We assume that NASCAR is going to be looking at our cars real hard," DEI executive vice president Ty Norris said.

In fact, major changes in check-in procedures and the inspection schedule for Speedweeks 2003 have some Winston Cup teams a little upset with NASCAR.

In the past, Winston Cup teams checked into the Daytona garage area on the Thursday before the opening weekend of Speedweeks and unloaded their cars for both the Budweiser Shootout -- the first racing event of the weekend -- and the Daytona 500.

Inspection for both cars began the same day.

For Speedweeks 2003, the Budweiser Shootout -- a 70-lap special event with a field of 19 qualified drivers including 15 Bud Pole winners from the 2002 season and four former winners of the race -- was moved from Sunday afternoon to Saturday evening.

Bud Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 was changed from Saturday to Sunday afternoon.

With that change, NASCAR ruled that although all teams would park their transporters Thursday morning, only those teams entered in the Budweiser Shootout could unload -- and the only cars they could remove would be their Shootout pieces.

"We've always done it that way -- we've been doing it that way for years," Norris said. "But we found out at 5 o'clock today (Tuesday) what they were doing. I'm sure NASCAR has a reason for doing it, but we don't know what it is."

He said simply getting settled in the garage area for an arduous 11-day stay was his biggest concern for his employees.

"It takes an hour-and-a-half to two hours to get the truck unloaded and get your garage stall set up with all your tool boxes and equipment situated," Norris said. "Then, you have to get the inside of the track geared up for all you have to do in it for the two weekends.

All Winston Cup practice on Friday will be for Shootout cars only. The remaining Winston Cup teams enter the garage Friday morning, with inspection for all Daytona 500 cars beginning at 7 a.m. ET

Part of the reasoning behind the changes was a completely new template package for the four manufacturers fielding cars in Winston Cup and the typically lengthy process of getting through Daytona's first inspection of the season -- with the year's most prestigious and lucrative race as the payoff.

Winston Cup teams have two practices Saturday to prepare for Sunday's Bud Pole Qualifying session, which locks-in the front row for the Daytona 500 and begins forming the starting lineups for Feb. 13's Gatorade 125-Mile Qualifying Races for the 500.

"I don't know if some of the teams complained about it or what," Norris said. "We always though the cars in the Shootout had an advantage anyway by getting on he race track and in a racing situation, first.

"If you lose some of your advantage in the garage, you're gaining it back by being out on the race track."

Last Friday, crew chief Michael McSwain and his Joe Gibbs Racing partner, 2002 Winston Cup champion crew chief Greg Zipadelli found out about the plan from NASCAR inspectors who visited their shop to brief them on some new procedures.

Reportedly, the pair spent more than a little time on the phone with the NASCAR hierarchy hotly debating the issue. By this week, McSwain was resigned to the change.

"It's great," McSwain said Wednesday, obviously being a little sarcastic. "It just gives us another day at home before we have to come down to Daytona."

Bobby Labonte's team, McSwain's unit, which is not eligible for the Shootout, changed its travel plans from Wednesday to Thursday afternoon. Norris said that was a potential upside to the situation.

"Our guys were planning to be there Thursday morning, first thing," Norris said. "But if they can't do anything they'll just stay at the shop longer and work on the Rockingham stuff, so you gain an advantage there, I guess."

Kelley Earnhardt guides little brother Dale Jr. on NASCAR circuit

He didn't call a lawyer, an accountant or an agent. Instead, he took the paperwork to his sister, Kelley, and let her hash out a deal. If it's business, pleasure or personal, Earnhardt's 30-year-old sister is the first one the NASCAR superstar turns to.

"Dale Jr. was always littler than everybody - shy, got picked on a lot at school - and I was always the caretaker for anything he needed," she said. "He borrowed lunch money from me. I did his chores when he wasn't in the mood to do them and would have gotten in trouble. I was always the mother hen."

It started when they were children of an absent father, living with their mother in Virginia. Kelley was two years older than her brother and always looked after him.

Eventually, they moved to North Carolina to be with their father, the late Dale Earnhardt, but were split up when Dale Jr. went to boarding school and Kelley went to college.

The time apart was good for the little brother - "he started to become his own person" - but not so good for their father.

After years of focusing most of his time on his racing career, Earnhardt had decided he wanted to reconnect with his children. He begged Kelley to leave school in Wilmington, promising her she could live by herself and even start her own racing career.

"He was just starting to become a lot more family oriented and we just never got to see each other," she said. "He sent me flowers one time at school and I still have the card, it said 'It's been so long, I have almost forgotten what you look like."'

So Kelley came home, transferring to North Carolina-Charlotte, where she earned her business degree while driving Late Model cars. At the same time, Dale Jr. was getting his start in NASCAR along with their older half brother, Kerry.

As Dale Jr. started to blossom into a NASCAR star, their father took care of everything. The son had little interest or involvement in the business side of racing and no one had a problem with it.

Whatever was good for the father was good for the son.

"When dad was here, him and (stepmother) Teresa, whatever they did for dad, they mimicked for Dale Jr.," Kelley said. "They made his decisions. Even when he started his own company, they made the decisions about where he banked, all of his insurance. . .

"They told him what they were doing, but he didn't really care to sit there and understand it."

Then, Earnhardt was killed in a wreck in the 2001 Daytona 500.

Brother and sister were on their own again, and Kelley knew Dale Jr. would need her.

"I called Dale up and said, 'I need to work for you, and you need me to come work for you,"' she remembered. "It took him about three weeks. He always had the trust in me, he knows how I operate."

Those close to the family have always said Kelley is most like her father - no-nonsense with a keen sense for business, but able to kid around at the proper time.

And when it comes to her brother, no one has ever looked after him the way she does.

So Dale Jr. turned everything over to her, making Kelley his business manager.

She's president of JR Motorsports, his company that encompasses everything not related to his Winston Cup team, which is owned by Teresa and Dale Earnhardt Inc.

"I instill a lot of trust and dependability on her to help me out because she's pretty smart about this stuff," he said. "And let's face it, I'm probably not too experienced in it. I would probably let people walk off with the bank."

Kelley didn't let that happen when it came time for Dale Jr. to sign a contract with DEI. He had worked under a handshake agreement with his father, but wanted something official this time around.

He rejected the offer of a lifetime contract that Teresa offered, and worked with Kelley on the things he wanted included in his new deal.

So the two of them packed up the paperwork, crossed the parking lot from JR Motorsports into the main building at DEI, and had a meeting with their stepmother in the conference room.

After months of going back and forth, Dale Jr. finally signed off on a five-year deal that included the one main sticking point: a cap on the amount of personal appearances he had to make for the sponsor and DEI.

Although they have solid relationships with Teresa and their half-siblings, the two of them have created their own mini-family.

The birth two years ago of Kelley's daughter, Karsyn, has changed them both. Dale Jr. spends hours on end with his niece, sometimes playing computer games with her, sometimes secretly teaching her curse words, and sometimes just sitting back and watching her.

And Karsyn's arrival finally allowed the little brother to look after his sister.

"He'll tell me about dating, going out or outside interests, 'You don't need to be doing that because you have Karsyn,"' she said. "He definitely is way harder on me about personal things than I am on him."

Earnhardt Jr. paces Busch testing with new team

Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Chevrolet was half a second quicker than the other 21 teams present as the final two-day session of NASCAR Preseason Thunder opened on a cool day with blustery winds.

By the end of the day Earnhardt had fortified his reputation of being able to "sniff the wind" when he improved to 49.004 seconds, an average speed of 183.658 mph. His appearance was the debut for Chance 2, the team co-owned by Earnhardt Jr. and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt.

A year ago, Junior drove a No. 3 Chevrolet prepared by Richard Childress Racing to an emotional victory during Speedweeks 2002. Thursday he had two cars that were together at the top of the speed chart, as the second ran 183.441 mph.

"It's going pretty good," Earnhardt said. "We're not as fast as some of the other guys that were here a couple of days ago (but) we feel like we're right on par.

"Some laps you would run and you could tell it would be a good lap because the wind wasn't messing with you, but some laps, you could tell that even though you didn't change anything the wind was slowing you down.

"I don't know, we ran (49) flats in all parts of the day, in all kinds of wind, though."

CART Indy car driver Jimmy Vasser was the fastest driver of the 20 teams that tested in the opening two-day session earlier this week, with a lap of 48.871 seconds, 184.158 mph in the No. 19 Dodge.

"A lot of these guys are going to work their way up and will probably be right there with us after a while," Earnhardt said. "We're happy with the way the car has come out of the trailer."

Rounding out the top-five speeds Thursday was Busch Series sophomore Shane Hmiel in the No. 48 Pontiac (49.462/181.958), Phoenix Racing stand-in Joe Ruttman in the No. 1 Dodge (181.792), Coy Gibbs in the No. 18 Pontiac (181.616) and Kenny Wallace.

Bill Davis Racing Winston Cup driver Wallace shook down BDR's No. 23 Chevrolet for his teammate and its regular driver, Scott Wimmer. Wallace ran 181.547 while Wimmer attended funeral services in Wisconsin for a friend that was killed in a recent snowmobile racing accident.

Earnhardt plans to run both Daytona Busch Series races and the event at Talladega in the same car. In addition, Chance 2 will field cars for DEI teammate Steve Park in five races and for Busch North driver Martin Truex Jr. in up to five more Busch Series events.

Earnhardt said he did not see his own Busch Series schedule expanding much beyond the scheduled races.

"I don't foresee doing a lot of Busch racing in a single year," Junior said. "I'm just taking on a thing or two that seems fun, seems enjoyable (and) this little program is going to be a lot of fun.

"I'm going to have as much fun with the owner's side of it as much as I would driving it."

Chance 2 will also enter a No. 81 car in three Winston Cup races. Busch Series regular Jason Keller will make his Winston Cup debut driving it at Chicagoland Speedway and Ron Fellows will drive in the road-course events at Watkins Glen International and Infineon Raceway.

Earnhardt Jr. used to life in the spotlight

Typically, this room sits empty, uninhabited aside from a few vintage cars and various racecars driven to landmark achievements by Dale Earnhardt, Inc. wheelmen.

But not today. On this Tuesday morning in mid-January, 300 journalists are milling about the room. Most are over in the far right corner, jockeying for position amid a sea of television cameras, spotlights and boom microphones.

Individuals push and shove, squeeze and grab to improve their position on the target. Verbal lashings abound. Fisticuffs seem imminent.

Call it the Dale Jr. effect.

Even from afar, it is obvious that Junior is in the house. And when he speaks, folks hang on every last word.

He's talking racing, yet folks prod for more as if he were a great prophet offering crucial remedies to life's most perplexing problems.

Most would be overwhelmed. It's routine for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It's all he's ever known.

"There's nothing, really, about being whom I am -- there ain't nothing really too hard about it," Earnhardt Jr. said, seated on a backless stool in the eye of the media hurricane. "I understand that I'm very fortunate.

"I really enjoy my job and I enjoy the circus that we travel with every year. It's a lot of fun to see it change. It's great to be a part of it, great to be successful in it. And at this age, as you start to understand what you need to be doing to prepare yourself for getting older, it's good to be successful.

"It's a good feeling, a lot of weight off your shoulders that you have the ability to maintain a job as a racecar driver for the rest of your life."

Earnhardt Jr.'s success has afforded him much. Many race teams would do just about anything to acquire his services; but until Monday he couldn't come to terms with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. executives regarding his first-ever driver contract with the company.

He has now signed an extension through 2007.

"We just had a hard time getting in the same place where we could all hash it out," he said. "We were passing the contract back and forth from building to building and just hadn't all gotten in the same room yet. We did that yesterday and took about four hours and got everything agreed upon."

One thing about Earnhardt Jr. that everyone agrees upon is his prowess on superspeedways. DEI currently has a stranglehold on restrictor-plate racing in the Winston Cup Series, having won six of the past eight superspeedway events.

It's safe to say Junior is anxious for Speedweeks to arrive.

"It's the biggest race of the season," he said. "Obviously, every driver in the field would love to win it. I'm no different than anybody else. It's the biggest race of the season, you know? It's second, probably, to winning the championship in our sport."

Some wonder if the No. 8 Budweiser team can find the consistency necessary to make a serious bid for the 2003 title. Earnhardt Jr. seems to think so. At last week's T. Wayne Robertson Winston Cup Preview, he said his team was, at worst, a top-five team heading into the year.

Were it not for a concussion suffered at California -- one that garnered a substantial amount of negative press -- he may have finished among the top 10 in 2002. He said the injury barely affected his driving ability, but some find that hard to believe.

"I think everybody understands that I've got to be a pretty damn good racecar driver to be here in the first place, and that even at 80 percent I'm still better than half the field," Earnhardt Jr. said.

"I was pretty upset that some people said I was endangering other drivers out there. That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Competing with injuries is no new phenomenon. Most every driver has done it at one time or another. But head injuries garner more attention. And when the subject is Dale Jr., focus is once again compounded.

It became one of the biggest stories of the year.

"This sport is dangerous as it is," he said. "I don't think it can be any more dangerous. I'd drive with a broken arm if they could put a cast on me and let me in the car. I don't care. I'm not trying to endanger anybody. That's what they've got roll cages for.

"I was upset that people took that ball and ran with it. That wasn't fair. I feel like I was treated unfairly by a few people in the press about it. But you know, it seemed like there wasn't much of a story to write until I said that."

When Earnhardt Jr. talks, it's always a story. But a handful of individuals can trigger such a ruckus just by hanging out in the corner, talking about their job.

Earnhardt Jr. still committed to DEI

Earnhardt Jr. took a break from testing during the second day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway to speak about the reorganization of his No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet team -- and his lack of a signed DEI contract.

"Me and my sister (Kelley) turned in our proposal of (their contract) -- it's kind of revised from what they gave us," Earnhardt Jr. said. "They have yet to sign their end of it. Once they sign their end, I'll sign my end.

"Right now, I'm working it as five years. We were going to go lifetime, but you never know. The plane could crash into the mountain any day ..."

Not that a contract has ever been much of an issue for Earnhardt Jr., who has never driven for anyone but either his late father, seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, or the team that he formed and nurtured until his death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

He's never had a contract with DEI. He said an extension of his Budweiser deal is awaiting consummation of his DEI paperwork.

But some jagged results last season -- at least partially tempered by driving part of the year recovering from a head injury suffered in April at Fontana -- made change necessary.

"I didn't expect as many changes," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I've got a new bus driver and a new truck driver. I've got two new tire changers and one new tire carrier."

At different venues last season, Earnhardt Jr. complained about the performance of his pit crew and changes were even made last season under the direction of crew chief Tony Eury and car chief Tony Eury Jr. to find a more effective combination.

In addition to shuffling the deck on his Winston Cup team, Earnhardt has also been involved in putting together a new Busch Series team that he owns with his stepmother, Teresa.

"It's been a lot of fun getting to know these people and trying to see if you've improved the situation or the position and how good the personalities are and if they are going to improve the team," Earnhardt Jr. said.

"I feel like the changes we've made weren't really wholesale changes or big, big changes. There were good reasons for the things we did -- the people that we had in those positions before had kind of lost the spark we needed or the enthusiasm toward the team.

Earnhardt Jr. said at least initially, things are better.

"The morale just around the truck is different here at the track. The mentality and the feeling you get when you walk in the shop is a lot better. And, it's really amazing to me sometimes how just one person can affect so many.

"You are reminded of that every once in a while," he continued. "The guys we've got are really pumped up and real enthusiastic about being with the team. That's what we need and that's what makes you feel good when you're a driver."

Even more important than that, Earnhardt Jr. in many corners is seen as one of the chief architects of its future. It's a role he has slowly segued into. Despite a deserved reputation as something of a sophomoric hellion, has also shown a deeply thoughtful side. Considering where he sits to do his job is part of that.

"I don't think you ever work your way through that," Earnhardt Jr. said of thoughts of driving for another owner. "I don't think there are many people that are in the situation that I'm in -- driving for your dad.

"I think Kyle Petty probably has dealt with some of the things that I've faced or thought about (but) I've always wondered ..."

Earnhardt Jr. had a chance to experience the freedom of driving outside the boundaries of his family operation last season, when he won the Speedweeks 2002 Busch Series race at Daytona driving a car prepared and fielded by Richard Childress Racing -- his father's team.

"When I drove Richard's Busch car here it was so cool," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We won the race. If we hadn't won the race, I don't know if it would've been quite as cool (but) it was neat to see him (Childress) get excited about it and him being a car owner, I felt like I was a real asset to the team.

Earnhardt Jr. said that the fact that he's driving for his father will always mean that his success will field questions.

"In the situation that I'm in now, you've got to understand, that no matter how you put it or no matter how long I'm there, I'm always going to be the son of the man who started the business and who envisioned it all.

"So I miss out on some things, but there are advantages to it. I'm just always going to wonder what it would be like to drive for somebody else. That's not saying that I think the grass is greener on that side of the fence, I'm just always going to have that in the back of my mind -- but I like where I'm at."

But he is also being more analytical about it.

"Teresa has a lot of responsibility (and) she's going to have to make a lot of big decisions here in the future," Junior said. "I want to help her as much as I can -- as much as she'll let me. Hopefully, she makes the right decisions and we prosper and we're successful.

So far, so good, says Junior.

"I didn't know if Teresa was really sure about what she was getting herself into because there's a lot of responsibilities being a car owner -- with the sponsors and everything (and) she didn't really have the type of relationships that she needed to have with some of the sponsors (but) I think she's working on that."

In the end, Earnhardt Jr. is in a position where -- if he is not actually making a decision that will affect his career, he is in a position to contemplate one.

"There's just a lot of things that need to be better to where I feel more comfortable racing," he said. "I'm 28 years old and I've got to put myself in position to win championships -- that's what I want to do.

"I don't want to have to compromise too much to do that (and) I don't want to feel like I'm compromising. I've never held Tony Jr. or Tony Sr. back. If I felt like I was, I'd make a decision to do something different (and) I don't want to feel like anybody's holding me back."