Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the guest on Tuesday’s national NASCAR teleconference.
Suffice to say, the lines were full.
Earnhardt, the sport’s most popular driver, proved again he also is one of the classiest. He responded eloquently to questions about contract negotiations with his stepmother and Jeff Gordon’s pursuit of two prestigious Earnhardt milestones.
The second-generation superstar, who is in the final year of his contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), makes it clear he feels lucky to drive a race car for a living and that he wants to get along with everybody. Amid all the corporate showmanship in NASCAR, Earnhardt always tries to keep it real.
As for dealing with his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, Junior said he wants a fair deal to remain with the team his famous father built, and he refused to publicly leverage his superstar status and marketability with other teams against his father’s widow.
“We’re just trying to work on it without any press, which is kind of difficult,” Earnhardt said about what he called positive negotiations to keep him at DEI.
As for Gordon, Earnhardt said he wants his father’s fans to get off the California native’s back for doing what he’s paid to do.
Gordon won his 76th career race last weekend, tying Dale Sr. for sixth place all time. Some traditional fans – particularly from the South – now are afraid Gordon will get his 77th victory this weekend at the hallowed Earnhardt track in Talladega.
Junior and his father have combined for 15 victories at Talladega Superspeedway, with Dale Sr. having won 10 times. Gordon has four wins at the 2.66-mile oval, and his brilliant season thus far suggests he will be in position to tie Junior with win No. 5 on Sunday in the Aaron’s 499.
“For the fans who don’t want to see that, it’s going to happen regardless (at some point), whether they like it or not,” Earnhardt said. “I can appreciate a guy winning 76 races. It’s a heck of a feat. Congratulations to however many more he wins. … I definitely see him getting more wins. That’s just a product of his success and his ability.”
Gordon, who leads the standings on the strength of six top- five finishes in eight races, held a No. 3 Earnhardt flag out his window during his victory lap last Saturday night at Phoenix.
Earnhardt said his family appreciated the recognition, and that Gordon’s accomplishments stand on their own.
“He tied him. He recognized that,” Junior said. “That was appreciated. I think he closed the door on that.
“He can go on and move on with his career and enjoy it. He can’t feel obligated to continue to relate everything back to my father.”
Footnotes
Chevrolet is running away with the manufacturer’s championship, having won seven of the first eight races. Chevy led 311 of the 312 laps at Phoenix and had eight drivers finish in the top 10, including the first four. … Fifty- two cars are entered for Talladega, with 17 nonguaranteed drivers gunning for eight available spots.
NASCAR extra
SPOTLIGHT: MICHAEL WALTRIP
Bad start, rough season
He’s still on the minus side of the standings, 27 points below even and last among 54 drivers to have qualified for one of the eight races this year. If you thought Waltrip was feeling down in February at Daytona, where he was caught cheating and absorbed unprecedented penalties – including being docked 100 driver’s points before points were put on the table – things have become much worse for the Kentucky-raised veteran and first-year team owner. He hasn’t qualified for the past seven races, after rallying to make the Daytona 500 by driving from the back of the field in a backup car in one of the two qualifying races. Waltrip, who turns 44 next week, also is being bashed for “selling out” to Toyota, the foreign automaker that is in its first season in Nextel Cup. Waltrip fields three Toyota teams, including those driven by Dale Jarrett (36th in the standings) and rookie David Reutimann (43rd).
ON THE MOVE: JEFF GORDON
No. 24 hits 76
The four-time series champion strengthened his lead in the standings with his 76th career victory last weekend at Phoenix, tying the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth place all time. Gordon, 35, is just eight victories shy of third place, held by Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.
THIS WEEK’S RACE: AARON’S 499
Taking on Talladega
When: Sunday, 11:30 a.m., Fox
Where: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, 2.66-mile oval
Race length: 188 laps (500 miles)
Track banking: 33 degrees (corners), 16.5 degrees (frontstretch), 2 degrees (backstretch)
Records: Qualifying – Bill Elliott (212.809 mph) April 30, 1987; race – Mark Martin (188.354 mph) May 10, 1997
Last year: Jimmie Johnson won to begin a Hendrick Motorsports two-race sweep at NASCAR’s biggest track.
LOOKING AT LEGENDS
How veteran Jeff Gordon ranks among NASCAR’s top 11 driving champions:
(Driver | Wins | Years)
Richard Petty 200 1958-1992
David Pearson 105 1960-1986
Bobby Allison 84 1961-1988
Darrell Waltrip 84 1972-1999
Cale Yarborough 83 1957-1988
Dale Earnhardt 76 1975-2001
Jeff Gordon 76 1993-today
Rusty Wallace 55 1980-2005
Lee Petty 54 1949-1964
Junior Johnson 50 1953-1966
Ned Jarrett 50 1953-1966
– Source: NASCAR
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
