Dale Earnhardt Jr.
A Dale Earnhardt Jr. guide, with links, news, and comments. The man in the #8 car will be racing with a new team in 2008 and he'll have a new number.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. began his professional driving career at the age of 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. His first racecar was a 1978 Monte Carlo that he co-owned with older half-brother Kerry. Within two seasons, the young Earnhardt had honed his driving abilities to the point of joining the Late Model Stock Car division. There, he developed an in-depth knowledge of chassis setup and car preparation, while racing against Kerry and Dale's sister Kelley. Earnhardt Jr. won consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 and 1999 over rival Matt Kenseth.Earnhardt Jr. competed for the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award in 2000. His primary competitor for the award was his friend Kenseth. Kenseth outran Junior in the season-opening Daytona 500. Earnhardt scored wins at the Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. He also become the first rookie to win the All-Star exhibition race. Kenseth ultimately scored a 42-point victory in the rookie race.
Junior did have a part in recreating one Winston Cup milestone in 2000 when he competed with his father and half-brother Kerry in the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International Speedway. That occasion was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat.
In 2001 Earnhardt Jr. came into the season assuming he would face a sophomore slump, but the year proved to be one of the most tumultuous and memorable seasons the young driver has experienced.
The major event of the season occurred in the final corner of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. As Earnhardt finished second, his father had crashed in turn four. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. did not survive the wreck. Junior raced at Rockingham the following weekend, but finished in 43rd-place after a wreck that looked eerily similar to his father's wreck just one week earlier. Earnhardt rebounded and scored victories at Dover and Talladega, as well as an emotional win in the return to Daytona, finishing eighth in points for the year.
The Talladega victory earned Junior a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. This season of emotion produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles.
Source: Wikipedia.org, January 2007
Then came Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s decision to go free agent, Rick Hendrick’s decision to hire him and Busch’s move to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2008 season. ...
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While this breakup isn't nearly as bad as last year, when witchy ole Teresa Earnhardt betrayed Dale Earnhardt Jr., and forced him to leave Dale Earnhardt ...
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The Navy is leaving the No. 88 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series at the end of the season, forcing Dale Earnhardt Jr. to search ...
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Last May, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave up on his bid to take control of Dale Earnhardt Inc., the race team started by his late father and now run by his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is concentrating this week on winning his first Brickyard event, the Allstate 400, a race considered to be the second biggest in the Nascar Nextel Cup.
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Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s teammate for now, has had the best run of his budding career, surging to 10th place in the driver standings.
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- NASCAR talk with Martin Truex Jr. (topix.com)
- Sonoma: Martin Truex Jr. NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview (rss.topix.net)
Jimmie Johnson locked up his spot as the favorite for the Nextel Cup title, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was locked out of Nascar’s Chase for the championship.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended a stretch of nearly five years without qualifying in first thanks in part to a well-timed rain shower. Earnhardt won his first pole since September 2002 with a lap of 169.975 m.p.h. yesterday at Pocono Raceway. The top spot could be a huge benefit for Earnhardt, who is...
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced Wednesday that his car for Hendrick Motorsports would carry No. 88 and would be sponsored by Amp Energy Drink and the National Guard.
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There is a lot at stake for teams such as Dale Earnhardt Inc., which must fill the seat of the high-profile No. 8 Chevrolet abandoned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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