Dale Jr Pole
Dale Jr Takes the Pole
Dale Earnhardt Jr was the fastest qualifier tonight at Atlanta Motor Speedway grabbing the pole position for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500.
“It’s really, really fast you just gotta hang on,” said Earnhardt of his pole run. “When you can do it and do it right it’s pretty cool.”
Earnhardt turned a lap of 28.761 seconds at 192.761 to earn the top spot. He was he was .07 seconds faster than 2nd place qualifier Kyle Busch.
It was the fastest qualifying lap ever in a NASCAR COT.
The pole was the 9th of Earnhardt’s career, and the first since 2008 at Texas, 68 races ago.
What do you think about Dale Jr’s fast qualifying run?
Dale Jr on Vegas
What Dale Earnhardt Jr Likes About Las Vegas
Dale Jr Donates $1 Million
Dale Earnhardt Jr Gives $1 Million to Victory Junction Camp
NASCAR’s most popular driver has pledged $1 million to pay for a new theatre at Victory Junction Camp.
The Randleman, North Carolina camp plays host to children with serious 
illnesses. It was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in memory of their son Adam.
Dale Jr’s donation will be used to build The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre.
“There are many reasons why we wanted to get involved with Victory Junction and build this amphitheater, and it starts with the tremendous impact the camp has on these kids,” Earnhardt Jr said.
Mr. Earnhardt will be on hand March 27, 2010 to break ground on project during The Dale Jr. Foundation Physical Disabilities Weekend at Victory Junction.
“Adam and I met each other at an early age, and from that point on our lives and careers were virtually parallel,” said Dale Jr. “He was as genuine as they get and a great friend. If I can play a small part in helping Kyle and Pattie keep his dream alive, it doesn’t require a second thought.”
The amphitheatre will allow children at the camp to not only be entertained, but participate in the entertainment.
Is Dale Jr a good guy or what?
Photo Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports
Jimmy Spencer on Dale Earnhardt Jr
Jimmy Spencer thinks he knows what is wrong with the No. 88 team.
Jimmy Spencer knows what is keeping Dale Earnhardt Jr out of Victory Lane. He knows why the 88 is not winning Championships and contending for wins.
Do you want to know what Jimmy Spencer said?
Spencer has a new show on SPEED called What’s The Deal.
Last night on the show Jimmy Spencer said “I don’t believe it is the 88 team. I believe it is Junior himself.”
You can take that for what it’s worth. It comes from a man with 2 career wins in NASCAR’s Cup Series.
Do you agree or disagree with Spencer’s opinion? Post your thoughts here and I’ll forward them on to SPEED
Earnhardt and Johnson Repeat
How Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr are Making it Look Like Last Year All Over Again
It looked like 2009 all over again at Fontana Sunday. Jimmie Johnson could do no wrong, while Dale Earnhardt Jr couldn’t catch a break.
Can this be a good sign for NASCAR?
When Earnhardt broke an axle it was mass confusion in the pit box. Crew 
chief Lance McGrew wasn’t even sure there was a replacement axle in the war wagon.
Brian Vickers broke an axle last year at Atlanta. Vickers’ crew changed the axle without losing a lap. That move was a key reason why Vickers was in the Chase – and Kyle Busch was not.
Why did it take the No. 88 pit crew 12 laps to make a similar repair?
Jimmie Johnson was on the other end of the lucky horseshoe. He was on pit road when a caution came out and was within less than a second of going a lap down. Not long after that he was leading.
Johnson was challenged by Kevin Harvick in the closing laps until Harvick scraped the wall with his No. 29 Chevrolet. After that all Johnson had to do was cruise to the checkered flag.
Do you want to watch the 2009 season all over again? Can this really be good for NASCAR?
Photo Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports
This Driver Knows
One NASCAR Driver Who Knows Where He Stands
Here’s a sign of a driver who doesn’t take himself too seriously – but still knows exactly where he stands in NASCAR.
Today, when one driver was asked if a driver had to win races in order to be recognized as the face of NASCAR, he answered kind of slyly, “apparently not.”
It was Dale Earnhardt Jr who said that. That was today at Daytona’s Media Day, and the media definitely got it.
“Somebody asked me how you get respect, and you get respect by the way you act,” Earnhardt said. “And they asked me if that was in or outside the car. I said that it was all the time, no matter where you’re at. You don’t get mulligans for being an asshole. I try and earn respect when I go do stuff whether that’s inside the car or not.”
So has Earnhardt earned respect. And who in NASCAR has not earned it?
Dale Jr Returns
Dale Earnhardt Jr is Looking Forward to Seeing You!
What does returning to Daytona mean for Dale Earnhardt Jr?
“I look forward to seeing everybody. Seeing the other drivers and crew members and everyone we haven’t seen all offseason,” Dale Jr said. “I look forward to hitting the track and getting some speed and going fast. We get down to Daytona and get to go right into drafting practice with the Shootout car, so you get to do a little racing right off the bat. It’s good to get to the track and get it out of your system.”
Junior likes the new larger opening in the restrictor plate being used at Daytona – and the added horsepower it brings. “I’m pretty happy about the new plate,” said Earnhardt. It’s going to give the car a little more throttle response.”
“The restrictor plate gives a throttle response, and you aren’t as scared to let off the gas because you can build momentum back quicker if you have a little more power,” added crew chief Lance McGrew.
It sounds like Dale Jr is planning on being a little more aggressive on the racetrack this year. I am not sure who he is planning on showing personality to – could be Kyle Busch. “I’m glad that NASCAR isn’t going to police the bump drafting so we can all police ourselves and show our personalities,” Earnhardt said. “Hopefully our personalities will be a little more visible on the racetrack.”
“Daytona is Daytona. It’s just really rough. You have to work on the chassis handling. It doesn’t matter how good your body is or how much horsepower you make; if you aren’t on the gas because the car’s not turning then it doesn’t work.”
Lance McGrew summed up what winning the Daytona 500 would mean for the entire No. 88 team. “It’s just one of those places you go that you remember the whole week,” said McGrew. “You remember how you felt, where you were standing during the pre-race. You remember who was there. The crowd and the electricity as you are standing on pit road before the race starts are amazing. It’s like a rock concert, hair-standing-up-on-your-arms kind of deal. Winning there would make your whole season.
Earnhardt has 2 wins in The Shootout, and one win in the Daytona 500. In his career he has won 12 times at the 2.5 mile superspeedway.
He will be driving a newly built race car for the Daytona 500. It is Hendrick Motorsports chassis # 88-563. The car was built specifically to win the Daytona 500. It will carry the Green Amp paint scheme for this race.
What does returning to Daytona mean to you?
Photo Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports
Confessions of a Disappointed Dale Earnhardt Jr Fan
Confessions of a Disappointed Dale Earnhardt Jr Fan
The following is a guest post from Casey Miller. Interested in guest posting? Please contact me.
My name is Casey, and I’m a Dale Jr fan.
Junior. I first heard about you in 1998 when you showed up at Daytona to run the Busch race. I didn’t have a favorite driver at the time, but I was keeping an eye on you.
When you won 13 races and 2 Championships in 2 years in the Busch Series you had my attention.
When you won your first Cup race at Texas in 2000, in just your 12th Cup start that’s when I decided you would be my driver. It had taken Jeff Gordon 42 tries to get his first win. It took Dale 16 to get his.
You really gave us fans a reason to be fans. And not just with the way you drove the race car, but with the way you handled yourself off the track as well.
My heart went out for you after the Daytona 500 in 2001. And then again one week later when you crashed on the first lap at Rockingham.
But you came back to Daytona in July and put that No. 8 in the Winner’s Circle. I was so proud of you.
You owned Daytona and Talladega there for a while. You even won at Talladega 4 times in a row. I think you learned a thing or two about drafting and restrictor plate racing from Dale.
You’ve won the Daytona 500.
You’ve won 6 races in one season in 2004, and you have 18 victories so far in your career. That’s 39th on NASCAR’s All Time Win List.
You’ve contended for Championships, and I believe you will win one.
But I was disappointed when you left DEI. I thought you should have stayed there and worked things out with Teresa. I think DEI would have been a NASCAR dynasty with you as the driver and majority owner. Teresa just would not give you the tools and equipment that you knew you needed, and she wouldn’t work with you to make a deal for you to take over the company.
Funny how as soon as you were out the door Teresa was down the street making a deal with Chip Ganassi.
I was disappointed when you went to Hendrick Motorsports. After all this was Jeff Gordon’s and Jimmie Johnson’s team.
I was also excited when you went to Hendrick Motorsports. After all this was Jeff Gordon’s and Jimmie Johnson’s team.
How many wins and Championships did they have between them?
I was excited when you won the Budweiser Shootout. Your first race in the 88 car.
You were running up front almost every week. You won at Michigan. You should have won at Richmond when Kyle Busch wrecked you at the end of the race.
But then the wheels just seemed to fall off.
I was disappointed when you had a string of problems on pit road last year. You said yourself that you lost confidence when that happened.
“Coming down pit road and getting in your stall is like breathing. You don’t even think it when you’re doing it, you just do it.
“It really made me start thinking about it, and I backtracked – I actually got a complex about it and became sort of something I definitely was not confident about.” ~ Dale Earnhardt Jr as quoted in The Sporting News.
I was disappointed when drivers, broadcasters and fans seemed to be turning against you after last year’s Daytona 500, blaming you for the big wreck. I’ve watched the replays closely, and you were obviously forced into that position. The wreck was, as they say, just racing.
I was disappointed when Rick Hendrick took Tony Eury Jr away from you rather that giving the two of you the support you needed.
And I was disappointed when the 2009 season ended without seeing you in Victory Lane.
But I am encouraged by what I hear from you this year.
You sound excited and ready to get down to business.
I especially like what you said about being ruthless.
“We’re just going to go out there and try our hardest and be ruthless from the first lap to the last,” Earnhardt Jr said.
Dale Jr, this is going to be your year. This is going to be your year.
I believe you can do it.
But more importantly, I believe that you believe that you can do it.
Can Dale Jr do it in 2010?
National Guard Dale Earnhardt Jr Screensaver
Dale Earnhardt Jr National Guard Screensaver
This is an animated Dale Earnhardt Jr screensaver from National Guard. It’s like watching a mini Dale Jr movie. This is the best Dale Jr screensaver I have seen so far. I have it on my computer.
Dale Jr is shown on the racetrack driving the No. 88 while a National Guard helicopter flies overhead.
Thanks to the National Guard for putting out this great screensaver.
You will need to download the screensaver to your computer, and then click on it to install.
After you download it check your Desktop or your My Documents file under Downloads. Look for a file named dale-jr-screensaver and click on that to install.
Installation Instructions:
- Click the link below
- Locate the downloaded file on your computer (usually it is on your desktop or in My Documents under Downloads
- Look for a file named dale-jr-screensaver and click on that to install
- If you are asked if you want to install click Yes then Install
Click here to download and install
Dale Earnhardt Jr Opens Another Bar
Dale Earnhardt Jr Opens Another Bar
Whisky River is coming to Florida. Dale Earnhardt Jr opened the original Whisky River in Charlotte, and now he plans to open another Whisky River in Jacksonville.
The bar will be located in the city’s Southside at St. Johns Town Center. Earnhardt plans to open in March 2010.
I can’t wait to hear from all of you who say that Junior has too many interests outside of racing, and that he is spending too much time at his bar in Charlotte.
What do you think of this latest move?
