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Dale Jr. This Bud's for you!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been in the media limelight since his announcement that he planned to leave his father's race team at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI). Dale Jr. and his step-mother Teresa, who took over the operations of DEI after Dale Sr.'s untimely death, just couldn't get along on a professional level. Dale Jr. sited things like DEI not keeping up on the technology of the sport and that the whole operation had tuned into more of a museum than a race team. Dale Jr. had been frustrated for quite a long time with the lack of support he was getting on the track. Five blown motors in as many races during the early stages of 2007 was the straw that broke the camel's back. Dale stated back in 06 that they could figure out what was happening to his and then teammate Michael Waltrip's engines, but they weren't taking the appropriate steps to prevent the trend. Dale had even asked if DEI could possibly get an engine deal with his Father's former car owner Richard Childress, but Teresa never followed through. Dale has a miserable season. He suffered 5 DNF's due to mechanical malfunctions and crashed 3 other cars taking him out of the competition and giving him no chance at the Chase or the Championship. Dale Jr. was also not happy with the marketing programs that DEI handled using his name. His sister, Kelly Earnhardt Elledge, not as quiet as Jr. spoke her mind as Dale Jr.'s manager and voiced her opinion on several occasions about the management of her brother and of DEI in general. She was the catalyst for the change when she tried to negotiate some issues with DEI and was stopped cold. It wasn't long after that she and her famous brother made the announcement that Dale Jr. wouldn't seek to renew his contract with his father's company. That made him available to other teams, who quickly lined up for a shot at the most popular driver in NASCAR. First to offer was Richard Childress Racing which was Dale Jr.'s Dad's Team. Richard offered Dale Jr. a ride with their premier team, now driven by Kevin Harvick. Dale Jr. turned him down stating that he didn't want to follow his Dad's legacy. He wanted to make it on his own without following in the exact footsteps of his father. Dale and Richard had always been the best of friends and Richard said he understood why Dale Jr. decided not to move to RCR. A period of time went by and the media was sitting on pins and needles awaiting any word. Nothing came for a while. Dale Jr. was asked at every venue what his plans were and who he had been talking to, but nothing leaked out. Then finally, one of the most important news press releases happened and it shocked the stock car racing world.
Dale Jr. announced that he would be moving to Hendrick Motorsports. Rick Hendrick was there to welcome Jr. and his longtime crew chief, Tony Eury Jr. who was coming with him. It was still up in the air as to whether or not Budweiser would also make the move to follow NASCAR's most popular driver. It was also unsure whether Teresa Earnhardt would release Dale's famous number 8. After much negotiation, neither would follow Jr. to Hendrick. Budweiser didn't want to join with Hendricks and Teresa would not part with the number 8 which produced a lot of negative media for DEI. Jr. didn't let this get him down. He was ready for the change and truly looked forward to it despite the problems and the uncertainty.
Once in the Hendrick Motorsports stable, Jr. made it his business to get to know the organization and the players involved. One impressive move was when Jr. showed up for a testing session that included his teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson. He said he was board and just wanted to be where racecars were, but that wasn't it. Jr. was trying to get an inside look at where he had chosen to be. Rick looked very favorable on this move by Jr. When it was his turn to test, all three of his new teammates were there to help out. They all tested at the Las Vegas track and despite the cold and the wind, it was a pretty good testing session and Jr. was pleased with his ride!
Speedweek at Daytona started on Feb 4th. Jr. with his new team showed up with a new excitement about them. The cars were perfect during practice, although Jr. didn't push it too much. He said he just wanted to practice in the new car, not take it out and damage anything. He was the 8th fastest in practice and went on to qualify on Sunday in 14th position. It was the Budweiser Shootout that gained him notable mention. He started out on the outside pole position for the first 20 laps. He never fell back more than fifth. After the break and a few adjustments including a new set of Goodyear tires all the way around, he set out to prove that he is a champion driver and that he now has the car and the team to prove it. Dale Jr. led the most laps ever led in the history of the Budweiser Shootout and was battling Tony Stewart #20 for several laps and it looked as though Tony would be able to get past him before the end, but that is where the Mega Team Plan took over. Reigning Nextel Cup Champion, Jimmy Johnson in the Lowe's #48 Chevy, who is now one of Jr's teammates, gave him the infamous Bump Draft on the back stretch and that gave Jr the momentum he needed to pull past Tony and take the checkered flag! Jr. was quoted as saying over the radio, "What a race car! This might be the Daytona 500 winner here and you don't know it." He did his burnout and went straight to victory lane, which he knows pretty well since this was his 11th victory at the Daytona track. His last win in the Bud Shootout was in 2003. Dale Jr. thanked his team and his teammates, especially Jimmy Johnson who finished 3rd followed by another teammate, Jeff Gordon in the #24 DuPont Chevy. All four Hendricks cars finished in the top six.
This win will go a long way in proving what Jr. has been thinking all along. He had previously stated that he needed a better team with much better equipment in order to produce a championship. He couldn't get that in his Dad's organization, so he felt he needed to move and move he did. Now, he can say "I told you so!" Jr's confidence level is back up to a 10 and he knows now that his recent move was not in vain, but is fully capable of allowing him to win races and to run for his first championship.
I wonder what the executives at Budweiser were thinking after the Budweiser Shootout when their former driver, the most popular driver in NASCAR, won the race that they were sponsoring? Wouldn't if have been nice and a media blitz if a car wrapped in Budweiser Red, driven by the most popular driver, won the race that they were sponsoring? Well, maybe they should have considered working with Hendricks instead of just walking away. This is why I think the title of this article fits so well. Dale Jr. This buds for you!
In case you are wondering, Budweiser is now the sponsor on Kasey Kahne's #9 Dodge Charger who finished 10th. It's hard to look at that car color and not automatically see the number 8 on the sides.
In case you are wondering what happened to the number 8, well here it is on the Army Sponsored, DEI entry that Aric Almirola (not sure it's spelled right and I sure can't pronounce it) and Mark Martin will share during the 2008 season.
Aric Almirola and Mark Martin with #8 DEI US Army Chevy 2008 J3 Company Network
James H. Jones Jr., A2Z Auto Racing ©2008
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