Daytona 500 had it all, but not the greatest ever

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.

It’s OK. Throw me under the bus. The 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 was good. Actually, it was damn good. However, it wasn’t the best ever. It was worthy of being the 50th anniversary though.

The season opener had it all. Drama, strategy, surprises, and [gasp] racing.

The internet trolls will tell you it sucked. Consider the source of that opinion. To them, everything sucks. They long for “the good old days”, yet their memory is clouded with nostalgia. This very well was one of the most competitive 500′s in recent memory. Ignore the fact that the results will tell you that 6 of the top 10 spots were taken by a Dodge. Don’t ask where they came from, we don’t know either. Yet there they are, taking home 1st, 2nd, 5th-7th, and 9th. Round out 2 Toyota’s, a Chevy and a Ford, and call it your top 10.

The lone Chevy? Dale Jr. Ford? Greg Biffle. Add in Smoke and Shrub in 3rd and 4th, and there you have it.

I can only imagine the hearts of the Toyota boys as they came down the backstretch on the final lap. Up to that point, you would be hard pressed to convince a new fan that Toyota wasn’t worth the paper in the Mens Room last season. Kyle Busch was making a scene, as was Tony Stewart. If you take any lessons from this, it better be that Toyota is coming.

However, as with every tale there has to be some drama. As Tony Stewart moved down to pick up his teammate Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman made the charge with his teammate Kurt Busch stuck to his bumper with Gorilla Glue.

The dreams of The Captain, and we don’t mean Morgan, then came true. After all these years, all the trials and tribulations, Roger Penske finally ended up in Victory Lane for the Daytona 500.

It was a typical plate race, chess-like maneuvers and precision positioning for a while, but that’s just the nature of the game. You have to make it to the end to have a chance to win. But the closer you get, the riskier your moves, and if you play your cards right, you win.

Last season, Dodge wasn’t impressive. Pre-season Thunder, still no love. Reed Sorenson showed some promise in the Shootout and Duels, but for most of the 500 Dodge was relatively quiet. They were there at the end though, and Penske has a nice $1,000,000 bonus from Dodge to prove it.

Share your thoughts!.

Filed Under: Chip Ganassi Racing #41, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Daytona, Drivers, Elliot Sadler, Evernham Motorsports #19, Evernham Motorsports #9, Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports #88, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Joe Gibbs Racing #20, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Penske Racing #12, Penske Racing #2, Reed Sorenson, Robby Gordon, Robby Gordon Motorsports #7, Roush Racing #16, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup, Teams, Tony Stewart, Tracks

Tagged As: Dale Earnhardt Jr, Daytona 500, Elliot Sadler, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Robby Gordon, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart



Trackback URL for: Daytona 500 had it all, but not the greatest ever

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Wednesday February 13, 2008
3:35pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Motors, they are a changin’.

Or was that “times”? Well, that wasn’t the case in Daytona this afternoon.

It would seem that teams running Hendrick engines, at least 6 (includes Nemecheck and Riggs), would be changing engines before the Duel’s tomorrow afternoon.

But wait, we’re not stopping there. Toyota is also have problems with their engines. In fact, the exact same problem. To the extent that TRD is sending new engines straight from California, post haste.

The problem, for you engine techs out there, is that the coating on the cam shaft is coming off, getting on the lifters and filtering through the engine.

Clint Bowyer is also changing an engine today, but it was unrelated to the above problem according to SPEED.

What this means is that the teams who have changed engines prior to their Duel will have to start at the back of their assigned heat. Once the Duel’s have run, all teams may freely make an engine change without penalty.

3 comments. Add your 2 cents!.

Filed Under: Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Daytona, Drivers, Furniture Row Racing #78, Haas CNC Racing #66, Hendrick Motorsports #24, Hendrick Motorsports #25, Hendrick Motorsports #48, Hendrick Motorsports #5, Hendrick Motorsports #88, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Nemechek, Nascar, Scott Riggs, Sprint Cup, Teams, Tracks





Trackback URL for: R07 Woes For Chevy’s Top Dogs

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Saturday February 9, 2008
11:04pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

That would be the Junior Nation.

The same Nation that folks wondered about, and were skeptical whether or not it would remain strong. Dale’s first pass for the lead shot that question straight into the hand basket, and on a one-way trip.

The 2008 Bud Shootout was interesting on several fronts. First being the debut of the car at Daytona in competition. I thought it went rather well. Not perfection or racing bliss by any means, but the guys could get out there and pass, and they ran 2-by-2 most of the night with occasional mixing of wider runs at times. A note that even surprised the broadcast team was that the pack never really strung out as it had in the past. However, we still haven’t seen it in a race of any real distance yet. We’ll know more in a week.

It wasn’t as squirrelly of a race as we might have expected after last nights final practice session. Tony and Kurt ended up around each other several times, but as NASCAR warned they gave each other plenty of room.

While there were a few accidents, it wasn’t anything that was really bad. What was interesting were the saves. As the broadcast team pointed out, and I’ll have to agree, the wing on the back of the car is really looking like it has the side effect of helping knock a car back straight when the back end steps out a bit. With the larger hole knocked in the air by the car, leading to less air on the car behind (and therefore less down force), we saw several examples this evening of the car being saved where in the past the car most likely would have went around. Whether this was an intended factor by NASCAR or not, I can’t say, but the results are interesting just the same.

Overall it was decent racing, a welcomed and needed finish, and on top of it all it cured the withdrawal symptoms that have plagued me since Thanksgiving.

Share your thoughts!.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Junior, Daytona, Drivers, Hendrick Motorsports #88, Nascar, Sprint Cup, Teams, Tracks





Trackback URL for: The Roar Of A Nation

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Friday February 1, 2008
11:18pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

• 2007 Stats

  • Organization: Dale Earnhardt Inc.
  • Car Number: 8
  • Crew Chief: Tony Eury Jr.
  • Sponsor: Budweiser
  • Points: 16th :: 3929 :: -2794
  • Starts: 36
  • Poles: 1
  • Wins: 0
  • Top 5′s: 7
  • Top 10′s: 12
  • Winnings: $5,221,970

• 2008 Preview

  • Organization: Hendrick Motorsports
  • Car Number: 88
  • Crew Chief: Tony Eury Jr.
  • Sponsor: AMP/National Guard

Well, it’s time to see how the biggest story of 2007 plays out. Put up or shut up. You get the idea.

What can be said, that hasn’t already graced the pages of every publication and blog that even comes close to NASCAR?

While testing can prove little, the numbers thus far are in a positive light as far as the equipment goes. Now it’s time to see if it can be used to its full potential. Some will say “I told you so”, but the question yet to be answered is which side of the fence that will come from.

His teammates are impressed. Impressed with his talent, his knowledge, and his personality as well. Dale Jr. doesn’t have to try to fit in, all he has to do is be himself. It seems like that’s the case thus far, and the rest of the stable seems glad to have him there. As with any work environment, if you can’t have some fun while you’re at it, it isn’t worth doing.

Note: information is accurate as of date published. Check Thunder Lounge for additional updates and information.

Read more of this article »

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Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Inc #8, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Drivers, Hendrick Motorsports #88, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Sprint Cup, Teams





Trackback URL for: Daytona 500: 16 Days and Counting

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Monday October 29, 2007
3:55pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

While Jimmie Johnson and his gaining of ground may be what you had in mind for the big story of the weekend at Atlanta, we’re sorry to disappoint you and let you know that the story out of Atlanta is instead the first official runs for Dale Earnhardt Junior and Tony Eury Jr under the Hendrick Motorsports banner.

Pictured are the duo, prepping for runs this morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Junior knocked it down with a 5th and a 15th in 2 different cars. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images) Fastest in the morning session was Kyle Busch in the #18 Chevy for Joe Gibbs.

Get ready for it folks, it will be the most talked about story this week.

Not water in the gas (Hamlin, Blaney, and Biffle), not gaining ground in the points (Johnson on Gordon), but how Dale’s week went.

You’ll notice in images from the test session(s), that he’s smiling. Heh, after a year like he’s had I would be too upon stepping into a ride of that caliber and quality. Not to mention to be able to hear Tony’s voice on the radio again.

Note that the red and white firesuit has Adidas across the front. The car is listed as the #5, and has a special paint scheme on it to commemorate the first car Hendrick put on the track (as All-Star) back in the day. It was Dale’s idea, and Rick ate it up. For you Junior fans out there, take a good look at this. If anything, it’s at least a glimmer of hope and the light at the end of the tunnel.

Share your thoughts!.

Filed Under: Atlanta, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Drivers, Hendrick Motorsports #5, Hendrick Motorsports #88, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Teams, Tracks





Trackback URL for: Johnson Gains Ground On Gordon, But Dale Jr Steals The Headlines

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Friday September 28, 2007
1:26am UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Yeah, the image says it all. I guess Marc might be rubbing off a bit, but this has been wreaking havoc on my brain since it was made public.

I’m not normally one for Nascar conspiracy/tin foil hat slinging/propeller twirling thoughts. But let’s see what you think, as this is killing me.

Let’s start the progression of events. I’m not convinced that everything is all peachy over at the Yates’ place. Not saying it isn’t, and that I’m not off my rocker. But 2+2 != 4 in this case. The publicly known facts just don’t add up. Let’s follow them in the order we found out about them.

Ricky Rudd says he is leaving Robert Yates Racing at the end of the season. Something about retiring is mentioned. (Note, year before last it was taking a break.)

Robert Yates personally calls Kenny Wallace to set up a meeting about driving the #88 in 2008. This took place over Labor Day weekend, that Sunday to be specific.

Ricky Rudd gets hurt that same day, Kenny’s driven the car since. Doesn’t sound like a bad conversation took place, does it?

A few days later, over the Richmond weekend, we get this big announcement: Robert Yates to retire, Doug Yates to the helm and will re-brand RYR as Yates Racing.

Yates Racing will get cars, technical information, etc from Roush Racing. Roush Racing’s development driver, Travis Kvapil, will be headed to the #88.

Woah paint! A week earlier, Robert was talking to Kenny, and yet here’s a done deal with Kvapil? Hmmm, something isn’t right, and Kenny gets the shaft again. Not that it was exactly Hendrick or Gibbs, but it wasn’t ERR or FRR.

Then the silence falls. It was the quiet before the storm.

Last week, Mr. Junior makes his big announcement. The #88 Mountain Dew Amp Energy Drink National Guard Wrangler Trojan Foot Creme Chevy. Or, whatever it was.

Huh? What was that? Um, 88? Didn’t Doug Yates just say a bit ago that Yates Racing would be fielding the #38 with David Gilliland and the #88 with Travis Kvapil? Are we down by the docks? Something smell fishy here folks.

Is the madness over? Oh no. So let’s carry on to the next little tidbit before we fill in the dots.

Mars Inc. (read as Snickers, and M&M’s) announces that it will be heading to Joe Gibbs Racing and the #18 with Kyle Busch. What? Didn’t Interstate Batteries CEO say they were on the hood for 2008 at that press conference? Now they’re backing down? What the…

Are you following me on this? Let me back the truck up so that we have all readers on board with this. It’s time to fill in the dots on this.

Here’s what my mind says went down.

Ricky gets fed up (again), and remembers why he left for the Wood Brothers to begin with. What that is, I don’t know, but Ricky hasn’t looked happy for most of the season. If I was in a bottom end car, from a team that’s supposed to be top end, I’d be a little depressed after a while too. He decides to part ways. He may/may not have been talking to RCR about the fourth car, or potentially another opportunity. Something not at the back of the pack, else he’s headed for the front porch and a glass of tea.

Robert is talking to Kenny Wallace about a job, yet a couple days later it’s filled and all that hoopla. If the position was known to be filled, why would Robert talk to Kenny at all?

Behind the scenes here, Kelly is talking to Robert and asking about the #28 for Junior, and Robert ponies up the #88 instead.

Doug’s been talking to Roush on the side, and was made the offer of a lifetime. While mulling it over, he finds out about the 88 being released by its owner (Robert Yates), gets pissed, and announces the Roush deal. It’s been rumored that Ol’ Jack needs to move a team out of his shop in a bit (wink wink, nudge nudge), so why not make Roush #2 with the same folks he builds engines with. Of course he can’t profit from the teams winnings, but I bet the toilet seats aren’t going to be cheap. With this “partnership” or “leasing” in terms of well, everything, there’s his out when the time comes. But who shall it be? Hmmm…

Robert announces out of nowhere that he’s retiring, (Not wanting any part of that mess, and to spite Doug?)

Why the press release said 88, I have no idea.

Now, Mars/Snickers/M&M’s gets all pissed off because they were quite pleased with the opportunity to work with Kenny. That being sent to the gutters, they opt out on a performance clause, and walk. Can’t go to Evernham (because of Sadler), couldn’t follow Ricky (I’m sure because of a similar clause), so what’s left at the top? Here comes Gibbs, and hey, wanna throw a bone to the Shrub? They bite.

This is one big soap opera.

It may not be in that order, or exactly like that, but it could be close. Just think about it. The scenario of events doesn’t make sense whatsoever.

I can’t imagine Kenny wasn’t open to the idea of a full time ride. It would be higher in the points than FRR was and will continue to be. Not to mention, if it went bad, would he be subbing for Ricky at the moment? I doubt it, as bad as he wants to race.

So what we have here, is something some folks might refer to as a soup sandwich. Then again, maybe some phrase about a football bat comes to mind.

On top of all that crap, Newman/Haas/Lanigan are left out in the cold and wondering what happened? Um, hello, we’re a partnership now, right? Um, guys? Hey, guys? Hello? Buhler?

Something with this deal stinks to high heaven. Even the rats won’t touch it. So what in the world happened? OK, maybe kicking off the #88 wasn’t part of it. Then again, maybe it was and Doug didn’t find out until after California. Who knows? Not me, I’m just filling in the dots on this piece of swiss cheese.

That being said, something just isn’t right about this whole deal. Maybe it was planned all along? Then why the announcement about partnering with Newman/Haas/Lanigan? A decoy? Yeah, whatever. I don’t buy it. Something went wrong, and someone got hurt.

But who? Kenny had expectations, obviously sent awry. David Gilliland? Just a pawn in the game, happy to have a ride. Ricky Rudd? No pun intended. Robert Yates? Shouldn’t his legacy remain as RYR, even with Doug at the helm? That was what it sounded like anytime he mentioned “down the road”.

My thoughts on this are pretty scattered, I know. However, I can’t say that the overall theory is that far out there. There’s much not being told. It’s the kinda stuff that’ll show up on page 385 in a memoirs style book one day. Long after this mess has been forgotten. I can only hope to read it someday, and satisfy my curiosity.

6 comments. Add your 2 cents!.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Junior, David Gilliland, Drivers, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Kenny Wallace, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Ricky Rudd, Robert Yates Racing #38, Robert Yates Racing #88, Yates Racing #28





Trackback URL for: Does This Whole Yates Deal Make Sense?

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Thursday September 20, 2007
10:52am UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Levi Strauss has put Jimmie Johnson on notice that it will cease its personal endorsement deal with him and cease being the Official Jeans of the team, according to the Sports Business Journal (as reported by Scene Daily).

The report get to a conclusion that supposedly none of this had a thing to do with the fact that Dale Earnhardt Junior has come to the hen house, guns blazzing, and wearing Wrangler’s. Wrangler being Levi Strauss’ biggest competitor.

I’m sorry, but I’ll have to beg to differ on that one regardless of what we’re told to think.

Let’s get some facts out there.

Last fall Levi Strauss, who has been a personal sponsor of Johnson since 2004, re-upped their deal for another 3 years.

Dale Earnhardt Junior recently renewed his contract with Wrangler, citing their acknowledgment of history and relationships.

Let me see here. Something just doesn’t add up folks.

Here’s how I see it. While I’m not Tim (where’s he ran off to, anyway?), this should still make some sense.

This situation is plain and simple.

Even being a sponsor of the reigning Nextel Cup Champion, how can they compete and effectively market their brand when the most popular driver in NASCAR walks in the door wearing the competition? There just isn’t enough room in the hen house on this one folks. Levi Strauss either had an out, or asked for one. Either way, they’re able to walk out of a 3 year deal after completing just a single year of it.

“… Johnson’s business manager told the SBJ that the Levi’s contract had nothing to do with the Wrangler contract.”

Um, right.

“A corporate official told the SportsBusiness Journal that it would be going in a different direction than being the official jeans of the team.”

Really? Is that so?

OK, so when could a company just up and decide to move in a different direction and break an endorsement contract with only reaching the 1/3 mark?

Conclusion:

In summary, Levi Strauss is definitely moving in a different direction, as they stated. They had, or asked for, an out, and have effectively received their break from the contract.

The direction they are moving in is whichever one is farthest from Dale Earnhardt Junior and his Wrangler deal. They just can’t, or don’t want to, compete against their rival apparel maker combined with the most popular driver in NASCAR.

Can’t really say I blame them, but hey, why not pony up the truth instead of all the smoke and mirrors?

4 comments. Add your 2 cents!.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Junior, Drivers, Hendrick Motorsports #48, Hendrick Motorsports #88, Jimmie Johnson, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Teams





Trackback URL for: Did Levi Strauss Get Ticked Off?

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Thursday September 13, 2007
4:11pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Yeah, we’re going to talk about Dale Earnhardt Jr. In response to this ESPN article by David Newton.

Mr. Newton pushes the “I believe” button on the matter of DEI and its engine program. Yes, they are now working with RCR in partnership on motors, but last I read those particular packages would not be in use until sometime in October.

This particular piece concludes that its DEI’s shop overall that is having issues with their motors, and that is why Dale Junior has subsequently blow up a whopping 5 times this summer.

Now, I’m not an engine expert. If I were, I wouldn’t be sitting here discussing it, I’d be building motors for one of the fine teams in this sport. However, I can read between the lines and see what’s in front of my face.

Through 26 events this season, here’s the scoop:

1. Both Dale Jr and Martin Truex blew up at Fontana in February.
2. Truex again had engine issues at Chicago. Exit Truex from this discussion.
3. Junior blew up at Texas (note, as things were definitely on their way out at DEI
4. Junior again blows up at Indy, Watkins Glen, and Richmond.

So since things started to really head south, you know they were in April and in May it was made public, Mr. Junior has consequently blown up 4 times as compared to a single failure for Truex.

Is there something wrong with this picture? I don’t think it’s exactly intentional, but hey, if you had 2 drivers and one of them wasn’t going to be around next season, would it be possible that just maybe you might push a little bit of the R&D envelope on their particular motors? Especially as the Chase tightens in, and you know that it’s pretty certain that the driver that’s sticking around is 9 times out of 10 going to make the Chase?

It leads one to wonder, no doubt.

Is it not also ironic that the troubles that have plagued the #8 team this season, comes back yet again to bite them in the butt with 3 laps to go at Richmond?

Could it be that maybe, just maybe, there was indeed some engine R&D rolling along, and knowing there was a chance of failure that the engines were passed to the #8 team to roll out with? More of a vindictive move to possible ensure that Dale Jr. didn’t make the Chase, and would lose some of the publicity that comes along with it?

I’m not going to tell you its true, as much as the Red Nation wants to hear it, but I will say that from the outside looking in on this situation that it’s leaving me scratching my head wondering what (if anything) could be going on here.

One can’t help but wonder if there might be a little bit of favoritism going on. If I were wearing a red t-shirt, I’d probably be more opinionated, but even keeping a neutral position on (most) drivers, this still has me scratching my head.

Share your thoughts!.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Inc #8, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Drivers, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Teams, The Chase





Trackback URL for: David Newton Is Off His Rocker

By Marc, Thunder Lounge
Thursday September 6, 2007
2:48pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

To borrow, and butcher someone else’s phrase; You can satisfy some of the people some of the time, but you can’t satisfy all of the people all of the time.

What brought me to this not so startling conclusion is a couple days looking at NASCAR headlines and stories as we head into NASCAR final “regular season” event at Richmond.

Here is one example that is fairly accurate and representative of various sources that all play on the same theme, the new Chase with 12 teams admitted to the party has “ruined” Richmond.

“Chase playoff rules strip drama from race.” The gist of this article is based on a hypothetical:

“Had the series headed to race No. 26 at Richmond under the original Chase rules, four drivers separated by 38 points would go into this weekend’s Chevy Rock and Roll 400 battling for the last two spots.”

This is where I insert, “yeah but,” the Beloved One would be 161 points behind and not hanging by the thread of 128 points as he is now.

Put another way, a virtual certainty vice as least a thread of hope. And here’s another “but,” that offers a bit of drama, Junior has won three times at Richmond, including his last Cup win in May 2006.

It’s also appropriate to highlight the words of Tony Stewart at this point:

“It’s nice coming here [Richmond] and knowing that if it comes down to a fuel-mileage race this weekend that we can take a chance like we did at Kansas City and go for those 10 points versus not being locked in like we were last year and fighting at this time, so it’s definitely taken a lot of the stress and the pressure off, for sure,”

So, Tony is in a position to lay caution to the wind and go for broke in order to gain the 10 bonus points that go with it.

That sounds like drama and potential excitement to me. In addition Johnson and Gordon will not only try gain another 10 bonus points for themselves but have a wary eye on Stewart as well. If they can’t get the points they may try to block, by whatever means, Smoke from getting them.

Then there’s Tony’s teammate Denny Hamlin. He’s locked up a Chase spot but Richmond is his home track. He has two top-five finishes and three top 10s in three previous Richmond races. He finished second in May ’06 and third last May.

If anyone thinks Hamlin will be stroking at his home tack, with nothing to lose, I’ve got a nuclear powered Vegamatic to sell you.

To reiterate my lede, “you can satisfy some of the people some of the time, but you can’t satisfy all of the people all of the time.” (But you can satisfy people for 16 straight years.)

And some people have so little ambition or imagination they have to gin up some phony tripe about how Richmond isn’t Richmond anymore.

Say, I have an idea… let’s just shut down Richmond. Then Fontana could be the end of the regular season. By most accounts the place already sucks, might as well add to its misery right?

But then the whiners would manufacture another reason wouldn’t they?

“It’s always something — if it isn’t one thing, it’s another.” – Roseanne Rosanna Dana

UPDATE: As noted the other day ISC had widdled down potential buyers for its now useless (to them) Staten Island site.

The decision is made, ISC confirmed it had reached a preliminary agreement to sell its land to ProLogis, the world’s largest developer of distribution warehouses. As Staten Island Advance notes distribution warehouses are “places that are also magnets for trucks” and “the entertainment value is nil.”

The feared flood of fans on race weekends will be replaced by a steady stream of trucks to the site, minus the fun and brand-name sponsorships. Former Borough President Guy Molinari who once worked as a lobbyist for the racetrack proposal, stopped short yesterday of saying, “I told you so.”

To which I’ll add, Buwawawahahaha, SOME PEOPLE, get exactly what they deserve. (read the rest of the Advance article, ISC warned these idiots what would happen and now it has)

Join the discussion.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Junior, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Marc Boland, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Richmond, The Water Cooler





Trackback URL for: Some People!

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Wednesday August 22, 2007
11:07am UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

While the whirlwind surrounding Dale Earnhardt Junior still spins, especially in light of the breakdowns in talks for negotiating the continued use of the #8, there are still a few things left undecided.

First, whom will sponsor NASCAR’S biggest star? All signs have pointed to a Pepsi product thus far, but who knows for sure yet.

Second on the plate of uncertainties is what number will Dale Jr begin his career at Hendrick Motorsports with?

Junior flat out said he didn’t think from the get go that the #8 would be in the mix. However, he went on to say that he kept his hopes up for his fans until the very end. It seems that the almighty head of TEI just couldn’t get over it, and was the sticking point of the negotiations. From media comments on that side, it seems that Max Siegel personally thought it would be fine, but couldn’t convince Her Royal Highness and ended up having to tow the company line. That’s understandable, and I feel Max did the best he could with it.

Dale Jr also said that he was looking hard at numbers in the 80′s. That being the case, while nobody else will say it, I will. I believe that he could run under the #85 next year. Here’s how I’ve come to my conclusion:

• - Junior said he was looking at numbers in the 80′s
• - The following numbers are in use:
  • 80 (Joe Gibbs)
  • 83 (Red Bull Racing)
  • 84 (Red Bull Racing)
  • 88 (Robert Yates)
  • 89 (Morgan Shepard, no attempts in 2007)
• - The #5 has significance to Hendrick Motorsports

From those basics, it would seem a logical choice. Granted, this is my own opinion and not confirmed as fact from any source other than my brain. However, you can’t argue that it isn’t a logical opinion.

Many would like to see the tradition of the #5 kept in place. At the same time, Dale Junior wants to create his own history, and not continue on with one already started. That’s one reason why he decided to remain friends with Richard Childress, and to not mix business with it. Not that that would have been bad, but Junior said that in his original announcement.

That being the case, it could very well apply to the #5 as well. It has a tradition and history with it, but it seems for all intensive purposes that Junior wants to start fresh and make his own noise. Of course he makes noise just pulling onto the track. But I digress.

While adding to the fine history and legacy would be an honor, you can’t help but get the above impression that Junior is ready to begin building his own chapter. That being the case, being able to represent that through his car number would be possible. Whether that comes to light or not, we’ll see.

2 comments. Add your 2 cents!.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Junior, Drivers, Nascar, Nextel Cup





Trackback URL for: Dale Junior Can Do The Math